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Parwiz / Reuters
Afghans shout slogans during a protest against the killing of Afghans in an Afghan-led operation in Laghman province May 1, 2012. NATO says a Taliban leader and another insurgent were killed after they opened fire on security forces taking part in the operation in the eastern province of Laghman.
KABUL, Afghanistan – The first U.S. boots hit Afghan soil in October 2001. The men were on the search for Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks and the leader of the al-Qaida terror network. But they didn't find him.
It took nearly 10 years until a new administration in Washington watched through a live video feed as he was captured and killed by U.S. commandos across the Afghan border in Pakistan, just after 1 a.m. local time, on May 2, 2011.
Bin Laden’s death accomplished one of the major goals of the so-called “War on Terror.” But did it come too late in the game?
A year after bin Laden’s death, the verdict is still out among Afghans on the impact of his death.
'Does not affect us'
Ibrahim, a property dealer in Kabul who didn't give his last name, praised bin Laden and said that countries such as the United States have destroyed his country and brought unwanted distractions.
“[Bin Laden] was a good fighter,” he said. “We will follow his followers wherever they need us. I will join them for jihad if they need us.”
But Mohammad Daoud, a mechanic working just a few miles away in the bustling Shar-e-Now section of Kabul, said that bin Laden’s death may have affected the leadership of al-Qaida, but it hasn’t had any effect on the lives of the average Afghan.
“We are normal citizens and it does not affect us,” Daoud said. “There will be positive and negative effects on his party due to his death, but not on us.”
Professor Daoud Murdaian, who teaches political science at the American University in Kabul, said bin Laden’s death was symbolically significant, but not substantial to the war.
“The problems still exist in Afghanistan and the region. Killing bin Laden hasn’t ended the problems here, he is finished physically, but he is still here spiritually,” Murdaian said.
He believes the United States and international community did not do enough to stabilize Afghanistan and the region from the start, which is why bin Laden’s death hasn’t had much of an impact. “Al-Qaida and the Taliban were not weakened by his death,” Murdaian added.
Psychological victory for U.S. squandered?
After years of grueling battles in a country torn apart by decades of warfare, bin Laden’s death was a huge psychological victory for American troops at the time.
But one year after his death, the war in Afghanistan is still raging. The Taliban continue to fight as anti-American sentiment in both Afghanistan and Pakistan are at an all-time high.
According to a 2009 assessment by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former head of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, a key to turning the tide of the war would be for the winning side to believe they are winning. According to McChrystal, the Taliban believed they were winning the war for several years, which gave them tremendous confidence.
Bin Laden’s death changed that equation, leading many Americans to believe again that they could win what has become the United States’ longest war.
Since that great U.S. victory we have seen a series of actions on the part of American troops that have only served to further diminish Afghan trust and earn America more enemies.
Among these actions, the release of a video of U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters, soldiers accidentally burning copies of the Koran, Islam’s holiest book, and the massacre of 17 Afghan civilians allegedly at the hands of U.S. Army Staff Sgt.Robert Bales while they were sleeping in their homes have garnered the most intense criticism. These rare events have overshadowed many positive achievements.
Transition key
Following the death of bin Laden last year, military officials on the ground in Afghanistan said his demise would not affect the situation on the ground, but rather would only change policy decisions in Washington.
As U.S. and NATO troops continue their withdrawal, control of the country will transition into Afghan hands by 2013.
If the transition isn’t a smooth one, many analysts believe Afghanistan will continue to be a problem that will haunt the U.S. and its NATO partners for many decades to come.
Dr. Wadeer Safi, a Kabul University political science professor, believes Afghanistan’s strategic position is very dangerous not just for itself, but also for Western interests.
“When the U.S. and NATO leave Afghanistan, the country will again fall into the hands of its neighboring countries, like Pakistan and Iran, and it will be a playground for them,” Safi said. “That will make Afghanistan and the region dangerous to the West – if they leave Afghanistan like they left it in the past [after the Soviet withdrawal].”
NBC News Akbar Shinwari contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Who cares! We have problems right here at home that have gone unaddressed for years because of this Afghanistan occupation BS. Bring our troops home.
Sadly, Dr Wadeer Safi of Kabul University is probably right, but playground is not the word I would use, more like a urinal for Iran and Pakistan with the Chinese watching for their opportunity to make Afghanistan the next Tibet (with no Dalai Lama). It is the ordinary folk, especially women, who will lose out the most.
Ain't Allah great?
For Americans, Death of Bin Laden hasn't ended their problems....either.
Problems of Afghans are right next door in Pakistan!
When the NATO forces were entering Kandahar in 2001, Pakis evacuated by the backdoor Mullah Omar, Osama and co to Pakistan.
You see: one of the "valued" and "trusted" allies on war on terror, Pakis were helping NATO forces!!!
US politicians (Bush, Jr probably can't locate Afghanistan on map) and top military leaders bought into what the Pakis said and did!
Your statement is why this war has dragged on. Yes we all want our troops back on our soil. But the reality is that bleeding hearts and a politically correct war mad this last longer than it should. People complaining that terrorists have rights and maybe just talk to them was wrong. The US needed to come out and just destroy and not let the enemy regroup. But tightened ROE restricted what our soldiers could do.
We need our military to take the gloves off and start wiping the enemy out. We have the fire power to make sure that if 3 or more terrorists get together, they are met by a hail of fire.
Their problems?
You mean the blood feuds that have taken place for generations and show no sign of ending?
And yet we are so arrogant we think we can go in and give them democracy and fix their country. LMAO. No disrespect to the troops at all but our leadership in congress and capitol that beleive we could ever accomplish this are missing several marbles.
Jonathan - You're spot on with that observation. You cannot simply impose your culture and way of life on people that do not grow up in it and believe that it will automatically work (somehow). You won't 'fix' anything by taking the perspective of 'the white man's burden'.
What we should give them is our stockpile of old nukes we need to get rid of. Make the place glow in the dark for the next century and exterminate all the vermin. When it stops glowing we can repopulate with humans instead of the sub-human scum that currently inhabit the area.
Quite literally destroyed (Demilled, De-Militarized) after the SALT, START, Intermediate Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, etc..
You honestly believe that the Chinese will let you nuke their Citizens that are here, ever since one of President Obama's Policies, of March 2009, lead to the Chinese getting the High Tech Mineral Wealth of Afghanistan.
From the 1950s to 1979 the US and USSR were trying to persuade Afghanistan to become their Ally. Eventually, Afghanistan was built up to a 20thCentury "Little America" US Ally. The Pro USSR Afghans eventually demanded USSR Military Intervention, the USSR then sent the USSR 40th Army in 1979. Unfortunately, for both the Pro USSR Afghans and the Pro US Afghans, the USSR 40th Army did not care which Afghans they massacred, if you were an Afghan you were a dead m*ther f*cker during the USSR 40th Army's Total Conventional War of Carpet Bombing, Tank Companies wiping wholeAfghan Villages of the maps then massacring the Afghan Villagers, Chemical Warfare (Agent Purple, Mustard Gas, and Poisoning Water Wells (that spread thru the underground streams)), millions of tons of area denial weapons (later contracted and cleaned up by the British), etc.. Everything that the USSR 40thArmy Conventional Warfare Forces did only increased the hatred of the Afghans, previously unwilling to fight to the death. The Pro USSR Afghans fled from Afghanistan to USSR Backed Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran. The Pro US Afghans fled into Northeastern Afghanistan (mountains) or the Afghan Refugee Camps. The Afghans that remained at Afghanistan were treated as third class citizens by the USSR 40th Army Occupation Forces, that always believed that the Afghans could not be trusted; many Afghan Villagers started to live in the thousands of miles of former mining tunnels, mines, mineshafts, etc. after their entire Afghan Village was wiped off the maps by entire USSR Tank Companies. At the Afghan Cities the USSR 40th Army Occupation was enjoying all the US Built 20th Century comforts.
Senator Charles Wilson, Democrat, Texas, visits the Afghan Refugee Camps at Pakistan. He then demands US Military Involvement. My US Military Training Team and other US Military Trainig Teams attached to CIA SAD/SOG at US Ally Iraq during the Iran Iraq Wars are redeployed to the Afghan Refugee Camps at Pakistan as well as to the Afghan Mountains as Operation Cyclone. Our Mission was to first perform vetting of all those we were to train (Standard Operating Procedure) as potential future US Intelligence Assets also as a counter infiltration measure (this is how we KNEW we did NOT Train the Taliban, Al Quada, nor Osama bin Laden);organize, train, arm the Pro US Afghans to fight the USSR 40th Army Occupation. In most cases we did not have time to train Afghans to lead (Leadership), or sort out the infighting, so we actually led the Pro US Afghans into Combat (so called "Peacetime" US Military) against the USSR 40th Army.
The USSR 40th Army was continually rotating their Military Forces from Eastern Europe to Afghanistan to have all their USSR Military gain Combat Experience. At that time the USSR had over 101 Elite Fully Armed FrontlineDivisions (many that were not involved directly with the USSR Strategic and Tactical Order of Battle Analysis will look at Wikipediaand say otherwise), the USSR Airforce was the largest in the World with the most modern Aircraft, including those specifically created for the High Altitudes of Afghanistan (SU-25, Hind A (Modified), Mi-17, etc.), that to date the US has nothing for High Altitudes (why the US recently bought some Mi-17s for us to use).
(Long discussion about the "Stinger Missile" baloney). Basically, the US Stinger Missiles did not work due to the "High Tech" IFF (Identification Friend or Foe), that would not allow a US Stinger Missile to fire on an Aircraft transmitting the Encrypted Friendly Signal. The USSR already knew this, so they used ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) Pods mounted on their Aircraft (including their flying tanks, Hind A Attack Helicopters) to transmit the Friendly Signal. Being similar to other Rocket Launchers the area behind a Stinger Missile must be clear or the inital launch back blast will fry you as reflected back blast; basically meaning to effectively use one you must be standing unprotected out in the open while the attacking aircraft is firing everything at you, on the Stinger you flip the switch to enage and nothing happens (no lock due to the IFF), the trigger will not fire the Stinger Missile, so you throw the Stinger missile to the ground and run like hell to avoid the rockets, cannons, machinegun fires from the Hind As or SU-25s. So to solve this problem (large numbers of USSR Aircraft), we established "watchers" to relay by radio the approximate speed, direction, altitude, of the USSR Aircraft so that we would not be "there" when the USSR Aircraft arrived; then we led Raids at the USSR Munitions Depots to seize SA-7s, heavy anti aircraft machineguns, anti tank rifles, RPGs, explosives, ammunition; and then used these and the "watchers" information to ambush the USSR Aircraft (low or no tech, to defeat "high tech" superior forces and out numbered). We also used the high speed (plus 100 knots) wind vortexes of the Afghan mountains to suck/push the USSR Aircraft into the mountain faces. After returning from Afghanistan (Operation Cyclone) to a US Military Installation at Germany, I went off on my older brother, US Army Officer, ADA (Air Defense Artillery) SHORAD (Short Ranged Air Defense), about almost getting killed numerous times due to the Stinger Missiles (Failures). It was years later that someone finally figured out to put a bypass switch on the Stinger Missile's IFF, first tested using an automotive switch (covered with a rubber boot) from RadioShack (a News Article of that time stating outrage about "RadioShack" parts being used by US Military.).
While conducting these Raids of the USSR Munitions Depots we saw how much the USSR 40th Army Occupation was enjoying the US Built 20th Century "Little America" Afghanistan as if they were on a Vacation. The USSR thinking that they were fighting a Conventional War (that they were only trained to do) established Bases all over Afghanistan believing in "Holding Ground" to win, and were "safe" while on their Bases; but, in fact became "fish in a barrel" for us to decimate and attrite without us suffering casualties. The USSR Public Opinion was shear outrage due to the large numbers of USSR Military Killed daily (we knew we were winning the Strategic Asymmetric Warfare Goal of Defeating a Nation's Will to Fight), the USSR Public started to demand the USSR 40th Army Occupation withdrawal.
Our Pro US Afghan Muhajeen defeated the USSR 40th Army Occupation. Immediately the US abandons US Ally Afghanistan. The Pro US Afghan Muhajeen suffered large numbers of casualties (why to this day there are so many Afghan Widows and Orphans) with the US Abandoning them did not have money to rebuild, rearm, buy ammunition, medical supplies, buy Humanitarian Assistance, etc.. The Pro US Afghan Muhajeen lose the Afghan Public Support.
The Pro USSR Afghans return to Afghanistan from the USSR Backed Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran. After the years of living at the USSR Backed Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran as Islamic Sanctuary, most of the Pro USSR Afghans became Fundamentalist Islamic Believers. As an obligation to their Host under Islamic Sanctuary, many of the Pro USSR Afghans fought in the Iran Iraq Wars and those that survived became Battlehardened Combat Veterans. With the Full Support of the USSR Backed Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran, these Pro USSR Afghans returned to Afghanistan and became the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban. In accordance with the Holy Koran (Quran) (Calls to All Islamic Believers to War Against the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers) and Fundamentalist Islamic Laws (Shia, Shiites, Shia Laws, Sharia Laws), the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban then massacred the 20,000 to 50,000 Pro US Afghan Muhajeen, then massacred ANY Collaborators to the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers at Afghanistan. Then, the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban destroyed anything at Afghanistan that was "Non Islamic", "Western", "Modern", and the lights literally went out at Afghanistan after they destroyed the US Built Electric Power Stations; this is the same thing that the Fundamentalist Islamic Believers, Al Sheebah, did/are doing at Somalia (US/UN Built Solutions to end the cycle of droughts, starvation, at Somalia as UN Mission Somalia I, UN Mission Somalia II, Operation Gothic Serpent. As Fundamentalist Islam uses Starvation as a Weapon, join or starve, face daily beatings and or rape (Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Palestine, Yemen, Egypt, now Libya after Gaddaffi, etc.).
During the USSR Occupation and US Operation Cyclone; Osama Bin Laden was forming his Fundamentalist Islamic Jihadist Organization of Al Quada; as Anti US, Anti US Ally, Anti US Ally Government of Saudi Arabia (Sunni, being the "Modern","Moderate", "Liberal", "Rule of Modern Law", etc. interpretation of Islam, and NOT the Shia (Shiite) Fundamentalist Islamic intepretation). Being a Fundamentalist Islamic Believer Osama Bin Laden and Al Quada being a Fundamentalist Islamic Jihadist Organization is why they were fully supported by the 1.5 Billion Fundamentalist Islamic Believers Worldwide, Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran (USSR Backed, now Russian Federation and Chinese Backed), Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, the Fundamentalist Islamic Believers "the majority of the people" of Pakistan (the US Ally Pakistanis Government going against the "Will of the Pakistanis people").
So skip forward to today, now do you see how this (Afghanistan, Fundamentalist Islam, Fundamentalist Islamic Republic of Iran, Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, Pakistan, etc.) is not as simple as people want to make the situation. The Afghan people did NOT forget the US Abandoning them after Operation Cyclone.
As far as Osama Bin Laden, I have been told (Ordered) not discuss the Mission, you just have to wait about 20 years under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) to get the Mission Videos (Cams worn on the ground at Pakistan) to C4I Helicopter (Pakistan), Video Conferences during the Mission (Special Reconnaissance turned into a Direct Action). It is NOT what most of you are going ga ga about and giving the WRONG people credit for (their Political Oppositions for fear of destroying their Political Careers, US Military and US Intelligence Agency held 100% Accountable and Responsible in case of Failure, preselected Scapegoats; All National and International Politicians do that sh!t regardless of Political Party examples: many British SAS and British MI failures, as British Politicians, "Our British SAS Failed"; NOT, "I Authorized a British SAS Mission that Failed Resulting in Deaths".).
Osama Bin Laden was already marginalized by going into hiding. Information passed by his Couriers intercepted or (followed) lead to other members of Al Quada (especially his Al Quada Operations Officers, becoming designated for immediate termination). Many International Agencies were already conducting ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) gathering by intercepting any or all of Osama Bin Laden's electronic communications, especially Satellite phones, cellular telephones, etc. as to why Osama Bin Laden was using Couriers to hand carry information to Al Quada Cells. Upon his Termination, Osama Bin Laden became a Fundamentalist Islamic Martyr (if you don't know what that means, go take some College Courses of Islam at an Islamic Nation). The 1.5 Billion Muslims (Islamic Believers completely subjugated to Funamentalist Islam) will wait years, decades to centuries to accomplish revenge.
Are any of you getting the REAL picture now.
note: STOP lining thru our departure date.
2001.2003.2005.2006.2007.2009.2011.2012.2013.2014. STOP Recalling us back to Active US Military Duty in the Special Category as the less than 3% of the 97% of the US Military of the 1% of US Citizens currently Serving the US Military of the 92% that refuse to Serve and get paid below minimum wages (and "Benefits" that we pay for TriCare Medical Payroll Deductions, State and Federal Income Tax Withholding, payroll deductions for Education, payroll deductions for Social Security, contributions to Medicare, State Taxes on all other Pay (Hazardous Duty, etc.), etc.), while the ungrateful US Public demands Cuts to the US Military (current RIF, equals longer and more deployments for the few remaining), Cuts to the US Military Defense Budget, Cuts to our EARNED few Benefits left, etc..And DO NOT say that First Lady Michelle Obama is a Liar:
First Lady Michelle Obama on Letterman Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e1R0lliFHc
add to post#4.1.
Errata: During the USSR Occupation and US Operation Cyclone; Osama Bin Laden was forming his Fundamentalist
Correction: During the USSR Occupation and US Operation Cyclone; Osama Bin Laden was living with his Rich Relatives at Saudi Arabia forming his Fundamentalist
Here we go again!
We have "in depth" and "highly knowledgeable" posts from david 475776.
Despite all the "asymmetric" war technologies and so on, US and NATO did not win a single major war since WWII.
The worst was that in one single action, al-Qaida blow up a bunch of them in Afghanistan!
May be some were like Obama's security service people in Columbia!
david: you may be retired by now. So please feel free to do English editing on my posts!
david-475776 : "...Tank Companies wiping whol
eAfghan Villagesofthe maps then massacring the Afghan Villagers..." It should read "off" the maps, or technically "off of the maps". There should be a space between 'whole' and 'Afgan'. I'll not go any farther with this - If you are going to 'rant a book' on these posts, then at least edit before you publish.Also, I find a bit of a credibility gap: those that go about posting " ... I have been told (Ordered) not discuss the Mission ... " in their publi- em, posts- are either breaking some form of confidentiality already (since a person CAN be identified online, despite the moniker) or they are not as close to the 'missions' as they would let people infer from these kinds of statements. And the ""Our British SAS Failed"" .... we don't have an SAS ... they've told us for years that the unit simply does not exist and that they are merely figments of psychotic imaginations for those claiming to have seen one..... (eye roll)
Anyroad - about the headliner of this article "For Afghans, death of bin Laden hasn't ended their problems".... Am I entirely mistaken, or wasn't this a 'root out and kill Al Qaida' mission? Wasn't it to end the problems in the WEST? I didn't think that 'ending Afganistan's problems' actually figured much in the original equation.....
'Are any of you getting the REAL picture now.'
Of a little guy on a box behind a curtain?
hi david, what do you feel on US pak relationship, we indians feel that pakis are taking you for a ride and you dont enjoy but you come across as willing partners. is it not obviousthat these guys have been double crossing you for so many years and took billions in Aid andused against America. do you feel America will every be able to get out of this mess in Pakistan, Afganisthan and Iran.
And if you set yourself on the absolute top of a dung heap and crown yourself king, what do you have? It is still a dung heap! Afghanistan was, is and will continue to be just that - as long as the people are slaves to islam and all its swamis, they will be locked in the dark ages. No amount of money, road building or "democracy building" will change them - they have to want it for themselves, and pay the price themselves. You cannot set a slave free, and free people set themselves free. Even good advice for the American people who want their government to give them more and more, and do more of their thinking and decisions.
And they had no problems before bin Laden and the Taliban?
What a stupid article.
That war was never intended to solve THEIR problems, it was intended to solve our problem with OBL. The fact that the country is not now referred to as "Lake Afghanistan" is a miracle as far as I am concerned.
This will be as effective as Obamas agreement with Pakistan to help find Osama bin Laden. Obamas skills in international negotiating and treaty making will be highlighted, just as his agreement with Pakistan for bin Laden. These Whatever"istan" countries are manipulating Obama and the US, while laughing and spitting in our faces. Afghanistan is using the US to look more powerful in this network of ignorant countries that have Islam as their guide for living. This agreement will be viewed as Obama looking weaker and Islam looking stronger. Obama is the laughing stock of world leaders and AFghanistan is using him like a slinky going upstairs. Our country deserves a better leader, we need to gain respect back from the rest of the world.
China owns most of the US and dictates our economy as Obama spends and spends. The US is losing respect and power throughout the world thanks to Obama.
I didnt realize the remake of "The Three Stooges" would be Obama, Karzai, and Clinton.
NYUK, NYUK, NYUK........Whoo,Whoo,Whoo, Whooooooo
And don't forget Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. in that AWESOME remake of 'Dumb and Dumber'.
Then there's Jimmy Carter in "Home Alone"
Bill Clinton in "Liar, Liar"
No that was Cheney in 'Liar Liar'. Clinton was 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape'.
Islam looking stronger and US and allies looking dumb started with George Bush, Sr when he and his gang danced as Saudis, oil companies and lobbyists wanted, with his 1991 Iraqi war.
What did we get in return?
Saudis, Pakis and UAE fianances were responsible for 9/11.
Only George Bush, Jr and his gang could go to war in Afghanistan in 2001 instead of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
He did not know even the type of battlefield Afghanisan was and he went to war in Iraq 2003.
Look at economic messes and huge oil prices of $145.00 at one time.
Again Saudis were smarter and their US puppets sunk us down the drain with 2003 Iraqi war.
In Iraq, for withdrawing, huge forces had to cover the withdrawal. Next disgrace is going to be in Afghanistan.
Still, John McCain and others screaming on Obama have too short memories.
They want to arm al-Qaida backed Syrian rebels and remove WMDs in Iran.
On Clintons and Carters I agree with you!
Clintons don't know whether they are smoking or inhaling!
Hi Jonathan - can I edit the first line in your post?
It should probably be "Islam looking stronger and US and allies with dumb looking George Bush- starting with Sr when he and his gang danced as Saudis, oil companies and lobbyists wanted, with his 1991 Iraqi war."
It had to be smoking - he said there was 'no inhaling'. :)
AlexTheBlade: Please feel free to edit it.
I did not want to be too strong and hit straight.
On "smoking" and "inhaling" that is what I meant. Only attorney Bill Clinton could explain like that.
So, AlextheBlade, are you a frustrated English teacher? Former English teacher or copyreader? Proofreader? Don't go to work for MSNBC, the typos in many of their articles as well as the peculiar choice of words in their headlines would drive you batsh!t crazy.
As this article cites some of the things American soldiers did to books and bodies and the toll of the stresses of war are exhibited and ridculed by Afghanistan. Let the Afghans look at the soldiers who have come home mutilated and mamed by the lack of cooperation from the Afghan government. Look at the dead soldiers from the shooting on a military base by a Islam sympathizer. Look at the number of soldiers who have come home in coffins, in comparison to Afghan soldiers, who turned on US soldiers to murder them.
Why is the US under such a magnifying glass to the world, when a lot of this crap started because of the actions or lack of actin by Karzai, Heussain (Sadam not Barack), well, maybe Barack too, and bin Laden.
I agree we have enough problems here in the US and the American people don't support the decision to remain in Afghan because their security forces that were supposed to be fighting along side of our troops are killing them instead. Enough bring our troops home.
“[Bin Laden] was a good fighter,” he said. “We will follow his followers wherever they need us. I will join them for jihad if they need us.”
With that thought process it's no wonder. Get our troops out of there and let these sand crabs continue to kill each other.
Sorry but they're not Arabs. As bigoted, hateful and ignorant as Arabs but still not Arabs.
I second that....people need to face up to it. THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY!!! When we go to war, the money pipes flow.
and all you idiots could have handled this better than he did. He got handed this mess, he didnt create it
I have to admire someone that puts it so ... bluntly. Definitely a check mark from me!
you are right he did not start this but guess what time for blame is over after 3 years in office this is his war now he is the CIC,after all he wants to take credit for getting OBL...time to get my brothers and sisters home instead of giving more money to these people....
Decades of war???? Afghanistan has had eons of war--against its women. This was worsened by the import of Islam, which codified women as the enemy to be fought. Why do you think there was such support for the anti-Russian forces? Because the Russians tried to hasten education and freedom of women.
Nothing a nice, Islamic Afghan man likes to relax with when he comes home but a rape of his latest child wife and beating his older wife. Makes him totally forget any work problem.
Not ALL Islamic men (or women) are cast in roles like that. Next time, try dating an Egyptian: they are much more progressive than people give them credit for (if you've ever met one, you would know).
Got to love the Lido (Golden Horse) in downtown Cairo; what a gorgeous place -and a great wet bar!
Do you mean the Islamic Egyptian men who kill the Copts? Or the ones who have committed honor killings here in this country? Or the ones in the mob who manually assaulted and raped the S. African blonde woman reporter Lora Logan?
Hmm? Which ones ya pimpin' for, Alex?
Or the ones who demand female genital mutilation of their brides? >90% of Egyptian women
If we get OUT now, we can always go back in twenty years and do it agaIn. By that time the US will need to invent new machines of war and what better testing ground!
The killing of Bin Laden will never serve as an anti-dote for gross ignorance & backwardness!!
But Bush didn't get him. Obama did! No matter how you try to spin it. If you think there is ignorance abounding look at the stock market for starters. I am sure Bush had something to do with that. No he had something to do with the one in Jan 2009 when is was down under 8,000 and he had something to do with the massive job losses which for some reason the republicans thought that was good. They must have been like those doctors that used to use bloodletting as healing of course if you didn't die first. Remember when they were hollering led by Limbaugh, let them fail! Remember that? Of course not. You always have to ignore reality and blame the other side. Won't work this time. A least for the nonignorant. Stick with the facts and there will be no question as to who should run this country for four more years. And not into the ground.
Obama didn't. The SEALS did, in an attack started prior to Obama.
It was Clinton who turned down getting him.
Obama is still giving money to Islamic murderers.
Afghanistan's "problems" are beyond correcting...it would take centuries of enlightenment.
All we need to do is take care of "our" problems....this place will be nothing more to us than a source of future refugees...now that we have stuck our finger into that "tar baby"...
Now...lets get smart about Africa and avoid the temptation to stick our finger into an even bigger "tar baby"...
Intelligence does not equate to "common sense"!
Did George Bush say that if they attacked Afghanistan and got rid of Bin Laden all the Afghan problems would be gone? Supposedly he attacked them because Bin Laden attacked us and we were getting back at him. I imagine he thought Afghans problems would be worse. How could a war in your own country make things better especially when there was no goal that was stateable. Remember? And what I don't know is why when Bush was going out of office he didn't pull all the troops out of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead like with everything else he let the problem for the next president to deal with. I guess he should have said passing the buck starts here. In all ways. But along with a lot of Americans we can thank God for Obama. He has almost singlehandedly had to deal with our finances, housing crisis, the wars plus everything else he thought he would be dealing with. It will be interesting to see how many people the other side can be convinced that those things didn't happen. They will sure try. But right now I think most of America realizes Obama will be around for 4 more years. And he deserves to be. And then you consider the opposition. And there biggest adversity is video tape. They might have to realize when you are taped it lasts forever and some people will be bold enough to play the tapes. Over and over and over. You can't get by with saying all things to all people all the time.
Sure, not all their problems are gone, but at least the BIGGEST problem is gone, for sure.
Afghanistan is no longer the 'graveyard of empires,' a reputation that lasted for thousands of years finally crumbled under the weight of American power.
Obama/Biden 2012
Hillary Clinton/Bill Clinton 2016
"The problems still exist in Afghanistan and the region. Killing bin Laden hasn’t ended the problems here, he is finished physically, but he is still here spiritually,” Murdaian said.
"still here spiritually" That's the flippen problem. It's not bin Laden, it's the ideology these monkey's are brought up with and you are not going to change it. I'm not the smartest person in the world but I'd leave them alone to live their lives how ever they want. But as an American living in what used to be a country that allowed freedom of choice, I'd ban Islam and I'd make sure no American citizen contributed to Islam in any way unless they wanted to do it as an individual. I wonder what Obama's signature just cost the working poor in America. What a joke.
A lot of you civilians here say that we haven't won a war since WWII and your right. We haven't and the only reason behind that is the damn politicians in DC. They tired our hands from waging a war since WWII. Those a--holes in Washington didn't give a rat's phootey about us since then. You can fight a war, and don't believe that crap about calling it a police action. It's a war, you don't believe it, well you pansy protesters go fight in one & you'll change you tune real quick. They are wars, plain & simple. And, if you tie the military's hands in how to win a war then you can't bitch about it later! Your all a bunch of a--holes. l fought in the war in Nam. Those a--holes in DC tied our hands behind our backs there. Telling us we couldn't fire at this area or that area because of this tribal chief or that one. It's the same as what is going on now. The poor bastards in Afganny or Iraq can't do their thing because of the politicans. It's always about the politicans. Their all a bunch of sissies. No president since FDR & JFK had the BALLS to threaten or wage a war, since then. All the jerk offs in DC want to save face & kiss butt. I could go on but I better quit, I'm getting PO'd
Whats happening is many countries are scared of us because we are a superpower(we can fight total war on 2 fronts at the same time). Other countries can't not. What bin ladin(hated this ass, but understood what he was thinking after talking to my teacher about it) was thinking was that the US should be taken down, he thought that we were like "I'm a superpower, you're not. Bow down before me imbelices!" which is not true. But in the Middle East the US is hurting more than helping. When the UN leave Syria whats going to happen? More bloodbaths. Even now the UN officials are like a big fat arrow to the police in Syria(the rebels are getting arrested or killed). Even though there is a cease fire there are still people being murdered(34 kids have been killed in the last week). Now granted I do not know everything that is happening. I try to stay up to date but who can really? All I know is that even though we try to help we really suck at finishing it. "There can be no peace without war, there can be no war without peace."-Quote from history