US and Taliban signs deal for an American withdrawal

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by Oerets

Today while watching the news coverage and listening to NPR the realization came to me.

There were close to 700,000 trained and equipped to fight for themselves. Watching the coverage and seeing the crowds of men rushing to leave. What if they all were armed and fighting?

Sorry sometimes you require self help. This is one here.

As to the people who were working for the USA. What is the odds we were told they would be OK? That their army was going to be able to hold off the taliban.....

We choose to believe them that was a mistake.

Now the country will be looking for funding. They will be making deals with our adversaries on the equipment left behind.......

What a mess to look forward to.

The Taliban is the continuation of the people the US armed to fight the Soviets. They have the conviction to endure suffering for what is essentially religious purity.
It appears to me that the 700,000 are a more secular crowd with aspirations for more worldly comforts. They notice that their leaders have outs, options to the west...they simply would like that too.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

Most likely these guys just saw it as an employment opportunity.

Hell yes. Typical career was get a few paychecks and desert.

[Pio1980]

More good reading from fellow member Bratwurst:


https://www.politico.com/news/magazi...country-505160

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/....gtype=Homepage

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/The-...n-Afghanistan2
https://www.commentary.org/noah-roth...h-less-secure/
https://www.theatlantic.com/interna....nistan/619765/
https://newrepublic.com/article/1632...n-bush-taliban
https://nationalinterest.org/feature...onquest-191875
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-....e-american-era

https://www.thecipherbrief.com/colum...ons-created-it
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pa....pment-projects
https://www.csis.org/analysis/reason...-afghan-forces

[Dondilion]

Uncle Joe is right: There was never a good time to leave Afghanistan.

[Chicks]

Overwhelming majority backs US withdrawal from Afghanistan: poll
4/29/2021

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-amer...om-afghanistan

An overwhelming majority of voters support the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds.

Seventy-three percent of registered voters in the April 24-27 survey said they approve of President Biden's plan to remove US troops from the country by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that ignited the conflict.

By contrast, 27 percent of respondents disapprove of the plan to withdraw.

So, Joe went with most Americans, who just want out of endless foreign wars. Disgusting Repubes, of course, wanted the same, but are now hurriedly deleting any and all posts showing that they did. No worries, the internet never forgets.

[Pio1980]

Working thru this;
https://www.csis.org/analysis/reason...-afghan-forces

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by barbara

I think this is more complicated than Trump did this and Biden did that.....

We trained Afghan forces for twenty years and gave them what they needed to defend themselves and, it seems to me, they just gave up and surrendered without a fight.

I can't help but think the Afghans share some of the responsibility.

Agreed. But here's what I've been thinking about this...

If we had withdrawn five years ago the outcome would have been the same. If we remained for another five years the outcome would be the same. Because...

We had three presidents with 20 years of opportunity to use all the enormous power of the US military to at least attempt to drive out/kill off the Taliban for good. And not one of them had the guts to deal with the bad press, the disillusioned electorate, the accusations of racism, and the fear of not being re-elected to take the necessary action and make it happen. So it was left to Joe Biden to have the guts to stand up in front of the cameras and say...whatever the outcome, we are done with this war.

Thank you, Joe.

[donquixote99]

It was, as with Vietnam, a stalemate machine. By 'it' I mean the leadership politics and bureaucratic cowardice of DC, that was unwilling to risk either escalating enough to possibly bring the Taliban to terms, or leaving--until Biden finally pulled the plug.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

It was, as with Vietnam, a stalemate machine. By 'it' I mean the leadership politics and bureaucratic cowardice of DC, that was unwilling to risk either escalating enough to possibly bring the Taliban to terms, or leaving--until Biden finally pulled the plug.

There was a really good reporting on CBS Sunday Morning today. As in Vietnam, the graft and corruption in the Afghan government and military was rampant from top to bottom. As many as half the 300,000 reported ranks of the Afghan army, that this country completely financially supported, were "ghost" soldiers who didn't exist...their pay going to the General staff and other high ranking officers. The question remains...how do three presidents representing both parties, lnot only let this go on, but finance it for two decades.

[donquixote99]

They felt trapped. They might end it by 'winning the war.' but that was believed impossible. Or they might end it by pulling out, but that was believed to carry too sharp a political cost. So policy became to carry on indefinitely, and lie to the public and each other about everything.