Losing a War

Weekly Standard ^ | August 27, 2018 at 4:53 AM | Thomas Joscelyn

[grania]

"Afghanistan unavoidable after 9/11"?

Why? It would make more sense to keep the crazies in their country and out of ours than try to change who they choose to be. President Trump promised to leave, and he got talked out of it by the military, but it was supposed to be a short interval. It isn't.

I DO NOT support US endeavors, past, present, or future, at regime change.

[grania]

The Taliban helped train 911 hijackers

So did a flight school in FL. Should we have attacked them, too?

[VTenigma]

We’re there for opium.

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You’re darn right we are. The CIA controls the reasons we are there. Read about operation “Inception” and how the letter agencies fund themselves and all the dirty dealings they are involved in. Remember G.W. Bush’s “hands off the poppies” rules that only escalated under Obama.

[Theodore R.]

Remember how GWB vowed “No more Vietnams” when he went into Iraq and Afahanistan? What happened with that?

[redfreedom]

“Unavoidable after 9/11.”

War was unavoidable, especially this protracted mess we are in now. In term of our own military deaths, we are soon approaching the same number as killed in 9/11. Then we must consider allied deaths. Add to that innocent Afghan deaths. Now take the dollar cost of this war.

What’s worse is the US military survivors coming home with combat related issues they will have for the rest of their lives. This is the worst of it.

It was avoidable. Different plans could have been made to kill off those responsible.

[Fightin Whitey]

Remember how GWB vowed “No more Vietnams” when he went into Iraq and Afahanistan? What happened with that?

He couldn't hear us anymore.

[Jim Noble]

And after every single Taliban is dead or jailed?

It’s still Afghanistan.

Either you put an American governor in Kabul with sufficient forces to prevent harm to any Americans in-country (including themselves), and gain public support for them to stay forever, or you get out.

[granada]

The warmongers resort to “geopolitical strategy” when the war has become a quagmire.

[samtheman]

We should have been there for a punitive expedition to crush Al Queda and the Taliban, 2 years max. Then decamped after crushing them, saying don’t do that again, or we’ll come back and mess you up worse. In hindsight, we should never have attempted so-called nation building. Can’t be done with the raw material, both geographic and human.
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I agree

[Old Teufel Hunden]

The war in Afghanistan is complicated and a pain in the neck. To compare it to Vietnam, the Russia's, UK's or even Alexander the Greats campaigns in Afghanistan is a little ridiculous. The only valid comparisons that they all share is that it's war. That's about it.

First, lets look at the casualties and you can see them here:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/262894/western-coalition-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan/

2016 there were 14, 2017 there were 15, 2018 there were 2 I'm not sure how many of these were actual combat deaths, to be sure some of them. Also to be sure some of these are vehicle or helicopter crashes. Yes, every death is tragic, especially to the family but it's not 58,000 deaths like in Vietnam or the 15,000 deaths the Russians had there.

The Brits were there for the great game, the Russians were there for imperial reasons. We are there so that the Taliban don't come back and bring back Al Qada who will go right back to planning attacks against us. Any military man knows it's better to be on the offensive than on the defensive. You can say all you want about we won't let them into our country and we'll prevent it, blah, blah, blah. I don't want to sit back and wait for the next 9/11. I want to prevent it at it's source.

[raiderboy]

$21 TRILLION in debt. Totally and completely busted.

[Anti-Bubba182]

The US is not at war in Afghanistan. We are tourists getting sheared by the locals and Pakistan through which most of the supplies must travel. The Afghans and Pakistanis want the gravy train to continue.

If we leave they will continue to cut each others throats as they have since before the time of Alexander the Great. The US does not owe them a damn thing.

[ifinnegan]

“And after every single Taliban is dead or jailed?

It’s still Afghanistan.”

It was still Germany after the Nazis were eradicated.

Germany is still problematic but they aren’t going to attack and kill us or others.

[Jim Noble]

The Taliban and the Nazis are not at all comparable - neither are Germans and Afghans.

[Jim Noble]

I want to prevent it at it's source

[1_Inch_Group]

Spent 5 years in the sandbox.

You ever put your boots on the ground?

Being there gives you particular comprehension for the problems there.

Do you have any knowledge of the attempted Soviet occupation of Afghanistan?

How we trained people to fight them?

How we built Bin Ladin?

No clue, indeed.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

Ha, Ha! We might get a little pushback if we take out Mecca or Medina!!

Seriously, I know we like to lump all of the Muslims together into one, but there are differences in how we should approach each situation. Iran is different from Iraq which is different from Afghanistan etc...

Afghanistan is a very ancient culture built on tribalism and tradition. You do not have the Koranic spouting Imam running around firing up the populace to commit jihad against the west. What we have are people who do not want outsiders interfering in their affairs. The Taliban took Bin Laden and Al Qada in because of two reasons, one because of his history of fighting during the Russian war. The other reason is because the Afghanis believe it their duty to always take Muslims into their homes when they are in need.

Before the Russian invasion, Afghan was actually becoming quite modernized. The people are not a threat to us (IMO). What is a threat is that region falling back into lawlessness. Those are the types of places we have to keep our eyes on because these lawless areas are where a group like Al Qada can thrive and plan their next attack against us. It is better to have our real enemies wondering if a hellfire missile is coming down upon them in their sleep than they be able to freely walk around and plan their next attack. If that takes having 10,000 troops with their assets being in Afghanistan, then so be it.