When the Afghan war is a good thing
Happy that Osama bin Laden is dead? Well, remember that the raid that killed him “was possible only because America and NATO are engaged in Afghanistan,” writes Bruce Riedel of the Daily Beast. “Simply put, we can’t put pressure on al-Qaeda without Afghanistan forward operating bases, and we clearly can’t trust Pakistan to handle al-Qaeda alone.” And the only reason the Afghans tolerate our presence in their country is because we fight the Taliban for them.
Pakistan’s army is in turn protecting the Taliban, much as it seems it was protecting bin Laden. “As the intelligence community examines bin Laden’s laptop and other gear, the extent of that duplicity will become clearer.” And the Taliban’s recent bold prison attack in Kandahar indicates that NATO can’t afford to withdraw too many troops. “So bin Laden’s demise is a victory,” concludes Riedel, “but the end of the conflict is not yet in sight.”
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Professor Mike
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Why does that pic on the ‘header’ remind me of ‘Starship Troopers’?…You know…all those space ships staying close together so they can make easier targets for ‘The Bugs’ firing missiles out of their arses (asses)…..
Methinks our tactics are wrong.
If the old Soviet Union couldn’t sort out Afghanistan then we are clearly mad as hatters to think we can.
We know not what we do….
Someone said that once….no idea who…but he was right.
Need I remind you that the aid being funded to them came from countries, including Pakistan, US, China, that represented the overwhelming bulk of humanity’s military might?
The fact is the American and NATO forces are standing between the barbaric practices of the Taliban and the population. Our mission is as much related to humanitarian causes as it is to security.
Afghanistan was in chaos before we went in, and will descend back, whenever,if at all, we leave. Afghanistan has been a killing ground for Afghanis and foreign invaders for centuries. If they don’t have a foreigner to fight, they fight each other. Tribal leaders, War Lords and the Taliban will scrap it out.
I think I should remind you that the only thing standing between the Taliban and ALL of Afghanistan before we went in was a ragtag army called the Northern Alliance (which was getting its ass kicked and lost their leader shortly before 9/11).