Afghanistan 2021 Onwards
Pentagon spokesman getting a hard time right now trying to explain to correspondents why additional 3,000 US troops going into region - in addition to 3,500 already there - to be on standby to secure Kabul Airport, evacuation of the US Embassy (if necessary) and processing former Afghan interpreters seeking exit.
Originally Posted by AnglianAV8R
UK to deploy 600 troops to assist UK nationals get out.
Originally Posted by RAFEngO74to09
Pentagon spokesman getting a hard time right now trying to explain to correspondents why additional 3,000 US troops going into region - in addition to 3,500 already there - to be on standby to secure Kabul Airport, evacuation of the US Embassy (if necessary) and processing former Afghan interpreters seeking exit.
This might get messy.
UK and USA admit defeat in Afghanistan
I am very sad, dejected, and slightly lost to read that after the recent withdrawal of forces, and the immediate taliban resurgence, the UK and USA are going to commit forces purely for the purpose of evacuating their embassies.
That looks, feels and smells like a surrender to me.
The Taliban said they would wait for a thousand years if they had to and when we left they would rule again. Countless empires failed to defeat them and our aggressive predecessors, Russia, failed recently,
Was this a political vanity project always doomed to failure?
That looks, feels and smells like a surrender to me.
The Taliban said they would wait for a thousand years if they had to and when we left they would rule again. Countless empires failed to defeat them and our aggressive predecessors, Russia, failed recently,
Was this a political vanity project always doomed to failure?
It seems the Taliban have been around since about 1978 and are in part a US product
”About 90,000 Afghans, including Mohammed Omar, were trained by Pakistan's ISI during the 1980s.[105]British professor Carole Hillenbrand concluded that the Taliban have arisen from those US-Saudi-Pakistan-supported mujahideen: "The West helped the Taliban to fight the Soviet takeover of Afghanistan"”
Does this count as an own goal or do we give it to Pakistan with a Western assist?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban
”About 90,000 Afghans, including Mohammed Omar, were trained by Pakistan's ISI during the 1980s.[105]British professor Carole Hillenbrand concluded that the Taliban have arisen from those US-Saudi-Pakistan-supported mujahideen: "The West helped the Taliban to fight the Soviet takeover of Afghanistan"”
Does this count as an own goal or do we give it to Pakistan with a Western assist?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban
Dr. William Brydon
The last survivor of the 1842 retreat from Kabul. It seems a fitting time to post the painting.
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-first-...han-war-195101
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-first-...han-war-195101
Not a defeat at all, even if the invading Taliban would like to portray it that way. A merciless Sunni Pashtun band of leaders in exile negotiate some guarantees and then force their rule over all other ethnic tribes and religions in the land. A sad day for their people and for most of the world to observe.
For 20 years we tried our best to help the people of Afghanistan, and we can leave with a clear conscience on that score. Imagine if we hadn't.
(The timing and manner of closure is untidy and reflects badly, though.) What more could we have done for them? Perhaps the international community failed to win hearts and minds?
For 20 years we tried our best to help the people of Afghanistan, and we can leave with a clear conscience on that score. Imagine if we hadn't.
(The timing and manner of closure is untidy and reflects badly, though.) What more could we have done for them? Perhaps the international community failed to win hearts and minds?
...well someone taught the Mujahideen how to use the weapons it sold them..
Didn't an author using the pseudonym Gaz Hunter explain his part in this in the 1999 book 'The Shooting Gallery'?
Didn't an author using the pseudonym Gaz Hunter explain his part in this in the 1999 book 'The Shooting Gallery'?
This whole mess occurred because politicians don’t understand the difference between what they want vs what is possible.
They wanted a Western style democracy, but what was possible was eliminating the threat to the West by defeating the Taliban and then leaving Afghanistan to be run by the Afghan people in the traditional way.
As soon as the politicians started talking about “nation building” in 2003, the war was lost
They wanted a Western style democracy, but what was possible was eliminating the threat to the West by defeating the Taliban and then leaving Afghanistan to be run by the Afghan people in the traditional way.
As soon as the politicians started talking about “nation building” in 2003, the war was lost
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If the Taliban gets in and they are not giving support to terrorist organizations,
Then we have won.
I really don’t care about their human rights(and neither do you, even if you say differently). I care about not having terrorist attacks.
I am sure once the Taliban take over, the new leaders can be made well aware of that.
Then we have won.
I really don’t care about their human rights(and neither do you, even if you say differently). I care about not having terrorist attacks.
I am sure once the Taliban take over, the new leaders can be made well aware of that.
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Originally Posted by minigundiplomat
It all goes back to unclear purpose and objectives.
Yet another reason for Tony Blair to be nailed to a cross and crucified.
Yet another reason for Tony Blair to be nailed to a cross and crucified.
With the American pull-out in Vietnam 50 years ago, and now the Afghan pull-out, Western-and especially American credibility is in tatters.
The Chinese and Russians will be taking notes.
Blair became very rich-allegedly as a result of being Dubya's poodle in 2001. A vile and corrupt politician of the first order.
Last edited by Thaihawk; 13th Aug 2021 at 06:04. Reason: Minor re-write to remove an error.
Originally Posted by Thaihawk
Blair became very rich-allegedly as a result of being Dubya's poodle in 2001. A vile and corrupt politician of the first order.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
I think it’s fai4 to say that the British defence establishment, including the minister Ben Wallace, arent happy having been put in this position by Biden.
The interviews of Wallace and Mercer on Sky this morning didn’t pull any punches - and Tom Tugendhat, Chair if the HoC Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote a long Twitter thread on the consequences last night.
One of the widely reported consequences is the lack of trust in the reliability of the USA by their allies such as Korea and Japan. That seems to apply in part to the UK..
https://www.politico.eu/article/joe-...llout-mistake/
The interviews of Wallace and Mercer on Sky this morning didn’t pull any punches - and Tom Tugendhat, Chair if the HoC Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote a long Twitter thread on the consequences last night.
One of the widely reported consequences is the lack of trust in the reliability of the USA by their allies such as Korea and Japan. That seems to apply in part to the UK..
https://www.politico.eu/article/joe-...llout-mistake/
Last edited by ORAC; 13th Aug 2021 at 08:03.
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I came across a memorial to British soldiers lost during the conflict in Afghanistan in Reading.
Names like Kandahar caught my attention. Funny I thought "They were quick to place this memorial?".
Then I noticed the dates. 1800's. I guess we never really left in the first place.
The withdrawal worries me. Shades of airlifting people of the Embassy during the last days of Vietnam.
What worries me more is when we inevitably return and loose more lives re-taking the territory we just surrendered.
You can't win in Afghanistan because there is nothing to win. Just miles of rocky, featureless terrain held by thousands of deidcated, featureless enemy.
I look forward to the innevitable influx of refugees from Afghanistan that we created.
We never seem to learn do we?
Names like Kandahar caught my attention. Funny I thought "They were quick to place this memorial?".
Then I noticed the dates. 1800's. I guess we never really left in the first place.
The withdrawal worries me. Shades of airlifting people of the Embassy during the last days of Vietnam.
What worries me more is when we inevitably return and loose more lives re-taking the territory we just surrendered.
You can't win in Afghanistan because there is nothing to win. Just miles of rocky, featureless terrain held by thousands of deidcated, featureless enemy.
I look forward to the innevitable influx of refugees from Afghanistan that we created.
We never seem to learn do we?
Last edited by munnst; 13th Aug 2021 at 08:11.
Originally Posted by jolihokistix
Not a defeat at all, even if the invading Taliban would like to portray it that way. A merciless Sunni Pashtun band of leaders in exile negotiate some guarantees and then force their rule over all other ethnic tribes and religions in the land. A sad day for their people and for most of the world to observe.
For 20 years we tried our best to help the people of Afghanistan, and we can leave with a clear conscience on that score. Imagine if we hadn't.
(The timing and manner of closure is untidy and reflects badly, though.) What more could we have done for them? Perhaps the international community failed to win hearts and minds?
For 20 years we tried our best to help the people of Afghanistan, and we can leave with a clear conscience on that score. Imagine if we hadn't.
(The timing and manner of closure is untidy and reflects badly, though.) What more could we have done for them? Perhaps the international community failed to win hearts and minds?
Clear conscience... That's a joke. Thousands of troops dead. Countless civilians dead.
"I came across a memorial to British soldiers lost during the conflict in Afghanistan in Reading."
The Lion Memorial to the men of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment killed at Maiwand 27th July 1880 - this wasn't a "guerrilla" battle but a full on pitched battle between regular soldiers on both sides
The Lion Memorial to the men of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment killed at Maiwand 27th July 1880 - this wasn't a "guerrilla" battle but a full on pitched battle between regular soldiers on both sides
