Will It Go Down In History, Or Hidden Away.

[teacake44]

That the might of the US army and navy along with their mighty hardware, not to mention the British with their fully loaded aircraft carriers, have been beaten back by a few hundred tatty Toyota pickups with a machine gun on the back, and a few hundred tatty mopeds with one fighter on wearing beach shoes. You have to laugh or dry.

[Stickybottle]

teacake44
Do you think the simple answer could be to stop anymore Toyota pickups going into Afghanistan, or mopeds?

Simple answer is to let the Taliban have it
As Biden has said the ordinary Afghans must fight for their freedom
If not then let the Taliban have the place then drone or carpet bomb it out of existence

[ichkeria]

Did Biden say that?

He’s an idiot if he did.
What will happen in Afghanistan is a civil war which may well spread.

[dannyk13]

What Joe Biden said:-
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/11/joe-biden-urges-afghans-to-fight-for-their-nation-as-taliban-advance-continues

[Stickybottle]

Ichkeria
He did indeed and he is right

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210811-biden-says-afghans-must-fight-for-themselves-as-taliban-take-most-of-country

[Stickybottle]

Thank you for the confirmation danny

[ichkeria]

Well then, idiot in my opinion, or at least naive.
Mind you he apparently didn’t add the bit about the drones and the carpet bombing.
Presumably that was your contribution :-)

[jno]

"a quarrel in a far away country, between people of whom we know nothing."

However, I've said before that although I was opposed to starting the war, because I thought it was unwinnable, it actually came quite close to being won. The real mistake was starting a war in Iraq at the same time. Not even the USA can fight two wars at once; it lost them both.

As to whether it will go down in history: quite probably, along with the fall of Saigon.

[ichkeria]

It was indeed more or less won jno.

I always supported intervening in Afghanistan because the alternative felt very scary. The idea that what happens in Afghanistan doesn’t affect us is, shall we say, optimistic

[Khandro]

My question is: when the Taliban have prevailed, what will they do to the country? their entire lives, & that of their fathers & beyond have been dedicated to fighting, what will happen when they have no longer anyone to fight? They have no experience of doing anything otherwise, so will they do to Afghanistan what the ANC have done to South Africa, that is to say, reduced it to complete devastation?

[ichkeria]

It does make you wonder at how such a powerful nation as the US could so completely foul up a transfer of responsibilities. It seems as though the obsession with the 9/11 deadline took precedence over all else. “Rumsfeldesque” might best describe it

[gulliver1]

Are you suggesting that "Great Britain " had their areses kicked all the way out of Afghanistan are you Teacake.?

[Stickybottle]

ichkeria
It was indeed more or less won jno.

I always supported intervening in Afghanistan because the alternative felt very scary. The idea that what happens in Afghanistan doesn’t affect us is, shall we say, optimistic


In that case it would have to be done properly and not half arsed
Gloves off with no explanations for the loony left
If you want to eradicate the Taliban then you have got to be more ruthless than they are
200 drone strikes a day minimum and do not give them any quarter
Get it done properly once and for all instead of being immersed in country for decades as they get baby walked to some form of democracy
Or the fighting age makes could do what my grandfather did and sign up to fight tyranny and injustice instead of constantly running away
Biden is right
There comes a point where you have to stop running and stand up and be counted
Now is that time for young Afghan males
That is the reality of democracy

[Stickybottle]

*males not makes in the early paragraph

[Stickybottle]

chkeria
It does make you wonder at how such a powerful nation as the US could so completely foul up a transfer of responsibilities

Really ?
From a country that elected Bush Jr and Trump I am surprised by nothing by then when it comes to politics

[Gromit]

We invaded Afghanistan to capture and execute Osama Bin Laden. But he had long since fled and we had no idea what we were doing there.
Just like the Russians before us, we tried to install a puppet ruler. But he turned out to be no better than the warlords, Islamic fighters and drug mafia that were vying for power.
We spent $trillions, thousands of Afghans, Americans and Brits died, yet nothing at all was achieved. It certainly didn’t stop terrorism, it made it worse.

[sanmac]

Gulliver at 1452: Yes, in 1842 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1842_retreat_from_Kabul

[Gromit]

The Russians said they were going in to support the fledgling Soviet state that they had brought about via a coup. Then they left.
The US/UK went to fight terrorism. But instead encouraged it until they too left.
The Russians and the Americans wanted to subjugate to coutry and reap its spoils, but the Afghanis fought back.

[gulliver1]

Perhaps Great Britain is not as Mighty and powerful as some believe.

[dannyk13]

Gulliver, you are taking the word great out of context,.It refers to Britain being an amalgamation of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

[Stickybottle]

From it
The Russians and the Americans wanted to subjugate to coutry and reap its spoils, but the Afghanis fought back.

Exactly so they can fight again as Biden says
Or are they reluctant because the present belligerents are of the same faith I wonder ?
They have a stark choice and they need to be a bit more like the Kurds
Stand your ground and fight because the Yanks are probably fed up of being the policemen of the world whenever there is a problem