Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Afghanistan News Updates -- January 16, 2008
Foreigners In Afghanistan Now Key Targets For Taleban's Suicide Bombers -- Times Online
Taliban Promises More Kabul Attacks -- Time Magazine
Losing Kabul: A Bombing's Legacy -- Time Magazine
Taliban Vow To Attack Westerners In Kabul -- International Herald Tribune
Taliban Plan To Attack Kabul Restaurants -- Yahoo News
'Taleban Held' After Hotel Attack -- BBC News
Haqqani Network Behind Kabul Hotel Attack -- Long War Journal
Allies Feel Strain Of Afghan War -- MSNBC
Assault On Kabul Hotel Kills At Least 6 -- LA Times
4 Arrested In Deadly Attack On Kabul Hotel -- LA Times
Arrests Made in Afghanistan Hotel Attack -- ABC News
'Mastermind' Behind Kabul Hotel Attack Named By Afghan Officials -- Times Online
Gates Faults NATO Force In Southern Afghanistan -- LA Times
Afghanistan's Most Wretched Battle Addiction -- ABC News
More U.S. Marines For Afghanistan -- Xinhuanet
Military Targets Roadside Bombs -- Globe And Mail
Afghan Force On Track Despite Taliban Attacks: British Commander -- Yahoo News
Divide And Conquer: The British Strategy Against The Taliban -- Long War Journal
Battlefield Heroism: Don't Ask, Don't Tell? -- Winds Of Change
US Says It Has Broad Support For New Afghan Anti-Poppy Drive -- Yahoo News
My Comment: Every time I read a story about Afghanistan, the following thoughts come to mind. (1) Afghanistan is a backward country. (2) Education is only now being properly taught to its young. (3) There is little if any infrastructure. (4) Many of the people who make up the Taliban love to fight and to kill anyone .... in particular foreigners and their allies. (5)
No development and infrastructure work is happening in most of the country. (6) The taliban and Al Qaeda have a vast support structure in Pakistan, and for the moment it is free to do what it wants.
Translation ...... we in the west are going to be in Afghanistan for a very very long time. 50 years or more. This adventure is going to cost (in the end) probably thousands of lives from the west (not including Afghan losses), hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars, and .... here is the scary part .... be probably exposed to blowback at home from our Afghan enemies and their allies.
I have a number of questions .... after 6 years are we better off? Is this the right strategy? Should we go Genghis Khan on the Afghans? Should we just leave and close - up Afghanistan? Do we have the will? Comments are open.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment