Afghanistan

[Coyote]

What does "winning" mean when it comes to what we are doing in Afghanistan?

What do you think of the idea that we should turn towards fighting Al Queda in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

What do you consider "nation building" and can it be effective?


I'm curious - I'm at a crossroads in what I think regarding Afghanistan and Pakistan and would like to hear people's thoughts in something that is more than just a left/right bashing coversation...

 

[Mad Scientist]

"Winning" means Emperor Hirohito signs the surrender documents on the USS Missouri.

 

[Vast LWC]

To me, the point of Afghanistan was to get OBL and Al Qaeda.

Other than that, I don't really care if the whole counutry falls apart, to be perfectly frank.

 

[waltky]

Millions Spent On Border Equipment In Afghanistan That No Longer Works...

Millions In U.S. Funds Spent On Border Equipment In Afghanistan That No Longer Works
December 1, 2017 • The inspection equipment sits "inoperable and unused" at four of five locations, according to an audit. At three of them, officials said the equipment had not been operational for at least two years.

In 2006, the U.S. military purchased $12.1 million worth of inspection equipment for five border posts in Afghanistan in an effort to crack down on illicit drug smuggling and boost customs duty revenues to the Afghan government. After operation, training and maintenance costs, the total investment for the equipment to date is estimated at up to $62.6 million. However, according to a new report, the equipment is now sitting "inoperable and unused" at four of the five locations. At three of them, officials told inspectors that the equipment had not been operational for at least two years. The report was issued by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR – a military agency tasked by Congress to audit U.S. spending in Afghanistan.

Drug smuggling is a rampant problem in Afghanistan and a primary source of funding for the Taliban, as NPR's Tom Bowman has reported. The U.S. is preparing to send hundreds more military advisors to the country next year and has recently bombed opium processing plants. The amount of narcotics produced in Afghanistan continues to rise – and as SIGAR reported in October, "the estimated value of opiates produced in Afghanistan nearly doubled from $1.56 billion in 2015 to $3.02 billion in 2016." It said the U.S. has sunk at least $8.6 billion into counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) purchased the eight pieces of inspection equipment in 2006 that were capable of scanning vehicles and cargo containers for narcotics, explosives and contraband. According to the watchdog's report, the Pentagon-funded Border Management Task Force (BMTF) trained and mentored Afghan officials about how to use the equipment, spending about $36.5 million and holding more than 7,000 training sessions.

The inoperable and unused scanner at Afghanistan's Islam Qara border crossing​

SIGAR also estimates that CENTCOM paid the equipment manufacturer "between $10.8 million and $14.4 million" to maintain the scanners from 2007-2014. The equipment was formally handed over to the Afghan government in 2014, when BMTF stopped working in Afghanistan. And in most cases, it appears that the equipment quickly fell into disuse and disrepair. In fact, Kabul Airport is the only location where investigators found equipment still functioning as it was intended. "We interviewed Afghan government officials at each location to determine why the equipment was not being used," the report states. "Afghan officials we spoke with cited technical and software problems, maintenance issues/broken parts, and a lack of capable operators as reasons for the non-functioning equipment."

And while most officials said they had received training, "at one location an official noted that they had not been trained to maintain or troubleshoot even minor problems." The report concludes that because the U.S. has no presence on Afghanistan's borders, it's up to the Afghan government to use the equipment properly to curb smuggling and boost revenues. "Unfortunately, at this point, it appears that the Afghan government has been unable or unwilling to sustain that investment," SIGAR stated. CENTCOM said in an attached letter that it "concurs with that assessment."

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[Natural Citizen]

Dang. This thread could have been great. Why crickets chirping?

 

[skye]

Afghanistan....

President Trump is bombing and destroying all CIA rogue elements poppy seed labs there....enough said here.

May Donald Trump be Blessed forever!

 

[TheOldSchool]

Dang. This thread could have been great. Why crickets chirping?

Because, obviously, we need to maintain 1 or 2 wars in the mideast at all times and at all costs lest reality shatter.

 

[TheOldSchool]

Afghanistan....

President Trump is bombing and destroying all CIA rogue elements poppy seed labs there....enough said here.

May Donald Trump be Blessed forever!

 

[skye]

Afghanistan....

President Trump is bombing and destroying all CIA rogue elements poppy seed labs there....enough said here.

May Donald Trump be Blessed forever!

live in ignorance snowflake

what do I care!

 

[TheOldSchool]

Afghanistan....

President Trump is bombing and destroying all CIA rogue elements poppy seed labs there....enough said here.

May Donald Trump be Blessed forever!

live in ignorance snowflake

what do I care!

I guess you can't really care about much while in the depths of a mind-numbing acid trip

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd thinks Skye's a honey.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

What does "winning" mean when it comes to what we are doing in Afghanistan?

What do you think of the idea that we should turn towards fighting Al Queda in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

What do you consider "nation building" and can it be effective?


I'm curious - I'm at a crossroads in what I think regarding Afghanistan and Pakistan and would like to hear people's thoughts in something that is more than just a left/right bashing coversation...

The answer is the same today as it was back in 2001: there is no ‘winning.’

It’s preputial war for the sake of politics, having nothing to do with fighting ‘terrorism,’ ‘helping’ the Afghan people, or ‘protecting’ America.

We failed to learn the lesson of Vietnam and we’re repeating that same mistake in Afghanistan.

The Taliban will wait patiently for the Americans to leave just as the Vietnamese waited patiently for the French, then the Japanese, then French again, then finally the Americans to leave.

And when we do leave Afghanistan the Taliban will take over – again.

So the question is not what does "winning" mean when it comes to what we are doing in Afghanistan, the real question is will we at last learn from our mistakes in Vietnam and Afghanistan, or will we make the same mistake a third time somewhere else.

 

[yiostheoy]

What does "winning" mean when it comes to what we are doing in Afghanistan?

What do you think of the idea that we should turn towards fighting Al Queda in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

What do you consider "nation building" and can it be effective?


I'm curious - I'm at a crossroads in what I think regarding Afghanistan and Pakistan and would like to hear people's thoughts in something that is more than just a left/right bashing coversation...

A-stan was "won" when UBL and Al Qaeda fled from there into Pakistan.

There is no reason to stay in A-stan any longer.

I suppose the Pentagon fears that Al Qaeda will return if the US leaves it however.

Al Qaeda has fled to black Africa now.

 

[candycorn]

The answer is the same today as it was back in 2001: there is no ‘winning.’

It’s preputial war for the sake of politics, having nothing to do with fighting ‘terrorism,’ ‘helping’ the Afghan people, or ‘protecting’ America.

We failed to learn the lesson of Vietnam and we’re repeating that same mistake in Afghanistan.

The Taliban will wait patiently for the Americans to leave just as the Vietnamese waited patiently for the French, then the Japanese, then French again, then finally the Americans to leave.

And when we do leave Afghanistan the Taliban will take over – again.

So the question is not what does "winning" mean when it comes to what we are doing in Afghanistan, the real question is will we at last learn from our mistakes in Vietnam and Afghanistan, or will we make the same mistake a third time somewhere else.

Correct

 

[Adrenochrome Junkie]

Correct

Looks like you’re finally waking up to the Deep State

 

[candycorn]

Looks like you’re finally waking up to the Deep State

Pretty much nailed it back in 2014. Except of Cours,e I thought the Afghan army would still be, you know, an army.