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| Afghanistan |
| Burned once, NATO second-in-command refuses to predict success |
| 2010-09-05 |
| NATO commanders were overly optimistic when they predicted quick success taking the key Taliban-held town of Marjah last winter, the outgoing deputy commander said. U.S. Marines and Afghan troops overran Marjah, a major Taliban logistics center and opium poppy-growing community, last February and announced plans to stand up an effective Afghan administration. The idea was to develop Marjah as a model for counterinsurgency techniques in hopes other communities in Helmand province and elsewhere in the south would turn against the Taliban. Whatever happened to the Kandahar Offensive? Instead, the Taliban have fought back with hidden bombs, ambushes, assassinations and intimidation, undercutting NATO's efforts to win public support. That has fueled doubts on Capitol Hill and among the American public that the Afghan war can be won. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #5 Winning means clearing and holding terrain. Clearing and moving on is a non-starter. It takes a boatload of manpower and time to clear and hold ground. Sadly, more of a time and resource investment than this administration is willing to invest. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-09-05 21:03 |
| #4 Winning is out of the picture when the enemy can cut and run into safe harbors Which would be 99% of the area around Marja. If we can't clear towns like Marja, which is a long way from the Pak border (at least 400 Ks by road), there is no hope in places closer to the border like Kandahar. Afghanistan is an ethnic civil war. It is no more ideological than the ethnic wars that rage across large parts of Africa. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2010-09-05 20:57 |
| #3 That's why an ARCLIGHT strike or twelve in the NWFP would do wonders for changing the behavior of the talibunnies. Having a manmade earthquake strike every three or four days has a negative effect on morale - not to mention minds and bodies. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-09-05 14:02 |
| #2 That's the key, isn't it? Once they've got their "Ho Chi Minh Trail" they've got an advantage. |
| Posted by: Fred 2010-09-05 09:31 |
| #1 Winning is out of the picture when the enemy can cut and run into safe harbors. |
| Posted by: Hupavish Grundy2869 2010-09-05 05:19 |