Sonali: So, in your entire time that you served, did you ever apprehend an honest-to-goodness member of the Taliban or Al-Qaeda?
Rick: From my experience, no.
Sonali: So, what was then the result of these actions, these on-the-ground actions? Did people accept the compensation of food and the replacement of doors and windows graciously?
Rick: No, they were very angry. The population was just very angry at us. They didn't want us there. Whenever we'd enter into a neighborhood for the first time we were never greeted humbly. We'd have young kids as young as 5, 6, 7 years old throwing rocks, giving us the finger who knows where they learned that but that's what they'd do.
Sonali: You served also in Iraq. How similar are operations in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Rick: Very similar. Very similar. Almost identical. The only differences are maybe some of the terrain but overall it's the same strategy.
Reyes' perception of Iraq and Afghanistan reinforces what is known about the "night adventures" or night raids that Bernard Kerik, participated in. Kerik,the man chosen to rebuild Iraq's police forces,would organize "hundred-man Iraqi police paramilitary unit[s] to chase down and kill off members of the black market criminal syndicates," which sprouted after the U.S. invasion. Kerik would go on the night raids and return home to tell stories of his adventures. And, he would sleep during the day leaving the rebuilding of Iraq police forces to others so he could go out and take a hit off the night raid drug he had become hooked on.
As early as August 2008, civilians were coming to Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) with complaints about night raids. A civilian, Mohddin, complained about the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan saying he was frustrated with the fact that the ISAF seemed to be deliberately hitting civilian targets. Mohddin believed this was "driving people toward anti-government forces."
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