That's a bit odd

Posted Sat, Sep 25, 2004 at 1:12 pm

From this:

[Lt. Col. Asad Khan, 44, of Avon, Conn.,] who commanded 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan was removed from command Friday, a military spokesman said... No other details were released. No specific reason for the action was given...

From just nine days ago:

While hunting insurgents in Afghanistan, members of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit benefited from someone with a personal understanding of the people and the land.

Lt. Col. Asad Khan, a Pakistani-born Marine officer, commands a reinforced version of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Called a battalion landing team, it's the 22nd MEU's ground combat element.

In 1972, Khan's parents emigrated from Pakistan through Afghanistan, and he has since returned to the area as a Marine Corps foreign area officer...

(Despite the category in which this post has been placed, his removal might have nothing to do with terrorism or supporting jihad, etc. He might have gotten a bit too "close" to the natives. Or, it could be entirely innocent or entirely unrelated to what he did in Afghanistan.)

Comments

allen smith (not verified)

Thu, 09/30/2004 - 14:18

It is sad to see the Marine Corps in this light. I know this Marine and they don't come any better. Loyalty goes up and down the chain of command. Read General Tommy Franks new book "American Soldier." He would not have come this far if he did not have loyal seniors who were not afraid to stand up for their subordinates. In Khan's case, his boss threw him under the bus for his ambition

allen smith (not verified)

Thu, 09/30/2004 - 14:17

It is sad to see the Marine Corps in this light. I know this Marine and they don't come any better. Loyalty goes up and down the chain of command. Read General Tommy Franks new book "American Soldier." He would not have come this far if he did not have loyal seniors who were not afraid to stand up for their subordinates. In Khan's case, his boss threw him under the bus for his ambition

allen smith (not verified)

Thu, 09/30/2004 - 14:17

It is sad to see the Marine Corps in this light. I know this Marine and they don't come any better. Loyalty goes up and down the chain of command. Read General Tommy Franks new book "American Soldier." He would not have come this far if he did not have loyal seniors who were not afraid to stand up for their subordinates. In Khan's case, his boss threw him under the bus to make general

Zhang Fei (not verified)

Sat, 09/25/2004 - 14:56

It may that Afghans had a real antipathy to Pakistanis. Significant chunks of what is now northern Pakistan used to be Afghan territory. They were hived off from Afghanistan by British military expeditions. (Contrary to the myth that the British were defeated in Afghanistan, they actually added big chunks of it to the British Raj, all of which is now Pakistani territory).

j (not verified)

Mon, 08/10/2009 - 10:56

I served in 1/6 at that time. He had a loyal following of junior NCOs because he put on a good show for them and because he truly was fearless. The officers and SNCOs who knew him, however, knew what kind of man he really was. He certainly deserved to be relieved.