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  • Afghan War Going Badly

    The war is going badly. Mullen is going to ask for more troops when the US public support is low.

    State of Afghanistan 'deteriorating,' top U.S. commander says
    23 Aug [Globe&Mail] The war in Afghanistan is going so badly – “it is serious and it is deteriorating” – that America's top military commander Admiral Mike Mullen was grimly preparing a war-weary public Sunday for the possibility that many more U.S soldiers may soon be needed to quell the raging Taliban insurgency.

    This already has been the bloodiest summer for both foreign troops and Afghans since 2001.

    U.S. commanders are expected to ask President Barack Obama – who campaigned on getting Americans troops out of Iraq so they could focus on winning in Afghanistan – for three or four additional brigades (as many as 20,000 more soldiers) next month.

    Sunday's high-profile round of televised interviews launched a campaign to drum up flagging public support.

    At present, more than 100,000 U.S. and NATO troops – roughly matching the peak Soviet deployment in Moscow's failed 10-year effort to subjugate Afghanistan – are battling a resurgent Taliban that last month killed more foreign soldiers than at any time since former president George W. Bush ordered the Taliban toppled after 9/11. .....

  • #2
    Top US General praises British troops
    A Defence Policy and Business news article
    21 Aug 09

    General David Petraeus, the Commander of US Central Command, has spoken to the British media this week, praising the British Armed Forces and explaining the importance of elections in Afghanistan and what victory there means.

    From January 2007 to September 2008 General Petraeus served as Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq, and now, as Commander of US Central Command, he is responsible for US operations in Afghanistan.

    Speaking this week to The Sun newspaper, General Petraeus praised British troops saying:

    "I have always been impressed by the courage, capacity for independent action, skill and exceptional will of your soldiers.

    "It's what sets forces in the UK and I'd argue the US and a handful of other countries apart from all others in the world."

    Regarding the British forces deployed to Afghanistan he said:

    "British troops have been in a very tough place and they have done exceedingly well.

    "It is enormously important we achieve our objective in Afghanistan, and ensure it does not again become a sanctuary for Al Qaeda and other extremists that have carried out attacks on your streets.

    "There has been progress in Helmand province. Expanding the security bubble for example has allowed people to vote who would not have had that opportunity a few months ago."

    Addressing the British public he added:

    "I want to thank the British public because regardless [of] what they've felt about these endeavours they've always supported our troops and their families. They have recognised the sacrifices they have made."

    Speaking to Sky News this week General Petraeus reiterated why British and other coalition troops are fighting in Afghanistan. He said:

    "This war is all about ensuring that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for Al Qaeda and trans-national extremists, as it was under the Taliban in the past, who carried out attacks in 9 /11 and London and other locations in the United Kingdom and other western European countries and the rest of the world.

    "That is a hugely important interest, those organisations, those extremist elements do not want us to enjoy the freedoms that we've fought for for centuries and it is again very important that they do not have safe havens in which they can train and plan such attacks around the world."

    When asked whether deploying coalition forces to Afghanistan antagonised feelings towards the US and the UK, General Petraeus said:

    "Well I think that depends on how you act and if you are truly seen to be there for the people to improve their security, to help make their lives better, then, indeed, you gain popular support.

    "But that's the key element and the people are not tolerant of foreigners who are there who are not improving their security. They are supportive of those who are in fact taking steps to improve their lot in life."

    Speaking about yesterday's elections in Afghanistan the General said:

    "Ambassador Holbrooke provided a report that said that the Taliban did not disrupt the election. Again turnout was reported to be low in the morning but did build during the day so I think it would be premature to try to characterise it overall or to try to slice and dice this just yet.

    "But the fact is, again as the Ambassador said, the election went forward, it was not disrupted, there were certainly acts of violence around the country, certainly places where polls were not able to open for a variety of reasons. But the vast majority of them did, as I noted earlier I think some fifty-two or sixty-two hundred out of about sixty-five hundred that were planned actually did have [the] election going on."

    Describing what victory in Afghanistan means, General Petraeus said:

    "Victory looks like a gradual hand-off of tasks to Afghan security forces, Afghan Government elements over time. Frankly it is the same as what took place in Iraq, it's the same that has taken place in other cases in your history and in ours, but even more so in yours."

    Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Defence Policy and Business | Top US General praises British troops

    Comment


    • #3
      Patraeus clearly cannot speak to the British media saying the same thing that Mullen said, that the Afghan war "is serious and it is deteriorating".

      He has to pat the British troops on their back, to boost their pride and morale, and that of the British media that keep highlighting the number of troop death.
      Last edited by Merlin; 24 Aug 09,, 10:08.

      Comment


      • #4
        Unfortunately, it is a shame

        The biggest take away from this war and from Iraq is the failure to commit the necessary resources to win the fight early in the campaigns. Truly, the Rumsfeld doctrine of using small special forces to overthrow nations is not a realistic technique for the American led forces.

        Having said that, check out the discussion on Abu Muqawama at CNAS's board for a great discussion on the value of Afghanistan.

        Abu Muqawama | Center for a New American Security
        Michael C

        On Violence Twitter

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        • #5
          Its a tough battle to fight when up till recently more of the money and attention was heading to Iraq and the country hosting all of the people yuo are fighting is being run by a bunch of incompitent idiots.
          You know JJ, Him could do it....

          Comment


          • #6
            The war is going badly. Mullen is going to ask for more troops when the US public support is low.


            *Its not support, its the fact that Obama promised to bring the troops home on such and such a date.;)
            Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

            Comment


            • #7
              dreadnought,

              *Its not support, its the fact that Obama promised to bring the troops home on such and such a date.
              i'm not aware that obama set a timetable for afghanistan troop deployments, could you send me a link? thanks.
              There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

              Comment


              • #8
                If anything, Obama promised over and over again to increase US troops in Afghanistan.
                "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                  If anything, Obama promised over and over again to increase US troops in Afghanistan.
                  Right, it was along the line of get troops and equipment out of Iraq so we can focus on Afghanistan. Although the equipment in Iraq I think needs a good revamp before being deployed immediately again.

                  The war is going badly. Mullen is going to ask for more troops when the US public support is low.
                  I would personally just like a clearly stated objective from a presidential address on all the news networks at night of why we are in Afghanistan. Something like "we are in Afghanistan because of ______ and we must succeed because of _____ until ______ can occur."

                  This is not running toward a deadline of getting out of there, it's giving a performance matric to military and diplomatic performance of the allies that are based there, and then everyone can decide if that is acceptable or not on their own considering the growing opposition in some countries to having troops there. If it's to prop up the democratic government until they can become a reasonable central government that can extend their control of the country beyond Kabul, say as much. People right now just see deaths and completely forgot about Afghanistan in light of the Iraqi conflict, so I think reminding others of the original goal is necessary. Yes, it's going to piss off some people in Obama's party if he says that because of the South Vietnamese and Iraqi precedents, but so what, he's president for the next 3 years, and it'd make him look better to centrists and conservatives to tell liberals in his party to f*ck off.

                  And if this has been already done recently, then the Obama administration and other countries are suffering from poor PR campaigns because I never heard or read it.
                  Last edited by rj1; 25 Aug 09,, 21:24.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Taliban Getting a Taste of Their Own Medicine

                    Bodies found in Pakistan valley
                    The bodies of 22 suspected militants have been found in Pakistan's Swat valley in the past day, officials say.

                    Corpses allegedly began appearing several weeks ago. Officials said 18 were found in the region last week.

                    Local residents say the Pakistani security forces have been carrying out extra-judicial killings as part of their offensive against the Taliban.

                    The army and police have denied the accusations, saying locals could be behind the killings for "revenge".

                    A leading Pakistani human rights watchdog says it has received "credible reports of numerous extra-judicial killings and reprisals carried out by security forces".


                    "We call for a proper investigation to find out who killed them, who were the dead, whether they were militants, innocent people or bystander," IA Rehman, of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told the Reuters news agency.

                    "We've already demanded an investigation but nothing has happened. It's a serious matter and must be looked into," he said.

                    'Blindfolded'

                    Three bodies were found in the Danagram area on the outskirts of Swat's central town of Mingora on Tuesday morning, a security official told BBC Urdu, bringing the total number discovered in the past day to 22.


                    “ Previously we were afraid of the Taliban. Now, we're afraid of the army ”
                    Mingora resident

                    He said the victims had not yet been identified.

                    On Monday, local officials said 19 corpses had been recovered from areas around the Malam Jabba road, north of Mingora.

                    Witnesses said most of the victims had been shot, some several times. They were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs, and dumped in fields or alleys.

                    "Previously we were afraid of the Taliban. Now, we're afraid of the army," one man told the Associated Press news agency.

                    Military officials have confirmed that the army has been conducting operations in areas where the bodies have been found.

                    A top government official in the region, Malakand division commissioner Fazal Karim Khattak, told the BBC that the appearance of the bodies had become a "puzzle".

                    But he rejected the local view that the security forces had been killing suspected Taliban fighters extra-judicially after detaining them.


                    "I have recommended to the provincial government to hold an inquiry into the circumstances that have led to these deaths," he said.

                    A military spokesman, Maj Gen Athar Abbas, said he believed the killings could have been the "result of revenge by local people".

                    "It could be a reaction to all that happened to the people in Swat," he said.

                    While the Taliban controlled the valley, militants dumped bodies of alleged collaborators on the streets to terrify people into submission, correspondents say.

                    Officials say people have been discovering unidentified bodies dumped in the Swat valley since mid-July, when internal refugees who had fled the area in April in the wake of the army offensive returned.

                    According to one estimate, more than 120 corpses have been found in total. Other officials believe the figure could be as high as 200.

                    Aid appeal

                    At the beginning of this year, the Pakistani government reached a peace deal with the Taliban, under which the militants were supposed to disarm in exchange for the implementation of Sharia law throughout the Malakand division, which includes the Swat valley.

                    But fighting erupted in April after the Taliban expanded their operations into districts only 96km (60 miles) from the capital, Islamabad, and the army accused them of reneging on the pact.

                    As the fighting intensified some two million people were displaced. Many of those started returning home in July after the army said it had largely secured the valley. Isolated skirmishes are continuing.

                    The government says more than 1,700 militants and 170 troops were killed in the fighting, and that the local militant leader, Maulana Fazullah, was seriously injured. The Taliban have denied the report, but not provided any evidence to prove that he is alive.

                    Earlier, Pakistan's foreign minister urged a group of donor countries to release billions of dollars in promised aid to help the government hold on to recent gains against the Taliban by winning hearts and minds.

                    Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the displaced had to be helped to return home and opportunities created for starting a new life - all of which required resources.

                    Meanwhile, the former French permanent representative at the United Nations in New York, Jean-Maurice Ripert, has been appointed the UN's special envoy for assistance to Pakistan.

                    Story from BBC NEWS:
                    BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bodies found in Pakistan valley

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      That is revenge.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Merlin View Post
                        That is revenge.
                        Atleast these ******** are getting shot and not slaughtered like sheep, which was favoured by the Talibunnies. My only problem is that those guys were blindfolded. Should have blown their brains with their eyes wide open...
                        Seek Save Serve Medic

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Could be a suicide pact....
                          "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                            Could be a suicide pact....
                            18 Talibon guys holding hands in a circle, placing a gun on each others heads and pulling the trigger in tandem to meet the A!!ah on his spaceship so that he could carry them to paradise, where they could dance with 72 ventriloquists as those assist them with heavenly colonoscopies in turn. Everlasting :)
                            Originally from Sochi, Russia.

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