Meanwhile, in the war your forgot...

[John Hill]

The last week or so in Afghanistan...


At least 30 killed and dozens wounded in a suicide attack at a mosque in Herat, western Afghanistan.

ISIL claims attack on Iraqi embassy in Kabul.

Afghan forces recapture Ghor's Taywara district after clashes left 59 Taliban fighters dead and dozens injured.

Protesters have taken to the streets of Afghanistan's capital Kabul to call for action over the deteriorating security situation, after hundreds of people were killed recently in a string of attacks carried out by the Taliban in the city.


A new outpatient clinic has opened in northern Afghanistan, near the site of a hospital which was mistakenly bombed by US warplanes almost two years ago.

At least 26 soldiers dead as Taliban storms Afghan base
Attack on military base in Kandahar also injures 13 troops, defence ministry says, as armed group extends offensive.

Dozens killed in Kabul suicide car bomb attack. Taliban claim responsibility for an attack on a bus carrying government workers that killed at least 35 people.

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain on Monday threatened to present President Donald Trump with his own Afghanistan strategy if the Trump administration won't develop its own.

[obgraham]

I notice that the majority of the current terror attacks you yourself listed were carried out by the Islamic side.

Is there a pattern there?

[John Hill]

I notice that the majority of the current terror attacks you yourself listed were carried out by the Islamic side.

Yes I noticed that too. America invaded Afghanistan about 15 years ago to put a stop to that sort of thing but it only gets worse. Is Trump going to be able to win this war or will it be another in the long list of non-victories?

[obgraham]

Could it be something about Islam?

[John Hill]

Do you want to blame Islam for America fighting wars since WWII and nary a single victory to show for it?

[obgraham]

No John, I'm blaming Islam for the frequent dead people in Europe, and the Aussies that almost wound up dead this week too.
Plus the events you listed before.
Did America plan to blow up that plane?

[John Hill]

How many Americans have been killed by Muslims?

How many Muslims have been killed by Americans?

[Pontius Navigator]

John, I think the US is still well in credit.

[Alisoncc]

the Aussies that almost wound up dead this week too.

No one ended up almost dead. One of our State politicians suggested it was all a con to help push our PM's "Homeland Security" band wagon. She has since apologised, but there are one hell of a lot here who would agree with her, including me. Funny how our PM and his retinue of sycophants were standing by for a press conference as the police raided the premises of the so called bombers.

As for Afghanistan. When the Russians were fighting the Taliban, who were virtually on their doorstep, the CIA was arming the Taliban. Now the Americans are supposedly fighting the Taliban, the Russians are returning the favour, arming the Taliban. What goes around comes around. One thing you can absolutely guarantee the septics dabbling in world affairs have caused more deaths than any other. Don't believe they have ever gone to war with an exit plan

Alison

[John Hill]

Um, I don't recall that the Russians did much in the way of arming the Taliban as the Taliban did not come on the scene until many years after the Russians had left Afghanistan.

[Alisoncc]

Um, I don't recall that the Russians did much in the way of arming the Taliban as the Taliban did not come on the scene until many years after the Russians had left Afghanistan.

Taliban - Insurgents, Insurgents - Taliban, whatever. Think you've got your knickers in a twist there John. The Russians were fighting the Insurgents and the CIA were arming the Insurgents, now with a name - Taliban.

Alison

[John Hill]

With out going in to too much detail...

Afghanistan had a king and he was deposed by his cousin. The cousin was quite unpopular and was in turn deposed by a socialist movement that formed a government and tried a few 'advancements' including land reform.

Land owners were pissed off at this threat to the status quo so they rose up against the socialist government. The Russians saw their chance and rushed to the 'rescue' of their socialist brothers and invaded the country. The resistance did not evaporate overnight and many groups sprang up to fight the foreigners, they called themselves Mujahideen which means those who do jihad or 'holy warriors'. (Among the foreigners who came to join the Mujahideen was a young bin Laden.)

The US saw a chance and armed the Mujahideen in their struggle against the Russians, eventually the costs in blood and treasure got too high and the Russians left. The Mujahideen were not one group and with the Russians gone they set about fighting each other or forming alliances according to their fancy of the day. The country became divided between these 'warlords' and was a state of near anarchy which went on for a decade or more. The foreigners mostly left including bin Laden.

Hundreds of thousands, maybe a million or so, refugees fled to Pakistan during the Mujahideen and warlord years where they languished in refugee camps and children were raised with no education except religious instruction in makeshift madrassahs run by barely literate mullahs. The children grew to adults and came to the attention of the Pakistani military secret service, the ISI.

The ISI hatched a plan and formed the refugee youths into an army called the Taliban, which means religious students. The leader of the Taliban was one eyed Mullah Omar who lead the Talebs into Afghanistan where they quickly dealt to a few warlords and eventually became the government in Kabul. The Taliban were initially welcomed as they brought a degree of stability to the country while the remnant warlord gangs formed an alliance and retreated to the Panjshir Valley.

Mullah Omar and his followers appear to have had no ambitions except to establish a stable Islamic government and society in Afghanistan but this was a difficult task with almost no money, most of the cabinet could not read, they had no experience of running a country and their only guidance was a 1500 year old 'manual' in a language they did not understand. Incidentally, there was barely a member of the inner circle with a complete set of arms and legs.

While the Taliban were trying to achieve their objective they were constantly engaged in war with the warlord factions that had joined together and called themselves the 'Northern Alliance'.

Although the Taliban tried to join the UN the US obstructed them while declaring the Northern Alliance the legitimate government of Afghanistan. US sponsored sanctions were put in place by the UN isolating the Taliban from almost everyone except Pakistan and the UAE.

With Afghanistan being in such a state of isolation Osama Bin Laden saw it as a possible funk hole and moved his retinue there greasing the way with money and providing a member of his family (daughter?) as a wife for Mullah Omar..


That is the first part of the story...............

[John Hill]

...and asks when can the looting begin.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tru ... ls-n789006

Trump is unhappy with the loosing situation in Afghanistan and thinks it might be better to switch around a few generals while taking advice from lower ranks.. he also asks when the US will be able to exploit the mineral wealth of Afghanistan.