Afghanistan war is not a war

[longknife]

Bill Corcoran from Corksphere blog is clearly an anti-war vet with very strong views on our interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He often posts some very disturbing videos from there. While I disgree with much of his viewpoint, I have to admit he posts some interesting and powerful stuff.

This blogpost is one I wish to share as it makes a lot of sense.

The Afghanistan War, which is now in its 12th year, is not really a war but more like a basic training exercise only with real bullets.

Read it all @ CORKSPHERE: AFGHANISTAN WAR IS NOT A WAR

 

[Annie]

Bill Corcoran from Corksphere blog is clearly an anti-war vet with very strong views on our interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He often posts some very disturbing videos from there. While I disgree with much of his viewpoint, I have to admit he posts some interesting and powerful stuff.

This blogpost is one I wish to share as it makes a lot of sense.

The Afghanistan War, which is now in its 12th year, is not really a war but more like a basic training exercise only with real bullets.

Read it all @ CORKSPHERE: AFGHANISTAN WAR IS NOT A WAR

Suicide bombers attack U.S. base in Afghanistan - chicagotribune.com

Suicide bombers attack U.S. base in Afghanistan

Rafiq Shirzad

Reuters

12:11 AM CST, December 2, 2012
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JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Suicide attackers detonated bombs and fired rockets outside a major U.S. base in Afghanistan on Sunday and police said 12 bodies were found near a gate, highlighting the country's security challenges ahead of the 2014 NATO combat troop pullout.

Local police officials said a dozen bodies in Afghan police and military uniforms were scattered around the entrance of the airfield in the eastern city of Jalalabad. A Taliban spokesman said the militant group had launched the 6 a.m. assault.

It was not clear whether the dead were Afghan security forces or militants dressed in uniforms, a tactic the Taliban sometimes deploy during attacks.

"There were multiple suicide bombers involved," said Major Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

One member of the Afghan security forces was killed and several coalition troops were wounded, he said.

The United States and Afghan government are scrambling to stabilize Afghanistan before most NATO combat troops withdraw at the end of 2014 and hand over security to Afghan forces.

Afghanistan's defense ministry spokesman said there were rocket attacks at the base followed by two suicide bombings. He had no information on casualties.

In a text message, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said : "This morning at 6 a.m. a number of our devotees attacked the major U.S. Base in Jalalabad city and so far have brought heavy casualties to the enemy."

In February, a suicide car bomber killed nine people at the base, almost exclusively used by NATO and the U.S. military.

So tell us, how is this going to go down for the reduced troops left behind?

Afghanistan War: U.S. Troop Presence After 2014 May Total 10,000

Afghanistan War: U.S. Troop Presence After 2014 May Total 10,000

Posted: 11/26/2012 11:38 am EST Updated: 11/26/2012 11:38 am EST


The White House is considering a plan to leave around 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, has proposed to keep between 6,000 and 15,000 U.S. troops in the country following the end of combat operations in 2014. The plan would significantly differ from the way the U.S. approached its withdrawal from Iraq -- where America's complete withdrawal has often been blamed for instability.

The New York Times reports that Gen. Allen is expected to submit his plan to draw down the 66,000 American troops who are currently stationed in the country as one of his last acts as top commander in Afghanistan.

The WSJ report explains that according to the new plan, Americans who remain in Afghanistan after 2014 would conduct training and counterterrorism programs with Afghan soldiers. Any presence by Americans in Afghanistan past 2014 would require the approval of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, though Karzai likely wants U.S. troops to fall under the jurisdiction of Afghan court. Similar demands led to the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

According to Foreign Policy, the 10,000 troops that would remain Afghanistan undre this plan would be far fewer than the "25,000 troops that Pentagon water-cooler wisdom dictated," and "one-third smaller than what some military experts suggest the post-transition mission needs."

The issue of how to draw down from Afghanistan has already become a political issue, the NYT notes, as Democrats prefer a steady reduction, while Republicans believe fast reductions could lead to further instability.

Gen. Allen is expected to submit several proposals on how the U.S. will approach post-2014 Afghanistan, though his future has recently come into question for his role in the email scandal involving Gen. David Petraeus.

 

[High_Gravity]

The less troops we leave behind the more vulnerable they are.

 

[ima]

We can't win there, just get out already.