US and Taliban signs deal for an American withdrawal

[Chicks]

The GOP quietly removed a webpage hailing Trump's peace deal with the Taliban as the militant group seized power in Afghanistan

https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-...an-deal-2021-8

Cancel Culture, anyone? So much for Donny's "historic" peace deal.

[donquixote99]

The title of Bright and Shining Lie refers to the bureaucracies' inability to face hard truths when it is in the immediate interest not to. That is a continuing problem for sure.

[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.

[Oerets]

I can see where someone is being forced to complete a ""agreement"" made by others. Not wanting to or unable to try and make a better deal. The Afghanistan government was not even at the table for the treaty.

Biden was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Pio1980]

Borrowed from a pm:
A couple of more sober and realistic views...
https://www.realclearworld.com/arti....ul_790142.html
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/af...r-afghanistan/
https://cepa.org/afghanistans-end-po...er-u-s-future/
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/ar...tan-assessment
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/artic...of-afghanistan

[Chicks]

david nussbaum @theNuzzy

“I started the process, all the troops are coming home, they (Biden) couldn’t stop the process. 21 years is enough. They (Biden) couldn’t stop the process, they (Biden) wanted to but couldn’t stop the process.”

- Trump, 1 month ago

https://mobile.twitter.com/theNuzzy/...51039404957697

4:34 PM · Aug 15, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

[Chicks]

[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.

[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.