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Afghanistan Gains Will Be Lost Quickly After Drawdown, U.S. Intelligence Estimate Warns
Washington Post ^ | December 28, 2013 | Ernesto LondoƱo, Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller

Posted on 12/28/2013 5:47:46 PM PST by Steelfish

Afghanistan Gains Will Be Lost Quickly After Drawdown, U.S. Intelligence Estimate Warns

By Ernesto Londoño, Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller December 28

A new American intelligence assessment on the Afghan war predicts that the gains the United States and its allies have made during the past three years are likely to have been significantly eroded by 2017, even if Washington leaves behind a few thousand troops and continues bankrolling the impoverished nation, according to officials familiar with the report.

The National Intelligence Estimate, which includes input from the country’s 16 intelligence agencies, predicts that the Taliban and other power brokers will become increasingly influential as the United States winds down its longest war in history, according to officials who have read the classified report or received briefings on its conclusions. The grim outlook is fueling a policy debate inside the Obama administration about the steps it should take over the next year as the U.S. military draws down its remaining troops.

The report predicts that Afghanistan would likely descend into chaos quickly if the Washington and Kabul don’t sign a security pact that would keep an international military contingent there beyond 2014 — a precondition for the delivery of billions of dollars in aid that the United States and its allies have pledged to spend in Afghanistan over the coming years.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; drawdown; rop; warofnecessity
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Obama's Lost War! All for naught. Osama's Vengeance!
1 posted on 12/28/2013 5:47:46 PM PST by Steelfish
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To: Steelfish

The most logical tig to do would be pull out, once the “peace of Carthage” has been administrated.

We owe that to those that serve ther now, and for all those who now inhabit the military cemeteries across the nation, and those that inhabit the various V.A. rehab centers.

Oh, and let’s not forget that arrogant guy we put in place there, too.


2 posted on 12/28/2013 5:50:54 PM PST by Terry L Smith
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To: Steelfish

Of course, a blind man could see that coming.


3 posted on 12/28/2013 5:51:13 PM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Steelfish

The undocumented Tyrant would not let them shoot
back, and let the Taliban MURDER OUR HEROES.

And what has the US Congress done?
They EXEMPTED themselves and Moslems, like the Taliban
from their new unConstitutional taxes, fees,
fines and deathpanels.


4 posted on 12/28/2013 5:58:15 PM PST by Diogenesis
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To: Steelfish

What GAINS?


5 posted on 12/28/2013 5:59:20 PM PST by Forrestfire (Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. Calvin Coolidge)
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To: Steelfish

hundreds of billions more wasted there.

over 1500 more US military casualties

All since Obama decided to fight a war that even “dumb” Bush was smart enough not to waste money and lives on.


6 posted on 12/28/2013 5:59:38 PM PST by digger48
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To: Steelfish

7 posted on 12/28/2013 5:59:56 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: Steelfish

Bah! The Iraqi and Afghan wars were fought for intelligence assets. So no such attack could be secretly planned against us again.
And to kill Osama.
It all quickly turned into a congressional money factory and then Reid and Pelosi turned the wars into a campaign strategy too.

We’re lucky to have a man left alive.


8 posted on 12/28/2013 6:00:12 PM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat Party!)
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To: Steelfish

Well, DUUUHHHH!


9 posted on 12/28/2013 6:00:36 PM PST by lightman (O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, giving to Thy Church vict'ry o'er Her enemies.)
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To: Terry L Smith
once the “peace of Carthage” has been administrated.

Works for me.

10 posted on 12/28/2013 6:00:37 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: Steelfish

Most of the Middle East can only be governed by dictators, their cultures lack almost all the prerequisites of any degree of democracy.


11 posted on 12/28/2013 6:03:30 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: Steelfish

With the exception to supplying opium to the world drug market what else does Afghanistan contribute to the world? Nothing! Bring home our troops, drop a nuke and be done with it.


12 posted on 12/28/2013 6:07:29 PM PST by diverteach (If I find liberals in heaven after my death.....I WILL BE PISSED!!!)
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To: Steelfish
~ So basically we've lost all those servicemen and women for nothing ~

 photo the_greatest_and_most_profound_phot_zps9599d0ad.jpg

~ Thania Sayne leans on the headstone marking the grave of her husband, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011, at Arlington National Cemetery ~


13 posted on 12/28/2013 6:16:19 PM PST by SkyDancer (Live your life in such a way that the Westboro church will want to picket your funeral.)
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To: Steelfish

Because the country is deeply rooted in tribalism and an undemocratic culture. Plain and simple.


14 posted on 12/28/2013 6:16:51 PM PST by LibFreeUSA
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To: SkyDancer

This says it all:

“16 intelligence agencies, predicts that the Taliban and other power brokers will become increasingly influential as the United States”

Back to square one.


15 posted on 12/28/2013 6:20:08 PM PST by Steelfish (ui)
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To: LibFreeUSA
Yeah... some of us although we liked President Bush... we were not in favor of sending all of our guys over, getting them shot up and killed.... to install democracy.

Some of us knew it would not work there. It was a noble effort... but the battle on terror would have been better fought with a gazillion bombs dropped on them until they gave up. (if ever) An initial report I read said that 75% of the people in Iraq did not like the US and would fight against us to the death. There was no way we were gonna kill all those people, nor change their minds. We just weren't going to do what it would take because of the politics.

In the meantime we got a lot of guys with missing limbs, and a lot of spouses here with great loss.

16 posted on 12/28/2013 6:21:48 PM PST by kjam22 (my newest music video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7gNI9bWO3s)
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To: LibFreeUSA

Always has been.
Always will be.

The Rooskies learned this lesson.


17 posted on 12/28/2013 6:22:39 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks ("Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth.")
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To: Steelfish

Afghanistan, the war with irrelevant loss of life because Obama and his whore media deemed it the “good war”.


18 posted on 12/28/2013 6:24:30 PM PST by Toespi
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To: Steelfish

Square 1 was a series of tactical nukes on 9/15/2001 that would keep them busy trying to live in a radioactive wasteland for a while.


19 posted on 12/28/2013 6:27:52 PM PST by kjam22 (my newest music video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7gNI9bWO3s)
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To: SkyDancer

http://freedomremembered.com/index.php/sgt-timothy-d-sayne/


20 posted on 12/28/2013 6:33:38 PM PST by Pelham (Obamacare, the vanguard of Obammunism)
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