"ALMOST". Of course they don't want us there, and they don't want our form of so called 'democracy'. If we can't change our own culture of hate here at home, what makes us think we can change the culture over there???? They, and the rest of the world sees how we treat our own here in this country, so why would they be so stupid as to believe you cared about them more than your own people, and if so why would you care about them more than your own. That question would make any Afghanistan citizen suspicious enough of U.S. motives. While we think we are the smartest in the world, does not mean everyone else is stupid. If they were, we would rule the world without guns and bombs.

"Hundreds were sacked or detained after showing links with insurgents," ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi told reporters. "In some cases we had evidence against them, in others we were simply suspicious."

Who does the security checks (vetting) on the security checking personnel (vetters)?

Fence it and post guards around the country so as not to let anyone out or in and get out. That has to be much cheaper in the long run.

Bush II put us there to get Osama, Obama got him now lets leave Afghanistan to the Afghanistans.

wrldtrvlr, what are you talking about? Hopefully you feel better today, since you've got in your daily dose of U.S. bashing. If you are the world traveler and find the U.S. so hateful and comparable to Afghanistan, why do you come back to the U.S.? Surely there's a liberal utopia somewhere that you can move to and be happy.

Spokeswoman Carmen Romero said Karzai had assured Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in a phone conversation that he was doing all he could to stop the attacks.

Well, that settles that. If Karzai said he's doing all he can then it must be true. He's our buddy after all. <sarc>

the Democrats sure are spewing hate and racism at their convention..., it is really sad that they are pushing their Marxist agenda and the media doesn't seem to care.

Boy is the western alliance in Afghanistan stupid.

They don't want us there. We have have lost that war and we have lost the moral high ground.

And it cleaned out our treasuries. S get the hell out of there and for god sake don't start another one in Iran.

We all know that Israel and the Luna tick right wingers with the military industry would love to start that one.

The Israeli military has done considerable research on the sorts of military operations that have gone on in Afghanistan because it is a major problem with the Occupied Territories. What they found is that when you have a lot of "collateral casualties" it actually can be correlated with people who are willing to take direct action (take up arms) or die (suicide bombers) fighting the IDF. If the innocent person killed was a young man of muilitary age, it created about 14 insurgents for each death. If the person was a woman or an old person, it created around 20 insurgents. If the person was well-known or a chold, it could create as many as 200 insurgents. And once created, these insurgents could continue for as much as two generations.

The point of the research was to define the effects of collateral casualties among innocent civilians. It was rejected by the Israeli right wing as nonsense, but has remained a major stumbling block in Israeli efforts to calm insurgency. The US military did some confirmatory studies in Iraq and Afghanistan and found similar correlations. Interestingly, even collateral kills by the Soviets have caused the same hatred of Americans since Afghans often lump the two together. A Russian killed grandpa so I hate all foreigners kind of thing.

It would be interesting to see how much of the current attacks by Afghan police on our troops are related to past collateral casualties. My guess is that one disqualifier would be that no Afghan policeman could have a first- or second-degree relative killed by American or "coalition" forces.

Wake up, Wake up2840. It's not about Democrat Marxist agenda. It's about a really bad mistake that a really bad president got us into. (And Bush did lie about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction so he could go to Iraq and finish what his daddy started) Afghanistan is a country that has a habit of defeating and annihialting it's invaders. We are seen as invaders. Even worse, we are heretics, infidels. Look at this mistakes we've made since we've been there. American soldiers committing atrocities that a culture like Afghanistan's is not going to forgive and forget. The Taliban can operate as they please because they are invisible. They can convince citizens to become suicide bombers because these people are supertitious, primitive and therefore vulnerable. Insurgents can disappear out of sight into the hills after attacking and we can't find them.

This is no more a winnable war than was Vietnam. We don't belong in Afghanistan any more than we belonged in Vietnam or Iraq. Read your history, know your subject before you speak. Name calling and histrionics mean nothing. We can't do what Alexander, the British, or the Russians did either. It's time we realized it.

Wake up! Wake up: "the Democrats sure are spewing hate and racism at their convention..., it is really sad that they are pushing their Marxist agenda"

1. Please cite specific examples

2. Please look up definitions of "hate," racism" and "marxist"

Then wake up and smell the coffee--PLEASE!!!

Chris--thank you for your EXCELLENT post. Extremely informative and makes perfect sense. Also, unlike poor old sleepy "Wake Up" ON TOPIC! Very refreshing. Thank you!

Gee you think. Guess they are earning our trust then once they gain access to information or access to military people. They turn on us. How nice of them to do that. Now all we need is a (few good men) rouge soldier to take care of them when they are sleeping.

You guysare full of it!!!Sadam committed gencide against the Kurds with pea shooters, right?? He didn't ship his wmds to syria right? and these insurgent sleepers (like at the base here) are sent to do just that... pretend to be friends and then when they guys are unarmed in their bunk area they open fire...well now the generals ordered them to have loaded weapons at all time!!! good for him and to hell with the ROEs!then if a GI shoots one he had to deal with the commie,pinko liberat faggot journalists who want him prosecuted for murder. Perhaps you all should leave the remarks to those who have been there trying to do the job they were trained for, and remember, you can blab your big mouths because they are there.

6 dogs. If he gets the seat in the White house you may end up just losing everything you have.

I'm well aware of that Obama/Biden

I have already behind where I was 4 years ago. Thanks to Obama/Biden.

Trouble IS, Romney, McCain, Karl Rove, etal, don't want the military actions(euphemism for WAR), to ever stop! That's how they keep their Halliburton/ZE(Blackwarer) type friends making profit - you know, if there's not a need for your product because the world is at peace, fabricate a war and and now there's an urgent no-bid need for your product.

That's simply using that ol' Capitalistic "Entrepreneurial Spirit" they revere so much in their Party!

6Dogs, I guess you missed it, 9/11 started the war, more drivel from the Liberal

@wlee,

How did 9/11 start the war? All except one of the hijackers were Saudi. All the recruiting was done by Saudis. All the training was done by Saudis. All the money came from Saudi Arabia. If 9/11 started it, why didn't we attack Saudi Arabia?

Nope Wlee--YOU missed it--9/11 provided Bush with the excuse to get us into 2 expensive, unending, unwinnable hellish wars.

Silly boys, Bin Laden was in Afghanistan, and tell me what President wouldn't have gone after him, you do remember Obama went after Bin Laden in Pakistan. Liberals selective memory 2001 excuses

Bush claimed he was NOT going after Osama--and "never gave him much thought" Who's the silly billy amnesiac now?

Maxwell, that was later on genius, since your memory is faltering that is why we invaded Aghanistan, may I suggest you actually do a little research silly boy

I don't like your term (murderded) it is combat don't put these men down to the level of a street thug.

well deal with it then. Our guys are being gunned down by the same people that they are training and trying to protect.

You are so naive! To think you can make peace with murderous insane insurgents who will send their 3 year old loaded with an iud to get candy from our guys(our guys love kids and that makes then vunerable) and then the mother triggers the bomb blowing her own baby to smitherines as well as many GIs as possible, and you think you can make peace with these people???? When you were in the combat sone you found out all of this information??You were there doing your duty? Oh, you were never in the military and have never been in combat, and have never had enraged murderers hunting you down so they can shoot you in the face, cut off your head with a knife and certainly you were not there to stop the al quaida and the taliban from launching an attact of war against your country. these insurgents do not want peace, they want world domination in a complete muslim society and they want all jews and westerners dead or converted to islam. Our military is not dealing with honorable people they are dealing with coward terrorists who send their children as suicide bombers and kill their very own people over doctrinal differences. You had better enjoy your freedom of expression, because if they ever take over you wont be able to say a word. Have a happy day!

The AK-47 is still a respected weapon after all this time. What you don't realize here is The Ammo is not the same caliber. If some one is going to turn on you you dont want them to have the advantage of being able to use your own Ammo against you, that just make their fire power all the more. It almost like who has the most bullits wins the shoot out.

Well, if I remember correctly, Russia suffered the same fate as America seems to be concluding, and we have been in Afghanistan 2 years longer than they, with about the same results, but spending far more $$. We spent $$trillions starting an unnecessary war in Iraq under the GOP that spilled into Afghanistan since Oct. 7, 2001, 11 years ago. God forbid any subsequent president quickly pulling out, saving lives and $$, because you war nuts would have branded him a coward. Some of you don't even want the U.S. out now. Remember the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' Lie? Have you thought about how much of the current national debt is due to that lie and the U.S. cowboy mentality????? The costs of rehab of thousands of injured soldiers that will be ongoing for many, many years to come?? It shows that we are not too smart because a great percentage of you are voting for the same party craziness with the GOP that got us into all of this, and I see Israel is trying to pull us into attacking Iran. I recall Bush saying we'd gone in and be out in 30 or so days, and I suppose the craziness prevails now that we will go into Iran , crush them, and be out in 30 or less days.

Russia went in trying to shove Socialism down the Afghanistan throats, propping up a leader that the Afghans threw out shortly after. We have very short memories as a nation. If our form of democracy has not worked that well for all of our own citizens here in America, why wouldn't the Afghanistans look at us and be suspect??(what happens in America certainly does not stay in America...all the dirtiness of how we treat people who are different from us is out there for the world to see and ponder). We, as a nation, can't be too smart because we keep trying to reinvent the wheel, paying no attention to history in our planning.

Wikipedia: "The Taliban and the Russians were at war for ten years: from 1979 to 1989. During that time the Russians named Mohammed Najibullah as the new leader of Afghanistan. He remained control until 1992; three years after the Russians left the country. During the war, the Russians planted thousands of landmines all over the country. In 1988 the Soviet Army realized that the solution to their conflict had to be peaceful. During the Soviet withdrawal, their troops were attacked by Taliban fighters. Over 523 Russian soldiers were killed during their final withdrawal in February 1989."

it is my understanding that the AK will chamber NATO rounds as well as their own round while our guns will only chamber our rounds (put rather simplistically) - The AK is so loosly made that it will not jamb under pressure while our weapons are more precission and do not tolerate dirt.

could be wrong, not the first time, but have heard that the AK is a weapon of choice for longevity with little care needed to remain in service.

The AK-47 CANNOT chamber a NATO round.

It is a maintainable assault rifle. Pretty good, actually.

The Kalashnikov is the best designed, most durable automatic rifle system the world has yet seen.

The USA is stuck in another failed Vietnam-styled foreign occupation against a guerrilla force and hostile local population. The Pentagon high salary types are good at fooling the US public with lies, mythology and excuses. You spent trillions, you failed at forming a US puppet police state now go home.

worldtrvlr, I really doubt the people of Afghanistan know anything about the US, not exactly up to date on technology

@wlee,

It is always a mistake to think that people in Third World countries are ignorant of what is going on in the world and especially with technology. You can go to the remotest villages in the world and people will have battery powered satellite TVs and cell phones and radios. Just because they have too little money to participate does not mean that they are not aware. In fact, it has been my experience from Peace Corps work that these "ignorant" villagers are often very much more aware of lots of situations than the average American. I would attribute that to the fact that they have so much more at stake. An American might buy every iPhone as it is announced while a poor villager would be careful of his technology purchases, trying to get the most for his money.

Chris, these people don't even know what's going on in the next village down the road fantasize all you want

x

Nice comeback Max

Chris...You are actually quite correct. They do know what is going on in the world. I went to work in the Albania Kosovar refugee camps and was surprised by the technology that was around me. It is how they interpret the information they receive that is totally different than that of the American culture. These people have been raised in a culture of war--It is a right of passage for a young man to make his first human kill. It is what they know...the vengence mentality is deep and getting deeper. What they see and hear is through different eyes and minds. But, you are quite right. These people may be uneducated, but, for the most part, they are not stupid. They are filled with hate. If they don't kill Americans, they will kill each other for sectarian differences for perceived slights that we would likely ignore or just whine about...It is serious stuff to them. Underestimating the Afghans has been a mistake made by many countries and now ours.

Actually a .223 round can be loaded into an AK one round at a time, and it will fire. Its real dangerous, and not real accurate...but if your real close...and its all you have....you can take one more American with you. That trick was proven by the VC.

I think Karzi is not as Evil as you people think, but he is in a bad situation. It doesn't matter who is in that position you would be saying the same thing. So let me ask you this or put it this way, Who do you want to see in charge? I have seen nothing but condeming for months now and NOT ONE ssuggestion as to who would be better. Could it be the only Afghan Name you know is Karzi?

6 Dogs

You may be right about Karzai, however, with his brother/tribe relations, I think he has some "investment" in the poppy field crop and his method of extracting $$$ also has a lot to do with why he insists "some areas" are off-limits to military operations.

Bush II appointed Karzai. He's the ghost of the failed President Diem from 1960s Vietnam.

6Dogs, Abdullah Abdullah would be my choice, and I believe he won the last election,and Karzai is corrupt as hell.

Do you not think that Afghans see the Citizens United decision and the SuperPACs as corruption?

Chris, as a matter of fact no. They have no idea what it even is

wlee...What do you base your information on? To denigate a whole population as ignorant and stupid is, well, ignorant and stupid...It also gets people killed. They have a great deal of respect of their clergy and are told how to interpret the information they receive...and they do as they are directed...or they die. Tell me about your interaction with the people on third world countries on which you base your opinions. Who have you talked to? I talked to KLA and Serbs, students and families. I learned quickly that the KLA had every intention of doing the same to the Serbs as had been done to them as soon as the opportunity presented itself...that ole culture of war and vendettas. I can relate to the people of Afghanistan and know that we have no hope of changing their culture...It is a tribal culture of warfare. Fortunately, I wasn't there in a political position--Albania that is. They believe that they are entitled to everything we have and don't understand that it has taken our country hundreds of years for us to have the freedoms we enjoy and we still have a lot of work to do. Stop trolling unless you can back up your posts with experience and understanding. We need to let them evolve as they choose to do so. We didn't cause it and we can't cure it.

jackie...I agree. Isn't it sad that we have not been able to learn from the mistakes of others therefore have been destined to repeat them. Bring them home!!! Yes, we could be gone in weeks. Let them turn into a Syria and watch and wait. Sadly, I doubt that the meek shall inherit the Earth. I hope it is the smartest and wisest that will do so....Not holding my breath as money is the motivation for too many decisions in our govt.. Your post was simple....We need more simple solutions and less yada, yada, yada. Kudos.

they also, hear-say, will chamber NATO rounds as well as their own -(which is slightly larger diam case)- where as our weapons will only chamber our rounds.

Freedom eroding away,

that is true. The AK-47 round we are familiar with is 7.62mm x 39; whereas the Soviet AK -47 is chamber for the 7.62mm x 54 round and the Soviet made weapon can and does fire both rather well.

The m-16 "family" is 5.56mm and a .22 caliber vs Ak family of .30 caliber - however, the M16 nor the AK47 will fire the other's round because neither one can be chambered into the receiver.

jack from Jax

Sorry to correct you.

Soviet AK-47 caliber is 7.62x39 mm

Soviet Dragunov sniper rifle (action looks like an AK-47 but longet barrel) 7.62x54 mm

I have to agree --- the AKM-47 is 7.62x39mm and always has been. Ditto for the AKM-74. There are some variants that fire everything from .22 cal rimfire (a training version) to some that were actually intended for the NATO market (but failed to compete with locally-produced weapons.)

And the complaint that it is "loose-fitting" is nonsense. It was specifically designed to work in the extremes of Siberia to the high desert south of the country. This is why it is loose-fitting (and why it was designed to be operated with gloves.) The reason it is so rugged is more because it has considerable tapering in the receiver that allows ammo to feed without jamming. Incidentially --- the service life of an AK-47 is around 15,000 rounds. For an M-16 it is less than 3,000 rounds. This is because of chrome plating and the metals used in the AKM-47, not because it is somehow poorly constructed.

The weapons they carry that I fear the most are tied to young men and designed to take out large groups of people. What's all this talk of AK-47s when IEDs and suicide bombers are the most deadly threat that faces our troops...Afghan soldiers are a threat, no doubt, but groups of individual civilians and soldiers are being maimed and killed by these bombs. We need to go. Now.

Sleeping with the enemy. I say wake up in he middle of the night and just spray all the tents that these animals dwell in and get in over. I don't mean With lysol either. Hell they can have some weapons shipped in from Chicago.

miller...good point...worrisome.

I agree. Kill them all and let God sort it out.

I've heard and seen pictures on the news that our troops are guarding the opium crops.

@J clark,

No you haven't.

This is True they are Guarding these crops as they are being Destroyed, to prevent the locals from harvesting them.

Genocide is not the answer...and never will be. Hitler gave it a try and it didn't work out very well for him. Why genocide when we could just leave? Why?

Bleeding Heart A@# Hole, people like you are the reason America has become weak and Laughing Stock of the World.

No, it's the wreckless and failed policies of American Ivy League douchebags in both the miilitary and financial institutions for 60 years. The world has had US unbridled fascism in all decades since WW2, and it's planners tried to rule the world. Your sociopathic leaders do not own the world nor its people.

Dou44, we own you, so sit and be quiet

wlee: "Dou44, we own you, so sit and be quiet"

OH WHAT A GIVEAWAY!!!--not only do you claim to speak for all the Afghans (see your above posts)--but now you're into slavery and against free speech too?

Oh dear!

Max oh no you know my secret I'm a slave trader, come on you can do better then that. I don't claim to speak for anyone, but if you think the average Afghan knows anything about Citizen United you're delusional.

Ahhhhh, the mental giant Dufus has spoken. 'Kill 'em all - Let God sort them out.' A famous phrase used by the baby kill'n 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam where the Great Satan massacred some 2.9m innocent civilians in 'another war he lost.'

AZ Wanna be here you go showing your Stupidity, the Phrase is said to have come form the French Cistercian monk Amalric “Kill them all. God will recognize his own.” in 1209. Your right (hate to say it ) a paraphrase of the quote was used by a captian after one of his platoons was killed by a group of civilians that attacked them and shortly after they were released. when they were thought to be friendly no cong.

poet930 Obama implemented the surge so cut the crap

First you say the "bleeding heart liberals have made USA rules of engagement too stringent" THEN you (shizophrenic) so-called "conservatives" complain "Obama implented the surge so cut the crap."

Which is it? Do you want war or not? Your guy BUSH got us in--when Obama tried to get us out Republicans cried "NO!" Wish you guys would say what you mean and mean what you say.

Or is it simply a case of hating our elected President? Obama could walk on water and you'd sneer, "See! Obama can't swim!"

Maxwell, please show me where I said anything about rules of engagement, sorry but I'm not a Republican nor conservative. Liberals complained about Bush starting the war yet Obama escalated it, you can't have it both ways. Don't hate anyone not even my ex wife. Still want to compare Obama to Jesus huh?

Criminal elements?

The racist UNITED SNAKES (US/NATO) war criminals, you mean.

Of course!

AzCowboy you still riding bareback

Lotta bleeding to be done by the UNITED SNAKES (US/Israel/NATO), I agree. Well, they say 'crime doesn't pay.' They may have proven the world wrong in the murder of Saddam and Gaddaffi and the theft of Iraqi and Libya's oil - But, believe me, the bastards will pay... and pay... and pay. The world has caught on to the bankrupt 'regurgitated' colonist/predator US/NATO oil/gas and mineral thieves.

Azcowboy, got spurred already this morning

AZ...Who p!ssed in your Cheerios this morning? We don't all feel the way you do and we don't all want any more of our soldiers to die so the defense contractors to get richer. You, however, have taken your rant too far. If you feel such hatred for our country, why would you choose to live here? It isn't far to the Mexican border...Get your horse saddled up and head south.

" they have the mentality of a 3rd grader" --- Just like the vast majority of Americans? That is why they are regularly suckered by their politicians.

Aggressor/killers of innocent civilians always get their due. What are you doing alive, 2009?

awabnavi, and yet we are number one in the world ,where are you still digging through the trash for lunch?

You became number one on the BLOOD and SWEAT of the AFRICANS and NATIVE AMERICAN SLAVES and looted RESOURCES. Now that you no longer have SLAVES your economy is on a downward spiral, while the economies of China, India, etc., are on the rise. To regenerate your economy you are now ATTACKING and OCCUPYING resource rich countries. But this time you will fail HORRIBLY. Just wait and see.

AZ wannabe, shut the Hell up. I'm alive because I pulled the trigger and didn't worry about it, and I sleep just fine everynight.

awabnavi, I suggest you look around India and China, they have a long long way to go to even scratch the surface of where we are at. Our slums are comparable to their main cities. Native Americans were never slaves neither were Bill Gates nor Steve Jobs, now if you want to work here I'm pretty sure McDonald's is hiring

If they are your civilains then leave this country and go back where you belong a**hole.

Ahhhh, those GED drop-outs.

Such short and limited vocabularies.

Generally limited to 4-letter expletives like Momma used to use when he wouldn't clean-up his pig stye, jajajaja.

If they are your civilains then leave this country and go back where you belong a**hole.

You believe that because of his name that he is actually a US citizen? Puh-leeze. He's sitting in a mud shack with his turban wound tight and nervous sheep out front.

love those fly boys they Drop and forget, cleans house real well should be using more daisy cutters.

Cut out the UNITED SNAKES (US/NATO) 'social services' programs caca. The UNITED SNAKES are there to murder and pillage and steal anything that is of value, from mineral resources to their 'coveted' UNOCAL gas/oil pipeline route which is why the UNITED SNAKES have stayed in Afghanistan this long, wasting innocent Afghan lives and US soldiers lives and treasure. Hell, if the Russians and Alexander the Great couldn't defeat these 'tough-as-nails' patriots what are we going to do - beside bleed and bleed and then bleed some more. The US should apologize and then pay Afghanistan $1 trillion dollars in reparations for the War Crimes we have committed against these dirt poor poverty stricken people.

AZ...Actually, I think China is cashing in on the mineral deposits....Not the US. Troll elsewhere.

Civilian?

That's what the cowardly UNITED SNAKES ( US/Israel) prefer to fight wars against.

AzCowboy did I see you at the Improv

Would you trust some armed-to-the-gillls racist hoodlum that came from 10,000 kms. across the sea to murder your people and steal your countries riches?

Think about it - the answer will come like a lightening bolt straight from heaven.

(Hellfie missile right out of an UAL Predator genocide machine?).

What Riches, Mud Huts and goats

Hell No Benedict Arnold was a General

Funny, that is what people like you used to say about Viet Nam and look ma, after all millions of inn9ocent civlians killed, we are now in better terms than with many of our well known, not now of course, allies like Venezuela, Iran, Nicaragua, etc. It was called then the domino effect and that was baloney, porpaganda a la par of Nazi propaganda or if you prefer, the fixnews network propaganda, cause to me they are one and the same.