The Afghanistan Quagmire Just Gets Deeper

[longknife]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Warn Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls control almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

A Cut-and-Paste Country

We should partition Afghanistan among its neighbors, including Iran and Pashtunistan (the Taliban). Like the Hatfields and McCoys, the Muzzie hillbillies will spend the next few decades killing one another until none are left.

 

[BlackFlag]

Afghanistan, like most of the Middle East, was fine before everybody decided to start bombing the hell out of it around 50 years ago

 

[Votto]

The former USSR helped militarized the region after they invaded and the US armed the Taliban to fight them.

Then when they left, there was a vacuum. You had a bunch of seasoned war veterans trained by US forces and armed by them, with nothing to fight. Then they turned their eyes towards the US.

The whole democracy thing is a sham. They don't care about that and never have cared. No, the issue is just having a presence in that region where terrorism seems to thrive. I think the thinking is, let's fight them here rather than at home.

I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, I'm just trying to explain the method to their madness.

 

[Desperado]

The only ones that want to keep the US military in the Mideast are Israel and our own neocons. our Enough is enough bring troops and equipment home. Let the arabs sort it out between themselves.

 

[Votto]

The only ones that want to keep the US military in the Mideast are Israel and our own neocons. our Enough is enough bring troops and equipment home. Let the arabs sort it out between themselves.

Ah yes, the only reason the US has troops in over 70 countries around the world is because of the Jews.
Thanks for that.

 

[Weatherman2020]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Bullets don't grow on trees. I expect Mattis and Trump to say screw it and start bombing targets in Pakistan after the election.

 

[Desperado]

The only ones that want to keep the US military in the Mideast are Israel and our own neocons. our Enough is enough bring troops and equipment home. Let the arabs sort it out between themselves.

Ah yes, the only reason the US has troops in over 70 countries around the world is because of the Jews.
Thanks for that.

Where the fck did I say we have troops in over 70 countries because of the Jews?

 

[Weatherman2020]

The only ones that want to keep the US military in the Mideast are Israel and our own neocons. our Enough is enough bring troops and equipment home. Let the arabs sort it out between themselves.

Ah yes, the only reason the US has troops in over 70 countries around the world is because of the Jews.
Thanks for that.

Where the fck did I say we have troops in over 70 countries because of the Jews?

Your bigotry called for that rebuttal.

 

[Sunni Man]

What the American people fail to comprehend is that war is the national sport of Afghanistan.

They have been fighting invaders and occupiers for centuries. The nations oral history is centered around driving out foreigners from their land, no matter how long it takes.

U.S. soldiers could be there 20 more years and Afghanistan would still be the same as today. .....

 

[Tommy Tainant]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Maybe more money should have been spent on education ?
The reasons for being in the Stan are as valid/invalid now as they were on day one. If we are not there we leave a vacuum for the baddies to fill.

 

[longknife]

The only ones that want to keep the US military in the Mideast are Israel and our own neocons. our Enough is enough bring troops and equipment home. Let the arabs sort it out between themselves.

Ah yes, the only reason the US has troops in over 70 countries around the world is because of the Jews.
Thanks for that.

 

[Tijn Von Ingersleben]

Afghans overwhelmingly (99%) want Sharia. Let them have it. Leave them alone.

 

[longknife]

New reports from Afghanistan give false hopes for peace

From reading this piece, I can find absolutely no reason for any kind of hope in making a peace agreement with the Taliban. It’s their way or no way, as simple as that.

As US, European, and Afghan officials cling to the idea that the Taliban will negotiate a peace settlement to end the war in Afghanistan, a recent string of news articles would lead you to believe that the Taliban is actually willing to reach a compromise. However, these stories are highly misleading and give false hope that an end to this 17-year conflict is in sight.

The Taliban’s leadership isn’t at all interested in making peace with – let alone sharing power with – an Afghan government that it considers to be an un-Islamic stooge of Western powers. The Taliban has repeatedly ignored and rebuffed the Afghan government’s peace offers, as it considers the Afghan government a pawn of the West. The Taliban has stated time and time again that it is its religious obligation to wage jihad, or holy war, in order to eject the occupying forces and re-establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the name of the Taliban’s government.

When the Taliban has previously discussed negotiations, it always has two preconditions to talks: the withdrawal of foreign forces and the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

To put it more simply, the Taliban’s negotiating position is: first the West and the Afghan government surrender, then we’ll talk.

More @ New reports from Afghanistan give false hopes for peace | FDD's Long War Journal

Afghan official: Taliban kill 3 troops in northern province

 

[Desperado]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Maybe more money should have been spent on education ?
The reasons for being in the Stan are as valid/invalid now as they were on day one. If we are not there we leave a vacuum for the baddies to fill.

So we leave a vacuum! BFD
What goes on in Afghanistan and who controls it has no effect on my life.
So why should I care? Other than my country is wasting my tax money there along with lives of the US Military. Past time to pull out and leave the entire region

 

[Tommy Tainant]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Maybe more money should have been spent on education ?
The reasons for being in the Stan are as valid/invalid now as they were on day one. If we are not there we leave a vacuum for the baddies to fill.

So we leave a vacuum! BFD
What goes on in Afghanistan and who controls it has no effect on my life.
So why should I care? Other than my country is wasting my tax money there along with lives of the US Military. Past time to pull out and leave the entire region

Tell that to the 9/11 families. Afghanistan has no effect on your life !! Dumb fuck.

 

[Desperado]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Maybe more money should have been spent on education ?
The reasons for being in the Stan are as valid/invalid now as they were on day one. If we are not there we leave a vacuum for the baddies to fill.

So we leave a vacuum! BFD
What goes on in Afghanistan and who controls it has no effect on my life.
So why should I care? Other than my country is wasting my tax money there along with lives of the US Military. Past time to pull out and leave the entire region

Tell that to the 9/11 families. Afghanistan has no effect on your life !! Dumb fuck.

Hey Asswipe If we were not fucking around in the Mid East there would not have been a 9/11

 

[longknife]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Maybe more money should have been spent on education ?
The reasons for being in the Stan are as valid/invalid now as they were on day one. If we are not there we leave a vacuum for the baddies to fill.

So we leave a vacuum! BFD
What goes on in Afghanistan and who controls it has no effect on my life.
So why should I care? Other than my country is wasting my tax money there along with lives of the US Military. Past time to pull out and leave the entire region

Tell that to the 9/11 families. Afghanistan has no effect on your life !! Dumb fuck.

Name a single Afghani involved in 9/11. Just one!

 

[longknife]

After 16 Years, Efforts in Afghanistan “Mostly Failed”

This report shouldn’t surprise anyone.

“Between 2001 and 2017, U.S. government efforts to stabilize insecure and contested areas in Afghanistan mostly failed.”

That’s the main conclusion in the latest “lessons learned” report to Congress from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). After 16 years, nearly 2,400 U.S. service members killed, and untold billions spent, the U.S. government is no closer to achieving the “peace and freedom” that President George W. Bush promised would prevail in Afghanistan when he announced combat operations there in October 2001.

It then lists the reasons which are rather simple when looked at in hindsight.

Greatly overestimated its ability to build and reform government institutions

Arrogance

Wasteful spending

An inadequate strategy

Obama’s timeline “had a profound and harmful impact on countless downstream decisions regarding stabilization planning, staffing, and programming.”

More on this @ The Most Damning Sentence On The War In Afghanistan You’ll Read Today

 

[Ringel05]

All morning long and for the past week or so I’ve been reading one article after another about the Taliban gaining more control of the countryside. The latest is an article in Albawaba News titled Taliban Warns Afghan Civilians to Stay Away From 'Military Bases' in Kabul, Attacks Expected.

I find myself asking, how does an insurgency continue to exist and exert such force after all the blood, sweat, and billions we and other countries have spent to stop such extremism from gaining power in a country with a democratically elected government?

That’s the crux of the problem. “Democratically elected government.”

We and the other members of the coalition continue to expect Afghanis to wish to have a democratically elected government. Our politicians seem to be unable to understand something. The majority of the 35.66 million Afghans have no idea what democracy means or even want it! They are generally uneducated and deeply indoctrinated in tribalism and Sharia Law, the mainstay of Islam. Their lives are centered around their villages, their poppy fields, and their ancestral tribal leaders. It is only a small percent of them who have advanced education and knowledge of the outside world.

So why on earth have we been fighting there since October 2001? Nearly 18 years and the country is still torn by the horrors of war. Many reports indicate the Taliban controls almost 30% of the country. 30%! And that is only what government and coalition sources are agreeing to publicize.

War in that country is not anything close to warfare as we westerners know it. Elders send little children wearing bombs into crowded places to blow themselves up for The Glory of Allah to slaughter all those nearby. Soldiers, supposedly loyal to the government, turn on their fellow soldiers and coalition members, civilian and military.

How do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

After 18 years, the Afghanis we’ve trained and supported are no better at fighting them than are we. In fact, they are as torn and bigoted as the Taliban with their deep divisions between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds. What good are our efforts if they cannot unite themselves?

They’ve just elected an individual whose militia once fought against coalition forces to be prime minister of their government.

What an amazing reward after 18 years of fighting!

Is there a solution to this?

Certainly. Let the Afghanis decide for themselves what they want and how to govern themselves. Let’s get ourselves and the coalition the hell out of there. Today! To hell with the tanks and billions worth of supply and equipment. Pack up our military and civilians and bring them home. Load them on planes and get them out of there. ASAP!!!!!

“But what about …..?”

Who cares? Only the politicians and CEOs running corporations making ungodly profits from or continued involvement there.

What about you? What do you think?

Afghan Kandahar Bombing Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Injured

Maybe more money should have been spent on education ?
The reasons for being in the Stan are as valid/invalid now as they were on day one. If we are not there we leave a vacuum for the baddies to fill.

That's as naive as the ones wishfully thinking the Afghanis would shed hundreds of years of culture and grasp democracy, freedom, tolerant and equality for all overnight because we forced it on them.........