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2005-03-30 Afghanistan/South Asia

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Posted by Dan Darling 2005-03-30 00:00:00 AM|| || Front Page|| [11131 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Wot about the 'sprink offensive'? NYT.

It sprunk a leak. BTW Omar, you ugly and stop wimking at me!

Posted by Spomock Threck1785 2005-03-30 12:15:53 AM|| 2005-03-30 12:15:53 AM|| Front Page Top

#2
What turned the tide? In a word, nation building. Winning over the Afghans by piecing together their war-shattered country has done more to weaken the Taliban and al-Qaeda than any military operation, say Afghan and American officials. U.S. troops who arrived in Afghanistan expecting to battle Taliban in the ravines now find themselves instead in grim, barren places like Omarâs village laying irrigation pipe. And once the villagers began trusting the Americans, say Afghan officials, they slowly abandoned support for the Taliban.

Study this, again and again and again.

Posted by Liberalhawk 2005-03-30 9:17:55 AM|| 2005-03-30 9:17:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Yup! Sounds like a QUAGMIRE to me....

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-03-30 9:20:01 AM|| 2005-03-30 9:20:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 LH - that works in some places, in others you have to kick abdul in the head a few times before they get it. Think the Paleos would appreciate IDF crews putting in sewer and water lines?

Posted by Frank G 2005-03-30 9:54:45 AM|| 2005-03-30 9:54:45 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Point noted LH but you can't lay pipe or repair/build infrastructure of any kind without security being in place.

Posted by Doc8404 2005-03-30 9:55:43 AM|| 2005-03-30 9:55:43 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Doc8404, I would add that it has something to do with cause and effect. LH, please read #4,5 & 6 several times. ;-)

Posted by Sobiesky 2005-03-30 10:03:08 AM|| 2005-03-30 10:03:08 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 LH

This is BS. The first step has been kicking out the Taliban. The second step is showing the locals YOU are the strong horse and that you are not going away. You can do all the nation building you want, people will not turn the guerillas if they think in a couple years you will abandon them to the tender mercies of Mullah Omar. Nation building can give people reasons to side with you but they will not lift a finger as long as they think this would be a death sentence upon them.

Posted by JFM 2005-03-30 11:18:57 AM|| 2005-03-30 11:18:57 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 The 1st intifada was started precisely because the Israelis where winning Pal hearts and minds by building roads, putting in sewers, etc. Sometimes, you just need to kill all of the assholes.

Posted by 11A5S 2005-03-30 11:24:30 AM|| 2005-03-30 11:24:30 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Correction 11A5S - If you want to do the job right the first time and they are really unreformed a-holes, then you just plain need to kill them and let everybody know you did it and why.

Posted by Tkat 2005-03-30 11:35:06 AM|| 2005-03-30 11:35:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 What?

11A5S nailed it. Your comment makes no sense.

Posted by .com 2005-03-30 11:42:01 AM|| 2005-03-30 11:42:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 You just wait until the BRUTAL Afghan winter sets in, filthy infidels!

Posted by OBL 2005-03-30 12:54:01 PM|| 2005-03-30 12:54:01 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 Let's not forget the BRUTAL Iraki winter.

Posted by JFM 2005-03-30 1:47:07 PM|| 2005-03-30 1:47:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 And the brutal Afghan spring...

Posted by Fred 2005-03-30 4:13:12 PM|| 2005-03-30 4:13:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 And the brutal density altitude of the mountains of Afghanistan. Now that is a genuine hazard for aircraft.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2005-03-30 4:19:40 PM|| 2005-03-30 4:19:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 "Hey, Phil, what's a mountain goat doing in a cloudbank?"

Yes, my only function on this forum is to interject witty comments. Please continue with your observations.

Posted by trailing daughter of the trailing wife 2005-03-30 5:09:48 PM|| 2005-03-30 5:09:48 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 Just fly a real cool plane AP.

Posted by Shipman 2005-03-30 7:01:07 PM|| 2005-03-30 7:01:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 tdottw - Ah, I am also a follower of Larsen - you will go far! Just keep to The Path, heh.

Posted by .com 2005-03-30 7:35:31 PM|| 2005-03-30 7:35:31 PM|| Front Page Top

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