U.S. Marines stand in formation during a transfer of authority ceremony at Shorab camp, in Helmand province, Afghanistan April 29, 2017. REUTERS/James Mackenzie
James D. Durso, The Hill: Time for the US to take a step back from Afghanistan
Otto von Bismarck said, “The whole of the Balkans is not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier.” America should apply the same reasoning to Afghanistan.
This month we learned the U.S. Marines are back in Helmand, Afghanistan’s most violent province and the center of opium poppy production, and their mission may expand. President Trump will soon decide if he should send 8,400 more troops there for the latest chapter in America’s longest war. Should he?
I think not. We gave Afghanistan out best effort: over 2,200 dead soldiers, over 20,000 wounded, and over $700 billion for everything from ammunition to medical care for veterans. We need to face the fact that it’s an endemically violent place and may never change and another “whole of government” effort may not make any difference.
And don’t take my word for it: the Talban has rejected peace talks with the Afghan government as surrendering to the enemy and against Islam.
Read more ....
Update: America's Afghanistan Problem: It's Not Just about Sending More Troops (Michael O'Hanlon, National Interest)
WNU Editor: The U.S. should have left Afghanistan after overthrowing the Taliban in 2001-2002 .... and leave the mess to Afghan President Karzai and his allies to sort it out. But the West chose nation building .... to a country and people who have a completely different view on what nation building is. My prediction is that the U.S. mission is going to change (but only by a bit) .... put in a few extra soldiers, change the rules of engagement (if they have not already changed), and maintain the status quo while trying to build an Afghan Army that can keep the Taliban and their allies off-balance coupled with a political strategy of weaning people away from what the Taliban are promising. This is going to be a 50 year conflict .... it is time that the politicians be honest about it. Aa for the Afghan war .... it continues .... Militants kill 10 Afghan soldiers in base attack: defense officials (Reuters).
9 comments:
You are so right. The Bushie's could have paid the Northern Alliance to disrupt the Taliban and gather intel,a few hundred Green Berets and CIA ops would have been sufficient.
Leave!
Let China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran kill each other over it.
Today Afghanistan.
Tomorrow Tajikistan, Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan.
The Day after Kazakhistan.
The next Day Kazan
The Final Day Moscow.
The US will never leave Afghanistan, until they can, like Nixon, negotiate a "safe interval" with the Taliban.
The groundpounders left. JabberJay's friends attacked in 1972 and got trounced.
Rinse Repeat in 1975 with an ascendant a__ licker Democrat Congress and South Vietnam is defeated.
It is a well known fact that for every North Vietnamese trooper sent south, China replaced man for man. This I know for a fact.
LMFAO,
Alt news,
Alt facts,
Alt history,
LMFAO
My spouse says they had a cousin who was in a dance troupe that entertained soldiers heading south to Vietnam,
I have independent confirmation of what I read.
Jay do us all a favor eat shit ___.
LMFAO,
Quite the "proof and evidence and fact" there,
LMFAO
So JabberJay is stating that there were not a few hundred thousand Chinese troops in North Vietnam and he is also confirming that he is very stupid or works for the other side.
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