We Are Losing In Afghanistan

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An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the "Stingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 113 transits over Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting international security forces in the region, Oct. 6, 2008. The USS Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing 14 are providing support to coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. Coalition forces, composed of more than 52,000 personnel from 40 countries, are providing assistance to the government of Afghanistan, as part of the International Security Assistance Force. U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Erik Etz

Afghanistan: A Country Locked In A Spiral Of Doom
-- Times Online

Christina Lamb has been reporting from Afghanistan for 20 years. Here she offers a chilling frontline analysis of why we cannot beat the Taliban.

There is something sinister about the Chinook helicopter, like a giant, dark insect bearing down from the skies to disgorge battle-weary soldiers amid clouds of hot dust. When I think about war, whether it be ones I have reported in Iraq or Afghanistan or seen in Vietnam movies such as Apocalypse Now, the soundtrack in my head is always that of the throbbing blades coming closer and closer.

Last week I sat perched inside a Chinook flying over Helmand, trussed up in flak jacket and helmet, squashed between some Royal Marines arriving for a six-month tour. Unable to talk over the loud rotors, some had earphones attached to iPods. Others, like me, had to make do with yellow military-issue earplugs and spent the journey watching the gunner scour the parched land below through the open back.

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My Comment: A very long article .... but a must read for those who are concerned about Afghanistan.