Article

2019-12-21 Afghanistan

US General Defends Afghan War, Says Objectives Achieved

[ToloNews] Milley said that too many officials across too many agencies worked on Afghanistan to cover-up some sort of deliberate lie.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley defended the 18-year war in Afghanistan, saying that the war in Afghanistan has achieved its objectives to prevent another 9/11-style attack on the US soil.

"I know there’s an assertion out there of some sort of coordinated lie over the course of 18 years," Milley told news hounds at the Pentagon on Friday morning. "I find that a bit of a stretch. More than a bit of a stretch, I find that a mischaracterization."

Milley said that too many officials across too many agencies worked on Afghanistan to cover-up some sort of deliberate lie.

"I just don’t think you can get that level of coordination to do that kind of deception," he said.

He said:

"Those were honest assessments and they were never intended to deceive either the Congress or the American people."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper also thought the idea of officials deliberately lying about the war wasn't plausible.

"For 18 years now, the media has been over there. The Congress has been there multiple times. We’ve had the SIGAR there. We’ve had IGs there. This has been a very transparent‐it’s not like this war was hiding somewhere and now all of a sudden there’s been a revelation.

"Some type of insinuation that there’s been this large-scale conspiracy is, to me, ridiculous," Esper said.

This comes a few days after the publication of some classified documents revealed by the Washington Post showed that the US officials seemed to be privately telling a different narrative about the war than the government and military was telling to the public.

More than 2,000 pages of previously unpublished "confidential" documents were released by the Washington Post last Monday containing, in many cases, very candid appraisals by government officials, diplomats, military officers and aid workers of the post-2001 war effort in Afghanistan. Many of the reports were critical of how the war was conducted‐on every level‐and how falsely it was reported up the chain of command and to the public.

The Washington Post characterized the interviews as revealing that "senior US officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable."

Posted by trailing wife 2019-12-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 The first big fail was having any objectives for Afghanistan whatsoever. The stalwarts of the deepState took it from there. Gawd knows where and how exactly the puzzle-box distributed the billions of US taxpayer money.

If the objective had been plain revenge, a punitive conquest and pounding of a tribal hellholel; it was still the wrong target. Like hellfiring a 'probable location' without proper intel, while the assault was clearly coming from elsewhere. Maybe the military hubris and 'never back down' came into play, but it was ridiculous to hammer your head for 18 years on unyielding rock.

I don't see how it is so difficult for the ⭔ and US Congress to accept that the real enemy is Pakistain. The complete blindness and denial seems contrived, because no one can be this stupid. Maybe the Congress I can understand, but not those who report to the President.

Of course, India is to blame too. Because if it wasn't such an inward complexed, non-committed, corrupt State keeping a neurotic leash on its military, the US and India could have together long neutralized the 'Stain. Immediately, the world would have noticed the momentum gone out of muslim extremism in their respective domains.

If India can get its act together in the next 5 years, there is still a window to achieve this, and the taliban in Afghanistan would be finished before it can grow stronger. But the more we wait, the greater a war it shall be. I believe one major reason the US does not wish to see Pakistain as a target is the laxity of India to rise up as a viable subcontinental ally.

Posted by Dron66046 2019-12-21 01:31|| 2019-12-21 01:31|| Front Page Top

#2 Bingo. Pakistan delenda est.
Get the hell out if Soddy while we're at it.

100% agree with the tactical approach of devastating punitive expeditions: devastating and delivered from offshore, without any large forward deployment of troops.

Posted by Lex 2019-12-21 01:37|| 2019-12-21 01:37|| Front Page Top

#3 US General Defends Afghan War, Says Objectives Achieved

"I got my stars" sorta thing?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-12-21 04:06|| 2019-12-21 04:06|| Front Page Top

#4 His opinion, but certainly not universally shared. A dreadful place and equally dreadful people engaged in a tribal existence some 1000 or so years behind the modern world. Please find the door.

Posted by Besoeker 2019-12-21 04:13|| 2019-12-21 04:13|| Front Page Top

#5 Cause "I was just obeying orders" really isn't seen as much of a proper response?

How many GOs resigned over the conduct of the war? See - sanctuaries in Pakistan. When you get to that level, you are all bureaucratic politicians.

War is the ultimate purpose of your existence. Did they change their personnel system accordingly or did they just keep the old peacetime system in place? /rhet question

You rapidly promote success on the battlefield. There is no 'fair' time in commander. There is no fair in war. That means boards and assignment process are canned and allow the very reason for your existence determine who your commanders and GOs are going to be.

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-12-21 07:47|| 2019-12-21 07:47|| Front Page Top

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