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Afghanistan
Afghanistan veterans are 'riveted in horror' by Taliban's 'faster-than-expected' takeover
2021-08-15
[NEWS.YAHOO] As Afghanistan continues to fall to the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
 at a "faster-than-expected" pace, those who served in the war are reportedly "riveted in horror" watching the krazed killer group make gains, and immensely frustrated by the withdrawal that's threatening to undo their 20 years of work, The Washington Post reports.

"It makes me angry, really angry," said Tom Amenta, a retired veteran who was originally deployed in 2002. Afghanistan "has never had a clean solution," he told the Post. "But now that it's gotten hard, we're just going to bounce? It doesn't make it right."

The United Kingdom's Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair Tom Tugendhat, who also served in Afghanistan, called the withdrawal "wasteful and unnecessary," adding that it's as though the rug has been pulled out from under the Afghan government.

"It's just frustrating," lamented Army veteran John Whalen. "We knew that this would happen. Now, all the people who went and served, are like, 'Why did my friend die?'" Whalen told the Post he asks himself that question, too.

Scott Novak, a former Army medic, added that, as the situation progresses, there's a "lingering sense of sadness" amongst his military friends. "No one's saying, 'Hey, you know, at least we did something.' There's just nothing to really show for it," he explained. "And so, everyone's kind of angry and wondering, why? Why were we even there?"

Posted by:Fred

#18  After 911 Bush should have GLASSED Afghanistan and Pakistan. For some reason the jerk tried to nation build. THE USA IS SHIT AT NATION BUILDING! It was stupid.

Then Saddam wanted to kill his dad. So he invaded.

He should have just taken out a massive $ hit order on Saddam.

All those lives ours and theirs wasted because or DC morons can't take the proper actions.

Nuff Said.
Posted by: 3dc   2021-08-15 17:53  

#17  ^ Same people who closed down Christian churches over COVID won't do a thing against muzz.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2021-08-15 17:36  

#16  This was/is/will be Islam against the West.
Posted by: Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589   2021-08-15 16:24  

#15  #14 ^ Absolutely. The best of intentions can produce the worst of outcomes. Fun movie, though.
Posted by: Matt   2021-08-15 13:08  

#14  does Charlie Wilson come to mind...
Posted by: 746   2021-08-15 13:00  

#13  ^ Exactly. The design could be a two-star general in motion with the inscription "Feets don't fail me now."
Posted by: Matt   2021-08-15 12:41  

#12  Bush 43 owns a big piece of this...
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2021-08-15 12:36  

#11  ^ Afghan Panic Evacuation Medal?
Posted by: Frank G   2021-08-15 12:06  

#10  Maybe begin by holding them accountable?

There are so many things about this that piss me off it's hard to focus on just one, but at the top of my current list is the fact that not one person in government is going to lose his phoney-baloney job over this. They might randomly select a lance corporal and bust him down to PFC, but that's it. In fact, they'll probably create a special Afghan Panic Commendation Medal and hand it out to all concerned.
Posted by: Matt   2021-08-15 11:31  

#9  
That Blessed sacrament of Geneva,
which elevates mortal minds
to watch, fixated on their TeeVah,
as demons impale behinds.

Perchance, to defend we may fight,
and the kingdoms of satan set alight,
but the fireteams need legals now
to tear their enemy to rinds.
Posted by: Dron66046   2021-08-15 11:14  

#8  I also blame the ROEs during the Afghan war for part of this failure.
Posted by: Chris   2021-08-15 10:28  

#7  ...don't forget the pols who like thumping their chest to show how virtuous they were in nation building and bringing the people into the 21st Century.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2021-08-15 09:51  

#6  Your friend had to die so that defense contractors could get that sweet, sweet money. Trillions.

Maybe begin by holding them accountable?
Posted by: Slomorong Thraiger7030   2021-08-15 08:26  

#5  What did you expect? A culture that is corrupt as anything we have here in our major cities, states, and in the Swamp. Why would you die to defend that?

Remember the actions by the American command structure when they went after the two American personnel who hammered the Afghan base commander who was porking some poor boy in the adjacent room. It's all corrupt.

Hearts and Minds campaign again shows failure, but the people in authority will not give up on it, not that much different than the socialists who keep failing and failing and failing. "We'll get it right the next time."
Posted by: Procopius2k   2021-08-15 07:13  

#4  This horror results from the continuing American inability (and arrogant reluctance) to accept that Asia is no place for the lessons of the Reformation and post Industrial legalism.

Stay engaged and reap horror upon horror until Kingdom come. Literally.
Posted by: Dron66046   2021-08-15 03:24  

#3  How many of these vets want Americans to continue fighting for Afghans who won't fight for anything beyond 1200AD? The entire Afghan government and military was a con game to extract dollars.

A lot of those dollars will be filtered through the lobbying industry back to the politicians who voted for it.
Posted by: badanov   2021-08-15 02:20  

#2  How many of these vets want Americans to continue fighting for Afghans who won't fight for anything beyond 1200AD? The entire Afghan government and military was a con game to extract dollars.

The Afghans can now go back to what they know best, squabbling among themselves.
Posted by: Pholuns Speresh8593   2021-08-15 01:37  

#1  I am also horrified.

Back in 2001 it seemed that a nationalist govt would provide stability. By 2002, it seemed the Taliban military presence was almost completely gone but they came back and by 2010 the Taliban were a major threat that took 100k American soldiers to defeat. But the defeat wasn't for long and by 2015 or so it was a stalemate with about 10k American soldiers. Trump brought the American force up to about 15k in 2018 but the stalemate continued.
Posted by: Lord Garth   2021-08-15 00:59  

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