We should have seen the writing on the wall ten years ago and got out then.

[Ben Thomson]

If the object was to train the Afghans to combat the Taliban it was obvious years ago that was a pipe dream...$88 billion and 20 years later, the Afghan security forces are still no match for the Taliban

 

[rightwinger]

We should have left as soon as Osama bin Laden escaped into Pakistan

 

[Desperado]

If the object was to train the Afghans to combat the Taliban it was obvious years ago that was a pipe dream...$88 billion and 20 years later, the Afghan security forces are still no match for the Taliban

We tried that in Vietnam and it did not work there either.

 

[wamose]

We should have never gone in. Maybe a couple special forces missions against Bin Laden, but no occupation of a whole nation. It's like we're retards who couldn't learn from Russia's past mistakes. We had the blueprint of what was going to happen. We went in blind without a realistic mission or end game.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

If the object was to train the Afghans to combat the Taliban it was obvious years ago that was a pipe dream...$88 billion and 20 years later, the Afghan security forces are still no match for the Taliban

We should have never gotten involved to begin with.

 

[Likkmee]

If the object was to train the Afghans to combat the Taliban it was obvious years ago that was a pipe dream...$88 billion and 20 years later, the Afghan security forces are still no match for the Taliban

I saw it in 2005 and got out then

 

[Dekster]

If the object was to train the Afghans to combat the Taliban it was obvious years ago that was a pipe dream...$88 billion and 20 years later, the Afghan security forces are still no match for the Taliban

Perhaps so. Total screw up by Biden nonetheless.

 

[MarathonMike]

Ben Thomson You are correct, Obama was a moron to order the largest Middle East troop surge in history into Afghanistan. I finally agree with you on something!

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

The FORTY YEAR bipartisan U.S. policy in Afghanistan was wrong, starting with Clinton and Ronald Reagan (when we supported Mujahaddin fundamentalist “freedom fighters” — including BinLaden).

I will only add that had Trump not proposed withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is unlikely the Biden Administration would have felt it had the political “cover” to finally get the hell out.

U.S. ultra-partisan domestic politics, and macho “patriotism,” usually makes intelligent, sober and restrained foreign policy … all but impossible.

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

I spent a year of my life trying to train those fucking monkeys. Worthless...useless...but me and the Mrs. saved almost 100K.

Fuck em.

 

[rightwinger]

I spent a year of my life trying to train those fucking monkeys. Worthless...useless...but me and the Mrs. saved almost 100K.

Fuck em.

We tried to train mostly illiterate soldiers how to fight with sophisticated weapons systems

Taliban beat them with AK-47s and RPGs

 

[Persuader]

A lot of flawed thoughts posted above.

Now for some reality.

9/11 was hatched in Afghanistan. We warned the taliban who at that time controlled Pakistan either to kick out the al-quada or we would do it. They replied Al-quada was their guests.

Thus bush was right to go in there and kill the cockroaches. But he should not have stopped there....that was his mistake.

He should have followed them into the tribal lands and got rid of all of them. That was our failure.

I do not want to hear any b.s. about offending Pakistan who wound up harboring bin laden.

Now the question is will the taliban once again allow al-quaida and others to come back in and start planning terroristic attacks against America once again.

You guys are playing checkers whilst the taliban and al-quaida are playing chess.

 

[Ben Thomson]

One of the reasons the Taliban were finding it so easy to advance on Kabul was the fact we were down to a token force by the end of April. We only had about 2,500 troops in country when Biden pulled the plug. For all intents and purposes we were already 'out'.

 

[Moonglow]

What I want to know is why we must sacrifice our blood and treasure to enrich the war industry?

 

[Ben Thomson]

A lot of flawed thoughts posted above.

Now for some reality.

9/11 was hatched in Afghanistan. We warned the taliban who at that time controlled Pakistan either to kick out the al-quada or we would do it. They replied Al-quada was their guests.

Thus bush was right to go in there and kill the cockroaches. But he should not have stopped there....that was his mistake.

He should have followed them into the tribal lands and got rid of all of them. That was our faiure.

I do not want to hear any b.s. about offending Pakistan who wound up harboring bin laden.

Now the question is will the taliban once again allow al-quaida and others to come back in and start planning terroristic attacks against America once again.

You guys are playing checkers whilst the taliban and al-quaida are playing chess.

Hatched in Afghanistan?? ..the 9/11 commission report said that country's role was incidental. The Al Qaeda members who laid the ground work were in Qatar at the time....Terror plots are hatched in the minds of terrorists, not on any specific piece of land

 

[Ben Thomson]

What I want to know is why we must sacrifice our blood and treasure to enrich the war industry?

Eisenhower tried to warn us about the military-indusrial complex. We ignored the warning and let our economy progress to the point it depends a lot on them now. No wars for a period of time means massive layoffs in the defense industry.

 

[Mac1958]

Their "government" is a corrupt farce. Their "military" is a inept joke, even with us propping them up.

This was inevitable since the day Bush marched us in there. As many of us tried to point out.

Thousands of lives, minds, and limbs destroyed. Trillions of dollars wasted. And 20 years later, they STILL don't have their shit together. It's ugly, it's awful, it's a tragedy, but it's best we leave.

 

[Gabe Lackmann]

We tried to train mostly illiterate soldiers how to fight with sophisticated weapons systems

Taliban beat them with AK-47s and RPGs

Yeap...illiterate soldiers who did not believe in what they were fighting for. When you are fighting for just a check, your heart is not in it completely. Believe me, I know.

 

[Votto]

A lot of flawed thoughts posted above.

Now for some reality.

9/11 was hatched in Afghanistan. We warned the taliban who at that time controlled Pakistan either to kick out the al-quada or we would do it. They replied Al-quada was their guests.

Thus bush was right to go in there and kill the cockroaches. But he should not have stopped there....that was his mistake.

He should have followed them into the tribal lands and got rid of all of them. That was our failure.

I do not want to hear any b.s. about offending Pakistan who wound up harboring bin laden.

Now the question is will the taliban once again allow al-quaida and others to come back in and start planning terroristic attacks against America once again.

You guys are playing checkers whilst the taliban and al-quaida are playing chess.

By the time they launch more attacks on the US, we will have democrat leadership saying that the US deserved those attacks due to the nation's systemic racism and invite more of them in as citizens.

 

[Persuader]

By the time they launch more attacks on the US, we will have democrat leadership saying that the US deserved those attacks due to the nation's systemic racism and invite more of them in as citizens.

You seem to be the only one besides me who has some grasp on the reality of the situation.....must I remind eveyrone we have not won the war on terrorism and that is because of muddled thinking at the very top which has filtered down here to the members of this board as well as to the American people.

It has been said before but too many of our 'woke' Generals, political leaders etc. obviously did not really get it.

I refer to the truth that if you are not willing to do what is required to win a war you should not get in it.

However this is a war brought to us. We did not declare war on bin laden and alquaida. They declared war on us.

So many forget the facts or never grasped them to begin with.

For a very brief time after 9/11 we were united....that unity quickly evaporated as the liberals begin to whine that we were mistreating muslims, that islam is a peaceful religion and that b.s. continues to this day.

I am not going to go over the history of it all as it would take up too much space.

I will say this: Time is on the side of the muslim terrorists and America is growing weaker not stronger. A lot of that has to do with the pandemic but there is more to it.

As has been said so many times our most lethal enemy is right here in America.

Some of us know who they are but not nearly enough.

I hope someone wirh some knowledge will step in here and get this discussion on the right track.

I do not have the time to do it tonight.