Safe Haven For The Taliban

Rounds from a high mobility rocket system impact on insurgent positions in support of the U.S. Marines on the ground during a six-hour firefight with insurgents in the Garmsir district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Kurt Stahl

From Captain's Journal:

One of the good aspects about blogging with really smart readers is that I get to let some of them do the writing. Consider TSAlfabet’s comment concerning McChrystal Releases Counterinsurgency Guidance and Requests More Troops.

OK, let’s just cut right to it.

The heart of the problem is that the U.S. has been and continues to be unwilling to do what it says it is going to do to protect itself and that is why we are having problems in A-stan.

To elaborate: the U.S. got hit on 9-11 and we declared, as a sort of Corollary #1, that we would retaliate against and pursue those responsible wherever they could be found.

The U.S. did, in fact, go after AQ and the Taliban in Afghanistan and pretty much took care of the initial problem. The INITIAL problem. Predictably, however, AQ scattered like roaches. Some to Pakistan, some to Iran, some to Yemen, etc.. Rather quickly they found a more-or-less willing host in Pakistan where they could re-group, re-fit, re-form and re-commence their war against the U.S.

Read more ....

My Comment: My uncle served in the Soviet General Staff in the last 4 years of the Russian war in Afghanistan. Years later he told me repeatedly his (and everyone else's) frustration and anger at not being able to strike at the Taliban safe havens in Pakistan. He recognized that if these safe havens were permitted to exist, the war could go on for decades. In the end the Soviet Government shared this viewpoint when they realized how pointless this type of war was, and made the only logical decision that was available for them .... they got out.

20 years later my uncle tells me that we are repeating history .... and the same result is going to happen unless those safe havens are eliminated.

I am a betting man .... and my bet is that we are going to do nothing about htese safe havens, and at the same time elements of the Pakistani Government will continue to support and supply these safe havens. In the end, we will eventually make the only logical decuision that is available to us .... which is to get out.