Time to leave that piece of real estate.

We've helped them all we can...

Let them get back to tribal warfare amongst themselves...which is how they enjoy themselves...never ending war without us.

quote:

Originally posted by Herkdriver:

quote:

Originally posted by arabiancowboy:
Yup, concur with all sentiments expressed above. On my way there for a year this June, again. Still no idea WTF our strategy is. Too bad the senior commanders are never held to account.

Adviser? Or something else?

Yup.

We need to back up a whole bunch of military cargo planes on the tarmac over there and load up 'all' of our people and depart for good...right after we burn every single poppy field. Let's see how they fare without any cash crop at all.

Yeah, screw that noise. I'm so glad I avoided going over on the ground, to do some task I was never really trained for, to execute a failed strategy for incompetent fools pretending to be 'leaders'.

The only thing that the Afghanis understand is the boot on their throats. Even so, the second you turn your back, they'll be selling the shit you gave them and go back to their child fucking ways (ie, women are for babies, boys are for fun).

I had a friend do a long imbedded duty rotation with the Afghanis, something like 6 months on, 3 off , etc for 3 years. Near the end of his time he was all excited because his Afghan partners organized a 'fun run' through downtown Kabul.

A fucking fun run for some charity as some measure of success after 15 years of war (at that time).

What a waste.

quote:

Originally posted by arabiancowboy:

quote:

Originally posted by Herkdriver:

quote:

Originally posted by arabiancowboy:
Yup, concur with all sentiments expressed above. On my way there for a year this June, again. Still no idea WTF our strategy is. Too bad the senior commanders are never held to account.

Adviser? Or something else?

Yup.

Joy. Keep your head on a swivel. It is easy to get complacent after 6 or 8 months but those guys can turn on you in a heartbeat. I suspect things have changed a lot since I was there in 10-11 but if you have any questions my email is in my profile.

Good luck and stay safe. I don't need anymore friends coming home in a box.

quote:

Originally posted by Herkdriver:

quote:

Originally posted by arabiancowboy:

quote:

Originally posted by Herkdriver:

quote:

Originally posted by arabiancowboy:
Yup, concur with all sentiments expressed above. On my way there for a year this June, again. Still no idea WTF our strategy is. Too bad the senior commanders are never held to account.

Adviser? Or something else?

Yup.

Joy. Keep your head on a swivel. It is easy to get complacent after 6 or 8 months but those guys can turn on you in a heartbeat. I suspect things have changed a lot since I was there in 10-11 but if you have any questions my email is in my profile.

Good luck and stay safe. I don't need anymore friends coming home in a box.

Thanks brother. The flying seems interesting, but my Dari isn’t great. I’d prefer not to be murdered.

I've never been in Afghanistan, Vietnam was my war. But, I try to maintain some sense as to what is going on there. IMHO, we, the USA, the West,etc., are never going to pacify that country, much less turn it into anything resembling a Western democracy. Of course, the "Government" there is going to sit down with the Taliban. The different factions are all cousins, uncles, brothers, fathers,sons,etc. The West is not, and will never be, anything but infidels to the various factions. I believe that ultimately, US politicians, just as the British and Russians before us, will decide we have expended enough blood and treasure, and we will leave. Just as we left Vietnam. Afghanistan will then revert to the backward, tribal, ungovernable, region it would have been if we'd never lost a single person there. Count me in the column believing we should be out of there, and let the Afghans live as they choose. If they choose to live in a violent, brutal, backward culture more resembling life in the 7th. Century than the 21st., so be it.....ymmv

They should, when they all learn to vote instead of shoot each other they may get out of the stone age.