Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On The Intensifying War In Afghanistan -- December 23, 2015

Michael O'Hanlon. Politico: Why Americans are still dying in Afghanistan

The deaths of six more GIs show that the president’s strategy still isn’t right. Here’s what he must do now.

Barack Obama is almost certain to end up as the only two-term president in American history to have waged a single war — in Afghanistan — through his entire time in office. And no end is even in sight: Recent days have brought yet more troubling news. The Taliban killed 50 civilians near Kandahar Air Base on December 9, then struck again in Kabul, causing Spanish and Afghan losses. Most recently, they killed six Americans on patrol near Bagram Air Base on December 21. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani went to Pakistan in mid-December in the hope that Islamabad would rein in the Taliban, but instead all he got was the resignation of his top intelligence officer, who felt that Ghani was becoming a supplicant to the enemy.

Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials On The Intensifying War In Afghanistan -- December 23, 2015

The Taliban's growing reach -- Inside Story, Al Jazeera
Analysis: the fall of Sangin proves the folly of Tony Blair's crusade against Afghan drug barons -- Colin Freeman, The Ttelegraph
Afghanistan's fight for Sangin: a key psychological battle for both sides -- Sune Engel Rasmussen in Kabul and Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian
Sangin assault is sign of Taliban confidence and warning to Kabul -- Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian
Afghanistan’s National Unity Government: Poor Track Record Raises Questions On Durability – Analysis -- Attaullah Waziri, Eurasia Review
How to Win in Afghanistan -- Michael O'Hanlon, Politico
Recent News From Afghanistan Is Grim but All Is Not Lost. 5 Steps We Should Take -- Admiral Jim Stavridis (Ret.), Huffington Post
The Taliban’s winter offensive bodes ill for Afghanistan’s future -- Amalendu Misra, The Conversation
What's behind the Taliban onslaught in Afghanistan? -- Shashank Bengali and Ali M. Latifi, L.A. Times
Battle for Sangin: Why is this part of Helmand so important? -- Inayatulhaq Yasini, BBC
Why Are British Forces Back In Helmand? -- SKY News