NY TIMES: Are We Losing Afghanistan Again?

[nadeemkhan110]

“ALLAH has promised us victory and America has promised us defeat,” Mullah Muhammad Omar, the first head of the Taliban, once said, “so we shall see which of the two promises will be fulfilled.” When his colleagues admitted this summer that Mullah Omar had died, Al Qaeda and affiliated groups around the globe remembered those words — victory is a divine certainty — in their eulogies. And in Afghanistan today, though the majority of Afghans still do not identify with the Taliban or Al Qaeda, Mullah Omar’s bold defiance in the face of a superpower is beginning to look prescient.
decided to keep 9,800 American troops in the country through much of 2016 and 5,500 thereafter. The president was right to change course, but it is difficult to see how much of a difference this small force can make. The United States troops currently in Afghanistan have not been able to thwart the Taliban’s advance. They were able to help push them out of Kunduz, but only after the Taliban’s two-week reign of terror. This suggests that additional troops are needed, not fewer.
When justifying his decision last week, the president explained that American troops would “remain engaged in two narrow but critical missions — training Afghan forces, and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of Al Qaeda.” He added, “We’ve always known that we had to maintain a counterterrorism operation in that region in order to tamp down any re-emergence of active Al Qaeda networks.”
But the president has not explained the full scope of what is at stake. Al Qaeda has already re-emerged. Just two days before the president’s statement, the military announced that it led raids against two Qaeda training camps in the south, one of which was an astonishing 30 square miles in size. The operation lasted several days, and involved 63 airstrikes and more than 200 ground troops, including both Americans and Afghan commandos.

The Taliban are not hiding their continuing alliance with Al Qaeda. In August, Mr. Zawahri pledged his allegiance to Mullah Omar’s successor, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour. Within hours, Mullah Mansour publicly accepted the “esteemed” Mr. Zawahri’s oath of fealty. And Qaeda members are integrated into the Taliban’s chain of command. In fact, foreign fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda played a significant role in the Taliban-led assault on Kunduz.
announce a surge of forces in Afghanistan, but it was short-lived. Al Qaeda is not nearly as “decimated” in South Asia as Mr. Obama has claimed.

We don’t think 5,500 troops is enough. No one is calling for a full-scale occupation of the country. But a force of as many as 20,000 to 25,000 would far better support our local Afghan allies, helping them defend multiple provincial capitals at the same time and fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in their strongholds.
While many believe that Al Qaeda is solely focused on attacking the West, it has devoted most of its efforts to waging insurgencies. This is the key to understanding how it has been able to regenerate repeatedly over the past 14 years. Al Qaeda draws would-be terrorists from the larger pool of paramilitary forces fighting to restore the Taliban to power in Afghanistan or to build radical nation-states elsewhere. Therefore, the mission of the United States is bigger than the one Mr. Obama envisions. Drones and select counterterrorism raids are not enough to end the threat.
Al Qaeda and like-minded groups were founded on the myth that the Soviet Union was defeated in Afghanistan because of the mujahedeen’s faith in Allah alone. This helped spawn a generation of new wars and terrorist attacks, most of which have targeted Muslims. Should the Afghans suffer additional territorial losses, Mullah Omar’s words will appear prophetic. And a new myth, one that will feed the Taliban’s and Al Qaeda’s violence for years to come, will be born.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/opinion/are-we-losing-afghanistan-again.html?_r=0

@Stannis Baratheon @AsianUnion @SipahSalar @KURUMAYA @Jaanbaz @Jf Thunder @Patriots @batmannow @Oscar @Jango @Horus @Bratva @Crypto @Leader @pkuser2k12 @mr42O @NaMaloom @Viper0011. @Akheilos @Shamain @Jzaib @Khalidr

 

[Dalit]

Good idea. NATO/US should be there in greater numbers as long as needed.

Pakistan should seal the borders.

 

[Shotgunner51]

We don’t think 5,500 troops is enough. No one is calling for a full-scale occupation of the country. But a force of as many as 20,000 to 25,000 would far better support our local Afghan allies, helping them defend multiple provincial capitals at the same time and fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in their strongholds.

Fully agree with the article, they cannot leave the jobs unfinished, instead they should maintain an adequate amount of troops (say 20,000~25,000 as suggested by the article, or whatever it takes) until the security situation is completely stabilized. US Congress must understand this and provide extra budget, adequate manpower, to the government for this, reinstating draft or putting War Tax if have to.

Charles Rangel Calls for War Tax, Reinstating the Draft​

The Afghan economy is just beginning its rebuild, investors do need a secure environment.

 

[thepakistani]

What ever usa do fate is quite obvious, what coalition forces could not do in a decade , can 5000-25000 troops do?

 

[Shotgunner51]

What ever usa do fate is quite obvious, what coalition forces could not do in a decade , can 5000-25000 troops do?

The situation is indeed problematic, that's why if 20,000-25,000 isn't enough, they must send whatever it takes until the unfinished jobs are done. US Congress should understand the gravity of this situation and provide all necessary supports.

 

[xyxmt]

Afghani love to play in Indian hands, they future is dark as they are their own worst enemy.

 

[Rasengan]

Fully agree with the article, they cannot leave the jobs unfinished, instead they should maintain an adequate amount of troops (say 20,000~25,000 as suggested by the article, or whatever it takes) until the security situation is completely stabilized. US Congress must understand this and provide extra budget, adequate manpower, to the government for this, reinstating draft or putting War Tax if have to.

Charles Rangel Calls for War Tax, Reinstating the Draft​

The Afghan economy is just beginning its rebuild, investors do need a secure environment.

Kabul will continuously burn for another 100 years, until the rental regime falls in line and changes its tune towards Pakistan. The NDS has been colluding with India for the last 14 years and the Pakistani Taliban were financed and trained by them. We have returned the favor and the ground realities of Afghanistan show quite clearly that the Taliban are winning.

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

“ALLAH has promised us victory and America has promised us defeat,” Mullah Muhammad Omar, the first head of the Taliban, once said, “so we shall see which of the two promises will be fulfilled.” When his colleagues admitted this summer that Mullah Omar had died, Al Qaeda and affiliated groups around the globe remembered those words — victory is a divine certainty — in their eulogies. And in Afghanistan today, though the majority of Afghans still do not identify with the Taliban or Al Qaeda, Mullah Omar’s bold defiance in the face of a superpower is beginning to look prescient.
decided to keep 9,800 American troops in the country through much of 2016 and 5,500 thereafter. The president was right to change course, but it is difficult to see how much of a difference this small force can make. The United States troops currently in Afghanistan have not been able to thwart the Taliban’s advance. They were able to help push them out of Kunduz, but only after the Taliban’s two-week reign of terror. This suggests that additional troops are needed, not fewer.
When justifying his decision last week, the president explained that American troops would “remain engaged in two narrow but critical missions — training Afghan forces, and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of Al Qaeda.” He added, “We’ve always known that we had to maintain a counterterrorism operation in that region in order to tamp down any re-emergence of active Al Qaeda networks.”
But the president has not explained the full scope of what is at stake. Al Qaeda has already re-emerged. Just two days before the president’s statement, the military announced that it led raids against two Qaeda training camps in the south, one of which was an astonishing 30 square miles in size. The operation lasted several days, and involved 63 airstrikes and more than 200 ground troops, including both Americans and Afghan commandos.

The Taliban are not hiding their continuing alliance with Al Qaeda. In August, Mr. Zawahri pledged his allegiance to Mullah Omar’s successor, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour. Within hours, Mullah Mansour publicly accepted the “esteemed” Mr. Zawahri’s oath of fealty. And Qaeda members are integrated into the Taliban’s chain of command. In fact, foreign fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda played a significant role in the Taliban-led assault on Kunduz.
announce a surge of forces in Afghanistan, but it was short-lived. Al Qaeda is not nearly as “decimated” in South Asia as Mr. Obama has claimed.

We don’t think 5,500 troops is enough. No one is calling for a full-scale occupation of the country. But a force of as many as 20,000 to 25,000 would far better support our local Afghan allies, helping them defend multiple provincial capitals at the same time and fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in their strongholds.
While many believe that Al Qaeda is solely focused on attacking the West, it has devoted most of its efforts to waging insurgencies. This is the key to understanding how it has been able to regenerate repeatedly over the past 14 years. Al Qaeda draws would-be terrorists from the larger pool of paramilitary forces fighting to restore the Taliban to power in Afghanistan or to build radical nation-states elsewhere. Therefore, the mission of the United States is bigger than the one Mr. Obama envisions. Drones and select counterterrorism raids are not enough to end the threat.
Al Qaeda and like-minded groups were founded on the myth that the Soviet Union was defeated in Afghanistan because of the mujahedeen’s faith in Allah alone. This helped spawn a generation of new wars and terrorist attacks, most of which have targeted Muslims. Should the Afghans suffer additional territorial losses, Mullah Omar’s words will appear prophetic. And a new myth, one that will feed the Taliban’s and Al Qaeda’s violence for years to come, will be born.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/opinion/are-we-losing-afghanistan-again.html?_r=0

@Stannis Baratheon @AsianUnion @SipahSalar @KURUMAYA @Jaanbaz @Jf Thunder @Patriots @batmannow @Oscar @Jango @Horus @Bratva @Crypto @Leader @pkuser2k12 @mr42O @NaMaloom @Viper0011. @Akheilos @Shamain @Jzaib @Khalidr

I think the Taliban are better off rulling A'stan than the current government.