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2021-07-16 Afghanistan
Taliban Destroyed, Damaged Infrastructure in 116 Districts: IARCS
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Posted by trailing wife 2021-07-16 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ]  Top
 File under: Taliban 

#1 US Dems to allocate $500 M for their 'infrastructure' in 3... 2... 1...
Posted by Raj 2021-07-16 00:12||   2021-07-16 00:12|| Front Page Top

#2 gotta keep them in the cave man age
Posted by Chris 2021-07-16 00:13||   2021-07-16 00:13|| Front Page Top

#3 As the Daily Mail article pointed out, the Paks are providing air support to the Taliban. This excerpt is kind of amusing, indicative of the Taliban's tendency to lie by default:
Dozens of wounded Taliban fighters were being treated at a Pakistan hospital near the border after fierce overnight fighting, AFP correspondents at the scene reported.

'We have suffered one death and dozens of our fighters have got injured,' Mullah Muhammad Hassan, who identified himself as a Taliban insurgent, told AFP near Chaman in Pakistan, about five kilometres (three miles) from the border.

The traditional casualty ratio tends to be one death for every two injuries. And yet, this spokesperson claims one death and dozens of injuries. Maybe he meant some of the "injured" weren't technically dead because lacking heads or limbs, no one had bothered checking for a pulse.

The prospect of Pakistani intervention is exactly why air defenses are becoming a necessity for the Afghan government. It's unfortunate that the Afghans weren't supplied with at least minimal Soviet bloc type fighter bombers, if technology theft by either China or Russia were an issue. It's possible that the funds just weren't available, after all the other demands on the $5b annual stipend were met.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2021-07-16 11:44||   2021-07-16 11:44|| Front Page Top

#4 Official numbers showing the stipend and total spending in the War on Terror are on page 16.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2021-07-16 11:59||   2021-07-16 11:59|| Front Page Top

#5 There's an aspect of guerrilla war that's not often remarked upon - the deliberate destruction of infrastructure. Israelis turn this against the Pallies by dehousing the families of suicide bombers. A huge chunk of US aid goes towards repairing damage inflicted by Pakistan through its proxy, the Taliban. If we destroyed a chunk of Pakistani highway for every chunk of Afghan roadway destroyed, the Paks would, at minimum, have less money to finance the Taliban. Anyway, the road not taken.
Posted by Zhang Fei 2021-07-16 12:58||   2021-07-16 12:58|| Front Page Top

#6  Israelis turn this against the Pallies by dehousing the families of suicide bombers.

And the EU and various Western NGOs neutralize that by rebuilding within a few days after the Israelis finish the job.
Posted by trailing wife 2021-07-16 13:52||   2021-07-16 13:52|| Front Page Top

#7 Ref #5: Sherman did it pretty effectively as did Lord Kitchner. The 8th Air Force bombing campaign was also quite effective.
Posted by Besoeker 2021-07-16 13:53||   2021-07-16 13:53|| Front Page Top

#8 Our entire campaign in Afghanistan should have consisted of complete destruction of water and electric facilities followed by leaflets that said "You can have water and electricity again when you hand over bin Laden." And then follow through.
Posted by M. Murcek 2021-07-16 14:51||   2021-07-16 14:51|| Front Page Top

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