Afghanistan

[KG1]

Blaming Biden for Afghanistan is like blaming Gerald Ford for Vietnam.

But, this is an opinion thread.....

Had we focused on Afghanistan rather than the distraction in Iraq, things might have come out differently. But, realistically, who among us wouldn't have predicted the exact result we've seen this week as the end of the war?

Said this in a previous post. Very predictable. Nation building was never gonna work and the taliban proved that they were gonna bide their time no matter how long it took. They were determined on returning to power once we pulled out.

The speed at which they were able to do it was really a kick in the nuts especially given how much time and resources were expended just to see it end up back to square one.

As a matter of fact I think an argument could be made that the taliban are even more formidable now than they were before this whole debacle even began.

 

[Alpo]

Vietnam War

Southeast Asia War

Looks like the same guy to me.

 

[DadSmith]

Where exactly is the Afghan Army that we've been training and equipping for 20 years?

You mean this army?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You mean this army?

That must be their "special" forces.

 

[NKBJ]

Let me throw a Wham-O boomerang at this. It might not hit you but it could be fun to watch.

By an eerie set of circumstances in 2004 I was drawn into examining the meanings in some circles of the number 117 which eventually brought me to Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould.

About Me

room117.typepad.com

They have put enough Afghanistan related information out there over the years to keep you entertained for quite a while.

Paul Fitzgerald - Elizabeth Gould

www.counterpunch.org

This was one I thought was particularly intriguing.

Grailwerk - Crusaders Dreams and Mystical Holy Warriors

Adventures in Afghanistan during Soviet occupation grows into investigation of the esoteric connection between crusaders, mystical holy warriors, the CIA and pursuit of the Holy Grail.>

www.grailwerk.com

Hope you enjoy some of it.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Dude's name is Abdullah Abdullah. I think I'd go with just Abdullah, like Madonna and Prince.

President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country, two officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief journalists. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed that Ghani had left.


“The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” Abdullah said. “God should hold him accountable.”

Afghan president flees country as Taliban move on Kabul

Afghanistan’s embattled president left the country Sunday, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experime…

fox59.com

 

[DragonGunner]

Vietnam War

Southeast Asia War

Looks like the same guy to me.

Except Mac was against the war in Nam and kept telling Johnson that until Johnson told him to shut up and do his job.....even up to the end he told Johnson we would never win and why.....Johnson pretty much fired him, or force to quit take your pick. Mac said if Kennedy had remained he did not see or think Kennedy would of started up the war with troops. I know lots hate Mac....but imho he was caught in a bad spot, I would rather seen him resign right away rather than staying and lying to the public while trying to keep telling Johnson the truth behind closed doors.

 

[BugI02]

Trump was gonna pull out on the same timeline. Do wonder why you keep bring Trump into the conversation though. Almost like an obsession.

The same thing would have happened if Trump was in charge, perhaps on a one or two month delay.

Wondering if you honestly think the Afgan gov't would have maintained control of the country if Trump had been reelected? Most people I know thought it would collapse as soon as we pulled out, give or take a month or two, when the time table was originally announced. I don't know of anyone that thought they had a chance.

Oh, I certainly think Afghanistan would have collapsed, I just don't think they would have been in such a hurry to dog our heels on the way out with someone who might 'Soleimani' them in the White House

I bring Trump up because some people on here voted for what we have now

But, hey, no more mean tweets, so we got that going for us

 

[BugI02]

the United States must be involved globally and there is a financial cost to bear as well as a cost in lives

IMO you could not be more wrong. It does not devolve onto us to solve everyone's problems

Sure, we were in the best position to help the world rebuild after The Two, but those days are long past. And if you are actually arguing to learn from history when you talked of things that could have been done to head off The Two, then you must realize that you are arguing to nuke the **** out of the Chinese now - because one of the ways to head off The Two would have been to take the Japanese down a peg or two in the 30s

 

[Mikey1911]

Vietnam War

Southeast Asia War

Looks like the same guy to me.

In other words, don’t trust anyone wearing wire-rimmed glasses.
(I’d better get rid of mine.)

 

[BugI02]

AirDrop? We just spent billions arming the ANA and providing them enough ammo for the next 40 years. That all will belong to the taliban by eow

Rolling Thunder 2.0

 

[Alpo]

Except Mac was against the war in Nam and kept telling Johnson that until Johnson told him to shut up and do his job.....even up to the end he told Johnson we would never win and why.....Johnson pretty much fired him, or force to quit take your pick. Mac said if Kennedy had remained he did not see or think Kennedy would of started up the war with troops. I know lots hate Mac....but imho he was caught in a bad spot, I would rather seen him resign right away rather than staying and lying to the public while trying to keep telling Johnson the truth behind closed doors.

I have a different view of events, based primarily on MacNamara's 1965 letter to Johnson on the 3 options for the Vietnam conflict and the subsequent transcripts of Johnson/MacNamara meeting on same.

 

[BugI02]

Not sure I understand you.
Are you trying to say that the pipeline route refusal was only coincidental to going to war in Afghanistan?

I'm saying that neither one of us knows the answer to that question, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof - not just temporal juxtaposition

 

[BugI02]

I have a different view of events, based primarily on MacNamara's 1965 letter to Johnson on the 3 options for the Vietnam conflict and the subsequent transcripts of Johnson/MacNamara meeting on same.

Hear! Hear! McNamara treated war as an intellectual, mathematical exercise - complete with 'acceptable' KIA rates

I'm sure he's in a hotter place now

 

[NKBJ]

I'm saying that neither one of us knows the answer to that question, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof - not just temporal juxtaposition

What extraordinary claim?

 

[Alpo]

Hear! Hear! McNamara treated war as an intellectual, mathematical exercise - complete with 'acceptable' KIA rates

I'm sure he's in a hotter place now

Probably the only person more despised than Jane Fonda by veterans of the conflict.

 

[BugI02]

There's a good chance that's not the same chopper.

Well, the carriers aren't just off the coast, either. Need longer range helos

 

[BugI02]

What extraordinary claim?

That we initiated the war in order to change an Afghan refusal to allow a pipeline through their territory

 

[Mikey1911]

Well, the carriers aren't just off the coast, either. Need longer range helos

Normally the question asked in a situation like this is “Where are the carriers?”

With the Zombie, it may be “What is a carrier?”

 

[erasure]

Security Alert – U. S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan​

Location: Kabul
Event: The security situation in Kabul is changing quickly including at the airport. There are reports of the airport taking fire; therefore we are instructing U.S. citizens to shelter in place.
U.S. citizens wanting assistance in departing the country should register for any option that might be identified to return to the United States, and must complete this Repatriation Assistance Request for each traveler in their group. Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens in Afghanistan who are awaiting immigrant visas should also complete this form if they wish to depart. Please do so as soon as possible. You must complete this form even if you’ve previously submitted your information to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Do not call the U.S. Embassy in Kabul for details or updates about the flight. This form is the only way to communicate interest in flight options.