US and Taliban signs deal for an American withdrawal

[donquixote99]

I don't blame the Afghan recruits much. They are uneducated, they were put through one of a succession of American training programs that worked poorly for illiterate persons, and may have been completed on a total go-through-the-motions basis, and they knew their leadership was corrupt and kissing American ass for $. The idea that they would fight was always ridiculous.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

I don't blame the Afghan recruits much. They are uneducated, they were put through one of a succession of American training programs that worked poorly for illiterate persons, and may have been completed on a total go-through-the-motions basis, and they knew their leadership was corrupt and kissing American ass for $. The idea that they would fight was always ridiculous.

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

[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

[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.