All to late.
Even their ‘president’ has abandoned ship.
I’ve said it before and will say it again
Here for the record.
Unless an enemy is prepared to fight on reasonable terms, be identified as combatants and adhere to the Geneva accords, they are nothing but inhumane.
We should never engage in traditional combat with these people as they do not follow traditional rules of war.
For we have sown the wind, and now, shall reap the whirlwind.
The problem is that there is no “Northern Alliance” to support this time, the heavy lifting would all have to be done by US conventional forces and that just isn’t going to happen.
It would take a full blown invasion at this point, I know they keep a Brigade from the 82nd at high readiness but even that would t be nearly enough. (Maybe if they had gone in after the first cities had fallen the Taliban might’ve paused but not now).
Just because they’ve got plans doesn’t mean anything.
I guarantee you, somewhere in the MoD, there’s a plan to invade France. Doesn’t mean we actually will…
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Shame. I pay my income tax, which was brought in to fund war with France, I want my invasion of Calais.
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The problem is that wars these days are fought or not on the basis of appeasing the electorate, and not what is militarily effective or efficient.
2001 “you gotta do something”
2015 “dragging on a bit, we’re bloody paying for this”
2021 “not our problem any more, we tried, don’t worry about that, stop the dinghies”
2023 “why are there more dinghies?”
By allowing this situation to develop as it has during and after intervention and then now, governments both sides of the Atlantic have spat on the blood and sacrifice of everyone who deployed, especially those that didn’t make it home, their families, and those with life changing injuries and conditions.
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…and I’m not warmonger, hungry for action. But once you go somewhere you damn well need to finish the job properly.
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I’d agree with all of that. And I imagine there is a lot more of this sort of thing yet to come home to roost.
I think the whole situation is so thoroughly depressing.
All those people trying to evacuate as they know things will be grim very quickly.
On the one hand you could just say ultimately it is a different culture, a different way of doing things… let them kick lumps out of each other until they irritate (again) the US or Israel… or you could say let’s try and keep the peace etc. But look where that got us.
The whole thing is such a mess. There are no right answers, and people like the Taliban thrive on that sort of chaos.
Very, very sad.
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Agreed we have effectively spent 20 years creating a second Somalia, another failed state.
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We haven’t created it, we merely gave it a pause. It’s been a failed since the revolution in the 70s.
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Indeed. I’ve been reading up on this a bit. Apparently the Afghan Communist government was too extreme for the Soviets, who also feared it was actually CIA front.
Either way, what a mess.
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Historically this area has been “awkward” and will remain the same.
The speed at which things have turned, shows how ineffective “the West’s” military presence has been. Just like when the Russians pulled out.
Unless “the West” puts a permanent ‘police force’ into Afghanistan and accepts this cost to retain an uneasy peace, Afghanistan will become the Taliban’s. They have been sitting and waiting for “us” to pull out.
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Its been like that for centuries. My great grandfather gained the India General Service Medal in the 1930s for being on the border (Khyber Pass area).
I would agree with most of that.
I would, though, argue that the Wests’ military presence was effective in the short term - look at the gains made in infrastructure, security, women’s rights etc. during op Herrick
The Taliban have been very good at playing the long game, and using asymmetrical warfare to obtain their goals.
So if you were a 4 year old boy where would you hide your daddy’s work laptop? Asking for a friend
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washing machine?
From experience, either oven or freezer.
GMG. Back in the office tomorrow…cant find my work pass face palm
Bin
Under sofa
Behind a door
In anything large enough with a lid or door
Under a newly formed pile of toys
In plain sight, where you left it…
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