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Ali Arouzi / NBC News
NBC's Ali Arouzi chats with locals in the village of Charai Qamber, just outside Kabul, about the security situation in Afghanistan. Mohammad, left and pointing, expressed disdain over President Hamid Karzai's rule. Babur, right with scarf, bemoaned the lack of security in Afghanistan.
KABUL – Afghanistan seems as fragile as ever. There is a sense that with the U.S.-led NATO draw-down expected in 2014 the country could slip back into some of its darkest most socially-restrictive and violent days.
Most Afghans you speak to in Kabul or outside of the capital fear that their country will once again be overrun by the Taliban or be engulfed by a civil war. And most of their criticism is aimed at President Hamid Karzai, who seems to have little control over the country outside of Kabul. (Of course, NATO troops – especially American forces – face scathing criticism as well).
Almost every province that immediately surrounds Kabul is firmly in the hands of the Taliban: Logar, Wardak, Parwan, Kapisa, Laghman, and about 70 percent of Nangarhar are Taliban controlled, according to locals, and they all border Kabul.
I recently traveled to Charai Qamber, a small village just about five miles southeast of Kabul’s city limits, to speak with locals and find out what they think of the security situation.
I asked Mohammad, one of the village elders who would only give his first name, what he thought of Karzai’s control over the security situation in the country. Did he think he seemed more like the ‘Mayor of Kabul,’ rather than the president of Afghanistan? He roared with laughter and said, “Not even mayor!”
Life no better
Mohammad spoke about the president of his country with a tone of disdain. He said Karzai has done nothing for his village or for the country as a whole – instead, he had made a few cronies in Kabul rich.
While Mohammad said he did not like the Taliban, he thought his life was better before the U.S.-led invasion and Karzai’s rule. He also believed Karzai had only given the veneer of semi-stability in Kabul, but that it was beginning to show major cracks.
In the same village I spoke to a man named Babur, which means happiness, but he seemed far from it.
Ahmad Jamshid / AP
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
Babur, who also only gave his first name, had a litany of complaints. He bemoaned the fact that his village had never been visited by an Afghan or American government official – despite the fact that there was a U.S-funded military academy just a mile away from the village, which should have provided much needed jobs, but had not.
Nor did he have a sense of security, even though they were just a few miles away from Kabul where there are checkpoints everywhere and heavily armed security forces.
He also complained that his village did not have electricity or running water – villagers have to walk half a mile to a well near the academy. He spoke with contempt about America but seemed to be fond of Iran and Pakistan. Not a good sign for winning hearts and minds.
Taliban country
The village of Charai Qamber where I chatted with Mohammad and Babur is just about 10 miles away from the site of a horrific public execution, reportedly by the Taliban, of a woman accused of adultery in early July.
Video of the woman’s execution outraged Afghans and the world alike – particularly since it was so close to Kabul.
I saw one woman listening to my conversation with the men and I asked her about the woman’s murder in the nearby village.
Ali Arouzi / NBC News
Scud missile casings sit outside the village of Charai Qamber, Afghanistan. Locals couldn't say if they were from the U.S. or Soviets, but had sat there for years.
She would not give her name and only spoke to me reluctantly. She said that in Kabul it is tolerable for women to go outside. But she added that where she lives, women don’t stand a chance and are at the mercy of the Taliban.
We tried to travel to Parwan province – its borders are just about six miles outside of Kabul. But because it is controlled by the Taliban, we only reached the outskirts; the security team we were traveling with in Afghanistan felt it was too dangerous to venture much further.
Even on the edge of the province I got the feeling that we were being watched very closely. No one approached us to talk, which is unusual in Afghanistan, and we received unwelcoming looks.
Is a Taliban takeover inevitable?
Dr. Wadeer Safi, head of the political science department at Kabul University, said he has mixed feelings about the planned NATO draw down in 2014.
He does not believe that NATO would disappear into “thin air.” Nor did he think the country would break out into civil war or a coup d'état. Rather, he is confident NATO will leave a strong enough presence to deal with the security situation in the country and that it will be able to handle small battles with the Taliban.
However he did point out that politics is a fickle business and if the coalition did not leave a strong security presence, the Taliban could take control. He suggested that the army and police force could always just “hand themselves over” and join the Taliban.
I posed the same question to Safi about whether or not Karzai seemed more like the mayor of Kabul, rather than president.
“A mayor is better off than Karzai because he can leave the city. Karzai is a prisoner in his palace,” he said with a laugh.
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Leave a Comment:
Karzai is walking dead.
Diem, Thieu, and Ky who were US puppets of South Vietnam holed up in Saigon, Karzai is a US puppet holed up in Kabul. He will be helicopter out of Kabul to California when Afghan falls to the guerilla warriors.
WALL
I think you mean " if he is lucky ". He has been backstabbing us for years and our government knows it. I would not be the least bit surprised if we show up for his rescue a day or two late. Sucks for him !!! But that is life in the fast lane.
What did the troops DO FOR 10 YEARS?? If only a few miles from Kabul is controlled by Taliban -- what did they all die for?
Why did we stay and pour billions that we couldn't afford on to a fire while here at home we have Republicans ready to shutter government offices and still send plane loads of cash to Karsai and the US contractors who have made BILLIONS!!!!
BUSH AND CHENEY should have to pay dearly for the lives of servicemen and families they destroyed and the economic catastrophe they engineered in America.
Are you ready for some more republican wars and economic disaster AMERICA?
Karzai is a totally corrupt POS. I hope that NATO decline to fly him to safety (where he and his cronies will enjoy their looted millions). His throat should be the first one publicly cut in the Kabul soccer stadium with thousands watching live.
We may have had an opportunity to effect positive change in Afghanistan when we first invaded in response to 9/11. Instead of throwing all out resources to Afghanistan, which did have a role in the attacks of 9/11, the administration diverted almost our entire capability to Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11. The intervening time allowed Taliban and other similar groups to reestablish themselves in Afghanistan. With US by then weary of military action in Asia, they just have to wait us out.
Karzai is a corrupt, two faced, drug addicted SOB who does not care about anything other than lining his own pockets with the aid money our government foolishly sends to him. He should have been gone a long time ago. The fact that the Obama administration continues to prop him up show how much of a complete failure the strategy in Afghanistan has been. I realize that Karzai came to power while Bush was in office, but even before Bush left it was becoming clear even to Bush that Karzai needed to go. The fact that Obama has not recognized this and done something about it shows a complete failure of leadership. Karzai's government has no had any control outside of Kabul for years now and yet the administration has done little to try and strengthen the central government. Instead they have increasingly dealt with local warlords, allowing them to take de facto control of their pieces of Afghanistan. The administration has done nothing to bring these warlords together with the central government to develop a workable structure for the governing of the country. Instead Obama has chosen to make overture towards the Taliban to negotiate with them - as if anything the Taliban promised in any negotiations could be trusted. The fact that the administration opened up these negotiation discussions with the Taliban behind Karzai's back only served to further weaken Karzai and basically tell the Taliban that they had the upper hand. I have no doubt that if the US pulls out of Afghanistan in 2014 as planned that within a matter of months, if not weeks, the Taliban will once again control the country and we will be right back to where we started. All of the American soldiers who died or suffered permanent wounds in Afghanistan will have made their sacrifice for nothing.
Karzai will do one of two things to insure his own survival. He will either leave the country to live in splendor on the money he systematically looted over the years or he will broker a behind-the-scenes deal with the Taliban. Either way, he's played NATO and Obama for fools. The inevitable result is a formidable and much better equipped Taliban.
The women of Afghanistan and Iraq are doomed because as these radicals take over power again and install Sharia Law, they will be worse off than before we invaded. And with Obama drawing down the number of troops BEFORE the war is over, its giving the Taliban and al Qaeda extra confidence. Obama is the WRONG MAN to be President at this important time in history. The radical Islamists are taking over the entire Middle East on HIS WATCH, and he is just letting it happen. All of our expense and loss of life will be for NOTHING, because Obama is too arrogant to listen to his military leaders an do what is right. You DON'T draw down troops until you win a damn war! What if we "drew down" our troops in 1943 during WW II in Europe and the Pacific? It would have been insane and we may have lost that war.
Anyway, Karzi is not getting it done and he has to go. He is corrupt and his own citizens do not respect him. Who to replace him with is the question. What ever we have been doing to train the Afghan military seems to have failed. Its turned into another Vietnam in a way as our government doesn't want to just let the military fight it to win it.
The people of Afghanistan need to figure which end of the Cigar they want light. Times running out, so what's it going to be on the direction they want to go. They can't do it themselves and don't want or trust "christian" help. I'm sure we seam as foriegn to them as they do to us and our cultures do mix but still the decission has to be made. The world is made up of give a take. Islam is all one way, Islam must learn tolerance of other people. I'm stricking the match, now which side of the Cigar do you want me to light again?
Thanks George.
Karzai will be on the last U.S. flight out of Afghanistan.
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I can hardly wait for the withdrawal to be completed. We need more Afghani restaurants in the USA.
Republicans and Democrats two sides of the same hand, American citizens don't have control of America anymore it is now controlled by industrialized elitist that only care about profit not who lives or dies. The US goes on with it's own agenda and keeps it's people well divided and conquered. The USA is burning while the career politicians serve their special interest masters,it doesn't matter who gets in as long as big money decides both parties, I'm going to keep voting every incumbent out and for as many independents as I can. If everyone did that it wouldn't change the government in one election but it would sure shake them up to realize that if they do not start serving the people over big money contributions they will be finding temporary employment.The only thing that is going to save the country is putting the pressure on government to serve the people rather then self interests. The major problem is that we really don't hold all of our leaders accountable. We let them toss the hot potato of blame back and forth blaming each other. The truth is that they are all responsible for making excuses rather then solving problems while serving their own self interests then the country that they have sworn an oath to protect. We seem to have either totally incompetent people in power, totally corrupt people or both from what I can see of the direction that this world is heading.Unfortunately the rest of the country will keep putting the sold out traitors back in office until we become another third world country with only the rich overlords and the poor slave class .One election won't change much but if the people stand together and start voting these traitors out of office it will send them the message that we the people are mad as hell and not going to let them buy and sell our country anymore either way we as a people will get the government that we deserve
"He spoke with contempt about America but seemed to be fond of Iran and Pakistan. Not a good sign for winning hearts and minds."
After 11 years great planning, drones, allies like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, big talking and bragging military leaders, igger mouth media, losing thousands of soldiers and sinking trillions of dollars, this is the state of affairs!
Karzai is Mayor of his Presidential palace.
Just wait for the news: either he has been killed or fled to some foreign nation!
If the Taliban controls the area 6 miles out of Kabul it is safe to say they control Afghanistan. Just get out of there and let them be who they are.
I'm sorry just one US soldier got injured for these people.
Not a single US soldier got injured for anyone over there. They got killed for everyone over here. You just don't get it, do you. The Taliban and Al Quaeda want you dead. Really dead. Permanently dead. They want your government dead. They want your society dead. They want your culture dead. DEAD DEAD DEAD. Off the planet. They dont' want your stuff, things or money. They don't care about oil except to finance their objectives. They, for their own ideological reasons, hate them and you for even having them anywhere on the planet because it pollutes their idea of a world, society, culture and government.
When the Taliban has Afghanistan again, we will simply repeat, very quickly, what Al Quaeda was doing there 10 years ago. They will continue their aim for total economic, social and governmental collapse of every non-muslim non-sharia law governed culture, religion or society. They won't stop until they have the complete subjegation of the entire planet under the total despotic control of their religious mullahs who are accountable to no one. That is your future. Why is that your future? It is your future because you REFUSE to have the fortitude to stop this from happening. You want your nice middle-class suburban fairyland bubble in a world with a formidable enemy that wants its total destruction and you want it without having to defend it. Good luck.
So, kill them to keep them from killing us, eh? Why do I have a feeling the same thing is being said about us over there right now? So who's the terrorist?
jim is absolutely right. We need to "nip this in the bud" now and not let it propagate like Nazism did in the 30's and 40's.
LOL! @ nip this in the bud now. It's been over 10 years since we first landed in Afghanistan. The Taliban are NOT the Nazis. They have nothing. No infrastructure, no modern weapons, no planes, no missles, no boats, no submarines. Alan and Jim are absolutely wrong. Go sign up for service if you think it's that important, cowards.
In Afghanistan, Pakis have backstabbed the US and NATO forces big time. Half of NATO forces deaths are due to ungrateful and backstabbing Pakis.
When the NATO forces were entering Kandahar in 2001, Pakis airlifted key al-Qaida, Taliban, ISI and others militants by back door from Kandahar.
This includes Mullah Omar, Osama and many including Paki Haqqani militant network leaders.
Hope people remember about Pakis sheltering Osama.
These Paki Islamic religious Nazis don't bother about their people and they are into reckless killing games in the name of jihad.
Drone attacks are not enough and to reduce NATO forces losses, Paki militant areas should be carpet bombed just like 1991 Iraqi war.
Or else just get out right now and put a "ring around" basket case Pakistan. Pakistan is heading for bloody civil wars.
Also no Paki liability should be permitted inside any non-Muslim nation, especially the US.
It is time for the Paki Trojan horses in the US, UK and other places to get out at earliest and go to their beloved Pakistan.
They will be happy and we will be happier!
Sorry to hear about that. Our mission was to get Bin Laden. That missions been accomplished. I'm not your keeper or baby sitter, big-brother or surrogate mother. I'm not your policeman or your daddy warbucks. Get your butt up, stand up and on your own two feet. It's your own country-not mine.
It's time you stopped sucking at the teet and grow up.
Very well put !!!
It is long past time our troops come home and our government starts to take care of business here at home.
They are grown up. They are essentially ruled by the Taliban now. They want you dead, your religions dead, your society dead, basically, you dead. YOU and everything you are pollute the planet with your non-muslim and non-Islamic being, culture, society and government. You pollute them just by existing. They don't want your money, stuff or anything having to do with you. They want its total and utter destruction.
They are not stupid or ignorant. They are ideologically driven by an ideology that, first and foremost, mandates the destruction of you and your way of life because it is an affront to their god, their prophet and to every orthodox muslim on the planet and it is an affront worthy only of death and utter anhilation. Go ahead and live in your middle-class suburban bubble of a fairyland while refusing to defend it from the worst global threat since Soviet communism and German Nazis.
Their mission from their god to violently destroy anything and everything not Islamic hasn't ceased since it got launched at the end of the 6th century by a mysoginistic adulterous rapist bigamist paedophile named Muhammad. What makes you think that if they haven't given that up for over 1500 years, they're going to give that up today, or at the very latest, noon tomorrow, just because you think nice thoughts about them living in their own country. It's not about their country. Its about THEIR PLANET to which you have zero rights. Their god told them so over 1500 years ago and hasn't told them anything different.
jim, why don't you tell us exactly how the Taliban is going to make us dead. What planes, ships, aircraft carriers, missles, rockets, armies, navies, machine guns, radar, sonar, etc., are they going to use to make this happen?
You are afraid of some nomads with beards living in the mountains. Grow a pair.
LOL! @ global threat! The Taliban can't get out of Afghanistan!
prejean, if you read history, the Nazi Party started out as a small group of annoying people. It developed over a period of 10-12 years into what became a real threat to the entire world. The Taliban doesn't have advanced weapons now, but give them time. If left totally unchecked they eventually will. Their stated objective is to rid the world of what they consider to be non-believers which includes followers of Islam who don't agree with their views, not just westerners. They absolutely will not stop until they achieve that. They will present the illusion of negotiating while planning their next take over move. While Hitler may have been somewhat psychotic, he was smart enough to figure out how to manipulate the German population and quite a few world leaders. As we all know, his plan eventually totally unraveled but in the process, the world paid a terrible price. While the Taliban don't seem to have charismatic leader, it's only a matter of time before one will emerge. They will not be satisfied with just Afghanistan. It's not in their nature, and I guarantee you that at some point in time the will join with al-Quaida in one way or another to achieve their goal. You and I may not live to see it, but it will happen if everyone says "just ignore them and they'll go away" or "they're not a threat to world security" or "ok, we'll let you do this because you promised that you won't do any thing more". So, if you really believe that the Taliban is just a bunch of bearded nomads that will never amount to anything, I just heard of a bridge for sale in N.Y. that you'll probably be interested in. One more thing, a lot of Taliban and al-Quaida members fathers and grandfathers worked with the Nazis during the war. There is a shared ideology.
They don't need aircraft carriers .... they've got Pan Am.
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I believe we should give him asylum in Dearborn, Michigan.
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He will have Asylum somewhere in the USA for sure...living VERY LARGE...
Change has to come from the people of Afghanistan, it can't be done by outside forces. Let's close this chapter and stay away from these types of wars.
Get out and let the Taliban back in. We know where they are and it makes for a nice bullseye!
They were a feudal medieval society long before America decided to “nation build,” and it is my bet they will quickly revert back to that when the troops leave. NATO will look on, but be able to do nothing about it, like they always have.
The saddest thing is, all the lives and money will have gone to naught, and America will just move on to the next adventure.
We are fighting a war on "Terrorism", it is an idea... not a nation, not a military force, not a dictator, not a warlord or drug lord, but an idea. One can NEVER defeat an idea with tanks, or troops, planes, or missiles, drones, or with anything other than a different idea. That is the rational behind the Hearts and Minds campaign.
I belive that there's only one way for this to ever end... the people of the middle-east have to take it upon themselves to stand up for themselves and stop being victims. However, by seeing the pictures of spent SCUD missile casings that have "been there for years" I have to assume that these people are FAR too damned lazy to do anything besides be victims. Oh, the joys we have to look forward too in the U.S. when the "laziness" becomes the vast majority.
One would think that at least some enterprising person would at least scrap those missile casings. No it is better to grovel on the ground praying 5 times a day and blaming others. Things will never get better there until the people there have had enough. 6 out of 10 Afghans can't read or write. In rural areas, where approximately 74 percent of all Afghans reside, the situation is more acute, with an estimated 93 percent of women and 65 percent of men lacking basic reading and writing skills.
this makes me really sad. i didn't know so much of the country was controlled by the Taliban. I thought the Taliban was doing more of an insurgency than just outright holding so much land. I hate to think that all the soldiers and civilians over the last 10 years died for nothing. Our successes in the region - the Al-Qaida leaders we killed - didn't even come as a direct result of the war and were more targeted killings anyways
They never wanted us.
They don't care for us.
Leave them to wipe themselves from the map.
Wasted billions of dollars, the Taliban control Afganistan...Karzi is a puppet of the US and he will seek Asylum in the US the day the troops finally pull out in 2185 or sometime after that, the same year we pull out OFFICIALLY of Iraq. He will live in the US in sheer opulence and comfort the rest of his days enriched from his close ties to the US NOT the Afgan people.
We are stupid for not calling our leaders who are financing this boondoggle of biblical proportions while half of this country doesn't know if they will even have a job in 6 months. I am far from blaming Obama for this, he did not start this war but damn sure dragging his feet in getting us out, we are supposed to be out in the near future...don't count on it...too much money to be made by the few by us staying there.
I only hope that whomever wins the presidential election (truthfully I could care less, honestly) doesn't get suckered into fighting Israels war in Iran. This could plunge us into the beginnings of WWIII.
Germany raised an army in less than 5 years that almost took over the planet but these goofs can even get policing done in 10 years?
Maybe it's because they don't want it, so let them go back to the local tribal wars.
Who'da expected this? You take a bunch of raging muslims, who WANT to be in the stone age, give them guns and bombs, then try to give them civilization. You mean they don't want freedom of religion? They don't like schools for women? They will fight to slaughter anyone who does not hate in the same way they hate?
Maybe instead of trying to buy friends, just let them know that they are getting no help from us until they come up to about the dark ages. No knuckle dragging cave men allowed....maybe in a couple hundred years, they just might get there.
i am afraid that the author of the article was mislead. if he went southeast of kabul, he just went to the opposite direction of parwan province which is to the north of kabul. so, the village where the execution of the afghan women happened can't be just 10 miles away. and the provincial border between kabul (which is not only the city but a number of rural districts) and parwan is definitely not just '6 miles' away. maybe, he can clarify where he went.
This was just a waste of time here why wait until 2014 remove them now today. I am tired of hearing about draw downs, pushes it is all a load of crap. I voted for Obama because he said he would get us out of there well that was a big story.
Mr President do what you said you would do. Get the troops out now don't wait do it now. Also stop giving money to the Pakistan and Iraq.
Now Obama and Romney are both talking about going to war with Iran.
Iraq is a mess has better relations with Iran than they do with the US.
When they ask the troops to go to Iran I hope the Military replies.
Nuts!#(*$
don't think obama was heading into iran. romney, maybe so.
kind of hard to fight a war with your hands tied no night time raids not a lot of bombing etc you can kill our guys anyway you want nut we have to call you first to tell you that we are going to be shhoting at you bomb this worthless piece of realestate to hell then the pakis can have it cause they are next
Afghanistan is once again lost. They are in the same situation as when the Russian controlled government ruled some 25 years ago. The central government only has control over Kabul with the "war lords" having cntrol over the rest of the country. We should bring our troops home to prevent further loses. This is no longer our fight.
Afghanistan is not lost in the sense you write. It is again becoming controlled by the Taliban. Once it is in control of the Taliban, the latest incarnation of Al Quaeda, or its successor, will be there hatching their plots to murder hundreds and thousands of non-muslims simply because, according to orthodox Islam, anyone who is not muslim has no right to life or any presence on the planet. The fact that you even exist as a non-muslim is an affont worthy only of death to every practicing orthodox muslim. They are not stupid or ignorant, just ideologically driven to an extreme. They know, just like any adversary facing multiple adversaries, that they have to eliminate the biggest one first. Guess what? That is the United States. YOU and thousands more like you will be the first target. They will eventually succeed because they will NOT be disuaded from their goals just because you are and you want to give up. The know that too and are counting on it. YOU will just make it a lot easier for their ultimate success. Welcome to stonings, hangings and beheadings for saying anything negative about Muhammad or Islam, being accused of adultery, fornication or homosexuality or just simply being a nuisance to some religious power mongering judge whose authority is absolute and has no accountability to anyone. Welcome to having women treated less than common property. Welcome to an entire society and government that wants you to either live like that or die.
Jim is a typical coward. Talks big, but unwilling to do anything about it.
ففي الواقع، ينبغي Karzi النار وألقوا بهم في خندق. نحن نعلم جميعا أن لانه لا يمكن ان يعاد انتخابه، وقال انه سيغادر 2 أشهر قبل الانتخابات المقبلة، وتعود أبدا. أفضل استخدام لأفغانستان كنقطة تأثير لصنع سلاح نووي.
Is that right.
Want to make your point? Write in English!
Yeah. Alan only understands English.
Alan290 آلان يمكنك تقبيل مؤخرتي ترجمة غوغل!
All you have to do is run it through Google Translate: In fact, it should Karzi fire and dumped in a ditch. We all know that he can not be re-elected, he will leave for 2 months before the next election, and never come back. Best use of Afghanistan as a point of impact for a nuclear weapon.
I'd have to agree with my Arabic-typing colleague.
If the Afganis want to get rid if the Taliban - then they will have to do it themselves - waste of time - bring back the troops - enough nation building - simply let them know that if they mess with the US - then whole bloody country will be wiped from the face of the earth.
I just want someone to show me a functioning Muslim country - a country where Muslims flock to - kind of like the way American Jews move to Israel - any American Muslims moving to Jordan? Gaza?
The next time we have to "intervene there, we should do so much destruction that they will be throwing rocks at sheep to get food, and building fires by rubbing sticks together.
So they are saying that after we leave Afghanistan in 2014 that the country will go back to it's Violent days. My question is that after Eleven years of fighting, Billions of dollars down the Toilet, thousands of our soldiers lives lost, WHY were we there??? For What?? What good did it do???? I still say the people who started this War and those that kept it going all these years should be thrown in Prison for LIFE. For LIFE. NO Parole.
Tarzan7 (Jane ought to dump you),
Uhh, ever hear of 9/11? Maybe you should Google it and refresh your memory. Obama needs to give our military what it needs to win the damn war and butt out. He does not know what the hell he is doing. We got out of Iraq too soon and now al Qaeda is taking over with record bombings.
LOL! @ record bombings. You are full of it, alan. Why don't you sign up to fight? The commander in chief should "butt out"? Why do you hate the constitution?
Uhhh, ever hear that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11? Ever hear that Al Queda did? They are decimated. You want to use a flame thrower to swat a fly. You aren't smart.
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The women of Afghanistan and Iraq are doomed because as these radicals take over power again and install Sharia Law, they will be worse off than before we invaded. And with Obama drawing down the number of troops BEFORE the war is over, its giving the Taliban and al Qaeda extra confidence. Obama is the WRONG MAN to be President at this important time in history. The radical Islamists are taking over the entire Middle East on HIS WATCH, and he is just letting it happen. All of our expense and loss of life will be for NOTHING, because Obama is too arrogant to listen to his military leaders an do what is right. You DON'T draw down troops until you win a damn war! What if we "drew down" our troops in 1943 during WW II in Europe and the Pacific? It would have been insane and we may have lost that war.
Anyway, Karzi is not getting it done and he has to go. He is corrupt and his own citizens do not respect him. Who to replace him with is the question. What ever we have been doing to train the Afghan military seems to have failed. Its turned into another Vietnam in a way as our government doesn't want to just let the military fight it to win it.
Unfortunately you are correct about the women, they are in trouble.
Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it, short of permanent occupation of the entire country, right now we can only control Kabul.
There will be no end to the war. These folks have been fighting for 100s of years, and they threw out the Brits and the Soviets, why do we think we can change things ?
We need to stop throwing our money over there, we are broke, stop killing people over there, they will only hate us more, and stop sending our troops to die over there when in the long run it will do no good.
We can stay two more years, or twenty more years, when we leave it will go back to how it was.
We cant fix all the worlds problems, and especially can't "help" people who dont want our "help"
Seems pretty dumb on the face of it, to engage in nation building, where the locals dont want a nation.
This is an area of the world that has resisted central government from the time of the Brits and before.
What arrogance that we think we could do it better. All that happens is that we get a bunch of people killed, some of ours, some of theirs, and piss off everyone else.
Then our politicians spend a lot of time and effort trying to convince the US voters we did something useful, when the whole world knows we didnt.
The Taliban didnt attack us on 9/11. If they put training camps together again over there, we can send in some cruise missles and drones to mess up their plans. Otherwise it was a waste of time.
AlQuaeda killed 3K of our people, and our response is to kill 100s of thousands of innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan, and spend a trillion dollars, in the end accomplishing nothing. Want to know why the world hates us ?
40K of our citizens die each year in car wrecks, and another 40K a year die from the flu. Its time we gain some perspective on what kind of repsonse to 9/11 is appropriate and feasible.
Here is a great idea.
Let's leave and in December send them our muslim ex-president to assist there next leader in ruling their country.
If Obama loses (presuming you mean him), he'll still be President until January 20, 2012, at least until Rmoney is sworn in.
Is that it has come to? Goobs can't read a calendar?
Rmoney wants to increase military presence in Afghanistan,too, BTW.