Tuesday, October 25, 2016

An Analysis On The Afghan War

U.S. soldiers from 3rd platoon Bronco troop 5-20 infantry Regiment attached to 82nd Airborne patrol with Afghan national Army soldiers in Zharay district, Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan 22 April 2012. (Photo: REUTERS - Baz Ratner)

Peter Bergen, CNN: Opium fuels the stalemate in America's longest war

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN)America's longest war received only a passing mention during the three debates between American presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

That is a strange omission, because the war in Afghanistan -- a decade and half after the first US soldiers deployed there -- is now, at best, a stalemate, with the Taliban having gained significant ground in recent years.

This week I traveled to Afghanistan, accompanying Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command who oversees America's wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. What to do about Afghanistan is clearly one of the most urgent decisions that will face the next president.

The Taliban today control territory populated by about 10% of the Afghan population -- about 3 million people -- while the Afghan government controls two-thirds of the population. The rest of the population -- about 6 million -- live in areas where the Taliban and the government are vying for control, according to senior US military officials.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is a good review on the current war in Afghanistan .... and what the next U.S. President is going to be facing.

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