Afghanistan

Just watching the news here.

British politicians are getting a bit of a roasting over Afghanistan where their forces are being pummelled at the moment, by the Taliban.
Body bag count increases daily.

And now you have the Afghan president saying that he will talk with the Taliban.
It's 8 years since the US invaded that country and not the UN nor NATO, nor USA, have made any inroad to that country.
Needless to say they've all failed to read their history.

And so it goes.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Part of the problem is that the enemy looks like the general populace and hides among them. Another part of the problem is that the generals cannnot fight the war the way it should be fought due to the extensive media coverage and pansy ass politicians who worry about getting reelected above all else. If one bullet or one bomb hits the wrong target, the world knows about it instantly and suddenly millions of people want the person responsible brought to "justice". As horrible as it is, the fact of the matter is that it is impossible to fight a war with no collateral damage. The Allied Military Forces are trying to fight the war standing on egg shells while the Taliban has no problem blasting away, even if they are killing a number of their innocent countrymen. My view is that if you cannot release your military's full fury, then don't go in the first place. Otherwise, as you have stated, the body bags just keep piling up with little to show for it.

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

G'day, Lim.
I used to work in Afghanistan back in the 1990's. It is a tough place, populated by incredibly hardy people. With the first foray following 9/11, I was wondering whether the miltary and the taxpayers knew what they were getting into.
The Taliban are not an army, but rather a religio-political force. In my opinions, as the Taliban represents an idea, not a nation or a pay packet, defeat is unlikely to come through anything other than dialogue.
Cheers,
Eoin

Good moooorning Vietnaaaam!

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The operative words, Eoin.

Afghanistan is like Vietnam.
For slow learners, that is.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.