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Noorullah Shirzada / AFP - Getty Images
Soldiers of the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces stand guard at the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad on Sunday.
Updated at 4:35 a.m. ET: Nine suicide bombers struck an American airfield in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad early on Sunday, killing five people and wounding 18, a local official told NBC News.
Two civilians and three members of Afghanistan's special forces were killed in the attack, Hazart Hussain Sharqiwal, spokesman for the Jalalabad police chief, told NBC News. Fourteen Afghan soldiers and four civilians were wounded, he said.
One attacker detonated his car bomb to help other attackers get inside the base, Sharqiwal said. Afghan security officials killed the suicide attackers who had not detonated their devices, he added.
None of the insurgents breached the perimeter of the base, U.S. Army Maj. Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for NATO in Kabul, told NBC News. He said there were no reports of fatalities among members of the ISAF but some were wounded.
Local police officials earlier told Reuters that a dozen bodies in Afghan police and military uniforms were scattered around an entrance to the base. It was not clear whether the dead were Afghan security forces or militants dressed in uniforms, a tactic the Taliban sometimes deploy during attacks.
More news from South & Central Asia
The Taliban claimed responsibility in an email to reporters. It said a suicide attack occurred first and fighters then tried to enter the base. There was no way to independently verify the claims.
In February, a suicide car bomber killed nine people at the base at an airport, almost exclusively used by NATO and the U.S. military.
The United States and Afghan government are scrambling to improve security before most NATO combat troops withdraw at the end of 2014.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press, Reuters and NBC News' Akbar Shinwari and Atia Abawi.
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Leave a Comment:
"Government Motors is alive and the terrorists are on the run."
only 12 more years and we will be out of there.
We (Not YOU) will be here Indefinitely according to an Agreement signed by President Obama and President Karzai.
The Reason why majority of the UN, NATO, US Military Forces are leaving is due to President Obama's (Foreign) Policies that resulted in the Loss of the US Military Logistics Support Bases at US Ally Pakistan; Landlocked US Ally Afghanistan can only support a limited number of Military Forces of the UN, NATO, US Mission.
Our arses are going to be left hanging, if we need emergency assistance, might not happen or might be too late.
GTFO!
ldo,
The Majority of the US Public is so uneducated that they believed that there would be no backlash (Resulting in Unnecessary Deaths of US Citizens) during the Presidential Campaigns with President Obama's "Osama Bin Laden is Dead, GM is Alive".
That backlash was so f**king bad our R&R at CONUS (first time in years) was cancelled. This was WORSE than the Koran Burning Riots, to the point were even the so called start of the Arab Spring at Tunisia according to President Obama, the Tunisians (next door to Libya) started screaming "Obama, Obama, we are all Osama".
"Murdering" (their translation) their Holy Warrior of Islam Osama Bin Laden, then bragging repeatedly, was worse than murdering the Pope and bragging repeatedly that you did while still at Italy.
Worldwide the 1.5 Billion Islamic Believers started using the "Obama, Obama, we are all Osama" as a Rallying cry against the US Worldwide, then they started Demonstrating at the US Embassies and US Consulates.
And then the Libyan Rebels (Al Quada, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, etc. as Ansar Al Shariah) supported by President Obama to Overthrow US Ally President Gaddaffi started to plan their attacks of the US Embassy and US Consulate to coincide with Osama Bin Laden's success against the US, the 9/11 2001 Attacks.
Then instead of allowing us to go back to CONUS from US AFRICOM to continue our R&R our arses end up coming back here again.
@david
you're "educated" sure... that's one way of putting it
Go ahead and do a Causative Timeline.
Come here to Afghanistan talk with the locals, go to an Islamic Nation talk with the locals.
David-475776,
We should never have been in Afghanistan in the first place. And their - THEIR - civil war is not going to end in your life time.
We have NEVER been shown the evidence that we invaded with - NEVER.
Colin Powell, days after 9/11, stated before the world on television, that in a few days the US would put down IN WRITING for the world to see the evidence we had on Bin Laden. The very next day he had to eat his words (a clown act he would repeat at the UN in 2003 with his "Saddam has WMD speech"). He appeared with Bush at the White House and said the evidence "was classified". We invaded based on WHAT? WHAT?
We invaded based on Trust in leaders that would later be proven over and over and over to be liars and conmen and fools.
The Taliban had offered to put Bin Laden on trial before we invaded. But we werent willing to show the evidence, so instead of Bin Laden being in custody he was off to the mountains of Pakistan. And we got to join the Afghan civil war for a decade AND MORE.
Enough is enough.
We shouldn't have gone in and we aren't going to "win" THEIR civil war.
Just like they did for Ambassador Stevens?
Hey Ido!
I remember Joe screeching GM is alive and Al Quaida is dead ad nauseum during the campaign!
Liar, Liar pants on FIRE!!!
Too bad Joe didnt tell Americans that GM has so many plants in China!
7 in 10 vehicles is MADE OUTSIDE OF THE US!!!! Listen to GM CEO!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvl5Gan69Wo
Funny, isnt that what they accused Romney of?
@ J.P. & david-475776;
Exactly what are your affiliations/alliances? I think something smells!
MC Gusto
Looks like somebody needs another reminder of who put us there...
We broke it and must fix it...
We would never have to worry if we had never been sent there. We had the technology and the resources to deal with Al Qaeda/Taliban training camps from above without setting foot in that @!$%#-hole.
J.P
David-475776,
JP, stay out of the poppy fields!! Flying planes into buildings, killing 3000 innocent Americans isnt part of their civil war!
Acosmet uttered:
You first, Acosmet, you support the Military/Industrial/Congressional Complex? Hmmmm? Bet you do, bet you voted.
You support war, endless war? If you voted Democrat or Republican then you do.
You support having our rights chisled at? If you voted Democrat or Republican then you do.
You support Wall Street greed? If you voted Democrat or Republican then you do.
In fact if you voted at all you gave creds to the process that INEVITABLY gives power to the Complex.
Where is YOUR alliance, hmmmm?
Oh and to FedupwithFed,
We have NEVER been shown the evidence that we invaded with - NEVER.
Put up or shut up, FedupwithFed.
@ J.P.
That was a really defensive response! Did I hit a nerve?
David, you're not in the army, never were and don't speak for any group.
Ya, hold your breath on THAT one.
We'll be in that cat litter box for the next fifteen f*cking thousand years. The Afghans have neither the will nor the intelligence to govern themselves, and never will.
On a positive note, the meat grinder will churn on and on over there, so it'll be job security for the MIC. And be assured - those running it wearing their silk ties and seven thousand dollar Gucci suits will be oh so grateful for YOUR kids getting their a$$es shot off over there, while THEY'RE sitting their fat a$$es in their leather executive chairs counting YOUR tax money.
We need to be out of there. But as my grandfather would say, “Those Chickens will come back to roost”
But the radical Islamists are not done with us and rest of the West yet.
There are 2.1 Billion Muslims in the world (according to Wikpedia) and people who are supposed to know say it is just a small percentage of Muslims that take the insane parts of the Koran.
1% of 2.1 Billion Muslims is 20 + million fanatics that are willing to die for “teachings of the Koran” that
support the fervor they fill.
The countries and continents experiencing this spreading growth of this radical Muslim view are among the most economically poorest and under educated (mind you if even literate) population on our
planet. These are people that have been and seen the destruction of war for years if not generations.
It is this population that is converting to the Koran and the fanatical teachings of the mullah’s; a power position that seeks to govern and rule people all the people under them. Those that won’t
convert are to “die by the sword as taught by the Profit.”
These mullahs dictate what will be taught in schools along with those that can attend.
These mullahs want to limit and control the speed of any type of economic growth or the development of a middle class.
People living and surviving on a day to day basis, and in some areas it is living and surviving on a minute
to minute existence.
These are people that our taught that happiness is going to Paradise and live with Allah; all you must do to get there is follow interpreted teachings of the mullahs.
BUT, there is another way to get to Heaven.
They can get to Heaven and Paradise by shedding thier own blood by dying in a Religious Jihad that only mullahs can declare.
It is this is 20 + million that “will come back to roost”
You political hacks. It was a successfully defended attack in a war zone. Our security worked, casualties were minimized and the Afghans had the security lead. Get over yourselves.
JP - are you confusing Afghanistan and Iraq again?
@cheeta;
You are so right.lol I was not going to say anything, but I called David475 out quite awhile ago .
The bombers were enraged by the decision of major league baseballl to consider instant replay for the ecoming season.
Why don't they just wait until August 2014? We'll all be home then... err no wait... that was a lie.
Bin Laden is dead, and GM is alive! I'm not sure why the reports are that these are suicide bombers. It is very possible that these people were on a weekend stroll and happened to watch the wrong movie. Lets wait until we can conduct a thorough 4 year investigation at least...Dec of 2016 should suffice.
Your right Korn... No problems here just the regular business.. Did you notice that the word "terror" or "terrorist" was not used? But "Attackers" or "Attack" was used 5 times. So this was not a "Terror Attack" but a "Suicide Bomber Attack" Nothing special.. just another attack.. Anyone see a pattern here or is it just me.
They want you to go home!! If they were here we would kill them!! Just send them money like we do everyone else.WAST!!
We need to be out of
there. But as my grandfather would say, “Those
Chickens will come back to roost”
But the radical Islamists are
not done with us and rest of the West yet.
There are 2.1 Billion Muslims
in the world (according to Wikpedia) and people who are supposed to know say it
is just a small percentage of Muslims that take the insane parts of the Koran.
1% of 2.1 Billion Muslims is
20 + million fanatics that are willing to die for “teachings of the Koran” that
support the fervor they fill.
The countries and continents experiencing
this spreading growth of this radical Muslim view are among the most economically
poorest and under educated (mind you if even literate) population on our
planet. These are people that have been and seen the destruction of war for
years if not generations.
It is this population that is converting to
the Koran and the fanatical teachings of the mullah’s; a power position that
seeks to govern and rule people all the people under them. Those that won’t
convert are to “die by the sword as taught by the Profit.”
These mullahs dictate what
will be taught in schools along with those that can attend.
These mullahs want to limit
and control the speed of any type of economic growth or the development of a
middle class.
People living and surviving
on a day to day basis, and in some areas it is living and surviving on a minute
to minute existence.
These are people that our
taught that happiness is going to Paradise and
live with Allah; all you must do to get there is follow interpreted teachings
of the mullahs.
BUT, there is another way to get to Heaven.
They can get to Heaven and Paradise by shedding your own blood by dying in a Religious
Jihad that only mullahs can declare.
It is this is 20 +
million that “will come back to roost”
If anyone thinks that things are bad and getting worse in Afghanistan right now, wait until the announced date of withdrawal is close at hand.
Obama will be wringing his hands and be paralyzed by indecision, all the while desperately searching for someone else to blame.
Actually, by then, Obama will have only two options... extend the occupation indefinitely or order a hasty withdrawal similar to the embarrassing Saigon debacle.
Bush went in with no exit plan. Not you want the country to cut and run like cowards.
R. Scalzo
Bush went in with no exit plan. Not you want the country to cut and run like cowards.
I agree with
you on the need for an exit plan and or stated Goals objectives that define
completion of the task. It is a big mistake that once again, victory was not
defined.
It reminds of Viet Nam,
friendly allies during the day, then they are Cong at night trying to kill you.
The people in Afghanistan
don't want us there. They just want our money. To paraphrase Freud:
Making the
same mistake over and over again with same results every time is one good
definition of insanity. I would have said "a different outcome" but
the Afghanistan
outcome was never really defined, except for the death of Osama.
So R.
Scalzo, what do you see as an outcome if we tuff it out?
I see a big mistake that is
costing us billions of dollars, but far more important, the lives and maiming
of Americans sworn to defend our
Attacking an army base is not terrorism. Terrorism is attacking civilians. But you've got your Benghazi whine down, don't you?
Get out of there. Enough already.
We never went to Afghanistan to control terrorism. We went there for gas and oil pipelines. We will stay in Afganistan as long as there is a need for security on those piplelines, once they are completed. 9/11 was a false flag/inside attack, designed to get us into Afghanistan and rid them of the Taliban, who are against the TAPI gas pipeline. Read below:
Oil companies proposed the pipeline in 1995, but
it dropped off their agenda after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan the
following year. The plan was revived after the United States-led invasion of
Afghanistan in 2001, and received backing from the Asian Development Bank,
which financed feasibility studies.
Iran can
sell gas to India at a third the price of Turkmenistan. This is the ENTIRE
issue. In Turkmenistan Israel holds the lease rights to sell this gas and US
companies are building the pipeline called TAPI. This has gotten Iran upset and
that is what the whole reason for petroleum sanctions. We have US military
holding the Taliban at bay in the North all the while prince and his private
paramilitary mercenary forces are executing pipeline security privately in the
South to lend some sort of propriety to this whole sham of a war. Americans
should demand presidential head on a platter for this fraud. Deni-ability is
everything.
www.rense.com/general15/game.htm
On December 11, a
preliminary agreement was signed in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, by
representatives of the four countries to proceed with plans for the American
and Israeli-backed pipeline. Here are the basic points about the TAPI pipeline:
Construction of
pipeline will be completed by 2014 (â–¼)
1,680 kilometer gas
pipeline will supply 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (much of
this gas will come from Israeli/Mossad-owned gas fields in Turkmenistan,
meaning immense profits for the Mossadniks who pulled of 9/11)............â–ºThe Obama
administration, elected on the promise to withdraw U.S. troops by July 2011,
now says the U.S. will maintain combat troops in Afghanistan until December
2014. On December 17, the House passed a defense authorization bill (by a
341-48 vote) that authorizes the Pentagon to spend more than $160 billion on
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 without major restrictions on the
conduct of operations. Why are U.S. (and NATO) troops being kept in Afghanistan
for another 4 years? What's really going on there? What is the cost and who is
involved in this game??
The real
reason for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is to build and
secure a 1,080-mile long gas pipeline designed to carry trillions of dollars of
Israeli-owned gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. You could ask how
come Turkmenistans gas could be Israeli-owned, here is the answer:
Following the
break-up of the Soviet Union, Israeli agents sought to gain control of the
strategic assets of the newly independent Soviet republics. In mineral-rich
Turkmenistan, a Mossad agent named Yosef A. Maiman was very successful in
gaining control of the republic's immense resources of natural gas. Yosef
Maiman, born in Germany in 1946, grew up in Peru and studied in the United
States before becoming an Israeli citizen in 1971. As an agent of Israeli
intelligence, Maiman heads a network of Mossad-controlled companies that serve
Israeli interests. As the chief executive of the Merhav Group, Maiman has
controlled the development of Turmenistan's gas resources. Maiman's key
colleagues at Merhav are the former head of the Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, and
Nimrod Novik, chief adviser to Shimon Peres, the current president of Israel.
Maiman was described
as "a leading miner" of Central Asian gas fields by the Jerusalem
Post in 2004. Given their control of the immense gas resources of Turkmenistan,
Maiman, Merhav, and the "Mossad" would all profit if and when the
U.S.-led coalition were able to "pacify" and control Afghanistan so
that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline could be
built allowing the gas of Turkmenistan to be sold to energy-hungry India . The TAPI pipeline
project would bring billions of dollars into "Mossad" coffers every
year. This is the real reason for the war in Afghanistan and why the
Zionist-controlled Obama administration has increased the war effort in Central
Asia. It has nothing to do with terrorism or 9-11.
Now you
can easily understand why there was need for the "justification" of
this war, which was planned before the 9/11
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550366.stm). The false-flag terror
attacks of 9/11 were part of a strategic Israeli operation to bring the U.S.
military into Afghanistan on a long-term mission on behalf of Israel’s Turkmen
gas enterprise. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is
the real reason that U.S. soldiers are killing and dying in the southwestern
Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. 9/11 was just the cover story for
this pre-planned war of aggression - and it is nothing but a complete hoax.
Quick! Send in more troops!
And extend the withdrawal date indefinitely!
Obama wins - more Afghanistan
Romney wins - more Afghanistan
This is democracy?
but which would provide more safety and quick assistance to our troops and embassy personnel?
There is no such thing as "safety and quick assistance." That's pure media PR bullsh8. We should have never been in Afghanistan, and that's Bush's fault for entrenching us in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place. When this country throws itself into a war, we don't just pick up our toys and go home when we don't want anything more to do with it; we are entrenched by bureaucratic red tape and "obligations" to the countries we invade. What Obama has done is what he was pressured to do, both by our warmongers and by Afghanistan's pressing needs... why, after all, don't we tout America as the beacon of freedom? Aren't we the ones who set ourselves up as the world's peacekeepers? So why would we "cut and run" and not live up to that obligation, eh? But to be under the delusion that a "safe" and "quick" evacuation can ever occur is nonsense.
StandUp---You must get your talking points from the media but you are not entitled to false facts!!! There was this incident in the United States on 9/11, that my friend is why we went to Afghanistan. The Iraq invasion was due to failed intelligence over several administrations including the Bush administration. Bush was given false intelligence so was Clinton. Both were approved by congress and that is why we were there.....now the Boots on the ground in Syria and Africa were not approved by congress and are not considered an invasion....Why is that? Maybe it's because President Obama doesn't want to face his critics? Sad to see people post due to their bias, not because of an outrage that is genuine or you would be just as ourtraged at the atrocities commited by president Obama.
Bring them all home and don't disguise it as "Assistance"....either you are bringing them home or you're not.....Oh well, President Obama won the election by telling you what you wanted to hear. I guess that's good enough for 1/2 the country. The truth has very little meaning to a lot of people.
I was IN the military. Twice. I joined after the Iraq invasion and before 9/11. I was one of those put on lockdown at my base when that happened. Oh, and by the way, I worked alongside the IS's (Intelligence Specialists). What do they know about invasion? They know that we have an invasion plan for every country on this planet... but absolutely nothing in terms of withdrawls. There ARE no such plans.
"We're there 'til we finish the job" was a good enough call for WWII, but it doesn't apply any more and hasn't applied since Korea. Even with World War II, do you think every U.S. troop member was out the same day that peace was declared? There is no "easy" button on life. There ARE no quick evacuations from war zones.
President Bush milked 9/11 as an excuse to get rid of an Iraqi dictator that we no longer wanted in power. That is a fact and there is no other logical reason for that invasion. It had little to do with misguided Presidential decisions and everything to do with military strategy. Afghanistan was another red herring--an attempt to secure land where we could be in charge and have strategic bases in that region, only we underestimated the "locals."
StandUp, you have stated it most accurately.
Roney wins Nuclear War. The End.
Ah, yes, und ze vorld, she go boom.
You only have one plan for a withdrawal, that is VICTORY! Anybody in the Military will tell you that you only withdraw from a defeat.
Problem with this scenario is then how do you define 'Victory'? How do you identify it? How to you achieve it? We originally went in to get the Taliban, the guys who coordinated 9/11, right?
I was (and AM) all for getting them, but how do we know when we're done? Since they are an international group, do we have to invade and occupy ALL countries they are in?
How do we quantify VICTORY?
In a terrorist war, almost impossible. That is what is wrong with America's strategy. There is no defined line or real Country there is a philosophy, or in some cases religion. To defeat terrorism you MUST terrorize, the good thing about the US we don't have to strap bombs on women and children we can send in plains and drones, if we have to we can destroy whole villages not just movie theaters or shopping malls. This is not a game, you need to so the people that, THERE ARE NO INNOCENT PEOPLE. over there. How do you qualify VICTORY when they stop!!! Give me the US military and 1 year, you won't like it, but it will get done.
But we MUST have found victory! I mean, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" and all that!
It's sad for the Afghans who have do deal with these constant terrorist attacks, but we've spent too much money and American lives trying to improve their fate. It's a disaster that we should never have gotten involved in.
You say this because you do not know Afghanistan.
These people ALL of the past and current generations were raised in war, and teethed on bullets.
If you take this away from these people, it would be sad.
Then, they will simply turn on one another.
They know no other life.
And probably don't want another life without war either.
To them, war is profit.
And they do not care WHO is making it.
I wish someone could explain how these little despots can take over an entire country. If the people do not want them why do they buy into the rhetoric?
Napoleon, the Khan family (a multigenerational bunch of evil), Caligula, Tiberius, Hitler, etc---all were mentally ill for whatever reason all seem to have suffered from "small man's syndrome" and all have managed to take over violently and evilly.
Yes, sweet heart it is still Bushes fault and they keep making those damn movies that get Americans killed dont they?
4 more years.
Oh, by the way have you ever read our Constitution about protecting Liberty?
If you ever get legal, you should think about it. Put down the taco.
The US will not withdraw from Afghanistan.
It is vital for several reasons that we stay there.
Obama was briefed on this and has his orders.
The same thing happened with Guantanamo Bay detention.
Obama was told to shut up and sent more paint to refurbish it.
The current talks to transfer the terrorists from Guantanamo to the US will also fail.
It is vital to secure Afghanistan.
Several major powers, (Russia, Britain, etc) have fought for this rock for decades.
Why?
Because it is the gateway to Iran.
Wow, really? Something like this happening in a combat zone we've occupied for the last decade? Shocking. What's next... Someone's going to invent the wheel or discover gravity?
Would you rather just be blissfully unaware that we are fighting a war in Afghanistan? Apparently the 6 stories the media runs on Afghanistan a year are 6 too many for you.
This war is a game of chess.
And currently, the US is playing.
The media does not want the same old same old.
They live for dirty laundry.
Now, if tomorrow, we find that soldiers were killed in the current attack, the MIGHT be all over it.
Right now, they are focused on Egypt, Pakistan, and anything to do with adulterers in the US military.
Gravity doesn't exist because it's "just a theory".
Just thought I'd throw in some stupid religiotard/conservatard stuff to get everyone's blood boiling.
And, oh, yeah, here's a good one ... Islam is the religion of peace.
Hahahahahahahahhaha!!!
Imagine... we originally were sold on helping the Northern Alliance (ultra mythical group) defeat the taliban and restore freedom... oh so very long ago.
Brain fart post Greg_S . After Operation Cyclone we were ordered to abandon US Ally the 1980s Pro US Afghan Muhajeen, resulting in most of them being massacred by the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban (why the current US Ally Afghanistan has abandonment issues).
After the President Clinton Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies that were previously built up by Director of the CIA Bush (President Bush (41)), Worldwide the US was Blind and Deaf to the Events leading up to the 9/11 2001 Attacks (Bipartisan US Congressional 9/11 Commission (Committee) Investigations, Findings and Recommendations). Within most Nations the previous local US intelligence assets no longer existed, many actually became Anti US as their own Nation's Intelligence Agents (Counter US Intelligence). Afghanistan was locked down tighter than North Korea by the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government (still immediately executing anyone suspected to be Collaborators to the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers).
After the 9/11 2001 Attacks, a group of CIA Operatives actually got into Afghanistan and talked with the Afghans that were up in the Afghan Mountains hiding from the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government. Many of these Afghans had Family Members massacred by the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government. These Afghans usually travelled on horses (where vehicles could not go, or were there were no roads in the Pamir Mountains.).
The CIA Operatives then called in their own CIA SAD/SOG, to attack (mostly Airstrikes) the Fundamentalist Islamic Jihadist Training Camps, and Fundamentalist Islamic Al Quada; and Failed. In October 2001 we are attached to the CIA's SAD/SOG and go into Afghanistan (we had more experience in calling in airstrikes and targeting). The CIA convinces the Afghans in the Mountains to help us; they became the Northern Alliance.
This link does not mention the fierce Urban Warfare battles at the Afghan Cities:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxKhJIjIiY
Most people did not know just how bad the winters here get, those of us that survived Operation Cyclone knew about the near Arctic Winters at the Afghan Mountains (Pamir aka Roof of the World) as to why after Operation Cyclone most of us went to Arctic/Winter Warfare School and Mountain Warfare School (Technical Mountain Climbing).
We were successful against the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, Al Quada, and the Islamic Jihadists chasing most along the Old Silk Road into Northern Iraq and some escaping into Pakistan; then being a UN Mission since December 2001 all our gains paid in our blood were lost due to a UN and NATO f**k up, by appointing Gentleman British General McColl as ISAF Commander Afghanistan that had no idea about Asymmetric War Afghanistan and only British Conventional Warfare.
So while we (survivors) augmented by the US Army 10th Special Forces Group went into Northern Iraq to eliminate the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists that escaped us at Afghanistan and became Ansar Al Islam, British General McColl did nothing as Asymmetric Warfare Counter Insurgency to stop any of them from returning thru Iran or Pakistan back to Afghanistan.
... and they all lived happily ever after.
hearts and minds soon forget once you're gone....another 10 years anyone?
10,000 troops will be In Assholistan until 2024.
Barack is a lying sack of Shiite.
Obama is not a factor in this.
It is out of his hands.
You have to remember, he is merely the "president".
You REALLY don't think the future of the US is given to anyone who may or may not be in power for only eight years, do you?
What Barack wants and what those who are REALLY in charge of this country will give him are two vastly different things.
Just on the open field playground of Democrat vs Republican politics, the GOP went after his jobs bill and turned it down, only to come out two days later still whining about "where are the jobs"? What do you think goes on BEHIND the scenes with special-interest groups putting in their wishes?
A jobs bill full of more stimulus, borrowing more money and raising the debt ceiling!!!! All of which are serious job killers.....I hope the Republicans stand their ground a force the president to "compromise" like he campaigned for....Now back to the article.....
The truth is, if the Rules of Engagement were changed to allow the U.S. to really take the fight to the Taliban then this wouldn't take ten years.....but we wouldnt' want that now would we. Since Obama took office, the rules have been changed to help prolong this war, not end it.
Without access to kill the evil Taliban in Western Pakistan this war will go nowhere. The only way to defeat them is to kill them all and that's not going to happen.
The Taliban and Al Qiada are not the primary objective.
Bush even told you this (he slipped).
Good thing no one was listening.
Ask Obama why, he knows.
@Viewer_Ready;
G.W. Bush, said a lot things, so I don't know which primary objective you're referring too (Oil, WMD's, spreading democracy and/or Christianity, to eliminate the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Islamic Jihadists, securing Pakistan, the threat to his dad,Bush 41, ect.).
President Ronald Reagan, honoring Afghan "freedom fighters" at the White House in 1983: "The Afghan Mujaheddin are the moral equivalent of the Founding Fathers of America."
---------
"To watch the courageous Afghan freedom fighters battle modern arsenals with simple hand-held weapons is an inspiration to those who love freedom."
- U.S. President Ronald Reagan, March 21, 1983
Yep, and a call to weapons manufacturers to beef up their sh!t.
And we did.
Many (even his own son) believe that Reagan was already suffering from alzheimers during his first term as president. He often confused the films he was in with reality. You can't really take any credence from this man's quotes.
The Innocent,
YOU WERE TOLD BEFORE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 1980 Pro US Afghan Muhajeen and the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban.
Are you that uneducated that you cannot figure out that they are NOT the Same. And that the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban massacred 20,000 to 50,000 1980s Pro US Afghan Muhajeen then massacred all "suspected" Collaborators to the Chirstians, Jews, Unbelievers (basically anyone that was not Fundamentalist Islam, Millions violently massacred.).
Why don't you go take your Political baloney someplace else instead of denegrating the murders of Millions of Innocent Unarmed Afghans by the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban.
Hey, nobody said Reagan wasn't the biggest dumbass in US history ... along, of course, with Rambo.
David, are you serious? No, you can't be. Do you not know what underlies both even if they're not exactly the "same people"?
@david this supports what your saying and it happened after Russia pulled out of Afghanistan. Many people don't know that the Mujahideen did not set up a Government but splintered off into other groups. Later one of these groups became the Taliban. Before Russia invaded Afghanistan there were pretty much groups of Warlords living in what we would refer to as Fuedilism.
However, the mujahideen did not establish a united government, and many of the larger mujahideen groups began to fight each other over power in Kabul. After several years of devastating fighting, a village mullah named Mohammed Omar organized a new armed movement with the backing of Pakistan. This movement became known as the Taliban ("students" in Arabic), referring to the Saudi-backed religious schools known for producing extremism. Veteran mujahideen were confronted by this radical splinter group in 1996.
After Operation Cyclone we (US) had a choice, Senator Charles Wilson wanted to help the 1980s Pro US Afghans rebuild 20th Century US Ally Afghanistan or what happened, US Congress stopped funding the 1980s Pro US Afghan Muhajeen, as what Senator Charles Wilson stated as we (US) "F**ked Up the End Game".
That is NOT How nor Where the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Originated.
Afghanistan WAS a 20th Century Nation as built up by the US from the 1950s till the USSR 40th Army Occupation. After the USSR 40th Army Occupation was defeated and we abandoned the 1980s Pro US Afghan Muhajeen the 1990s Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban as Fully Supported by the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran massacred the 1980s Pro US Afghan Muhajeen, then the started to massacre any "suspected" Collaborators to the Christians, Jews, Unbelievers by the Millions, by dragging them into the streets, beating them, then hanging them by the necks (strangling to death) at the trees in the Afghan Cities (illegal to cut the bodies down unless you want to take their place). Most International News Media was banned from entering Afghanistan, only the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government Ally the USSR was allowed as the Tass News Agency, they had News Films of what the Afghan Cities looked like (trees full of rotting hanging dead bodies). Then the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban started destroying everything "Modern", "Western" and "Non Islamic", this included destroying the Electric Power Stations, cutting the electrical transmission lines from the Afghan Dams, dynamiting the Great Buddhas, etc.. As an example of just how far the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban were going they dragged Taoist Monks from Temples, poured gasoline on them and lite them up to "help them" (for the uneducated Taoists do not do that, Buddhists do). We exfiltrated from Afghanistan into Pakistan and were later sent to US Ally Iraq (eventually returned to the US Military Installations at Germany).
Based on the above where do you think the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban came from (what we saw, just before the 1980s Pro US Afghans were massacred by the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban. We knew where they came from and who armed, trained and funded the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban. Hint: Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban.).
Were you involved (survived) with Operation Cyclone. When were YOU here at Afghanistan. President Obama's Appointed Registered Demoncrap General McChrystal attempted to tell alll of you about the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran's Direct involvement with the arming, funding, training of the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, Fundamentalist Islamic Al Quada, Hamas Foreign Fighters, Chenhen Foreign Fighters, Pakistanis Taliban, etc. at Afghanistan; then President Obama told him to shut up, as this was against President Obama's (Foreign) Policies (Iran).
I always thought that the object of a war was to break the enemy's will and capacity to fight. After 12 years we dont really have a goal (ie. kill Hitler and we win) nor have we beaten the "enemy", whoever they are, through attrition. Lets just admit defeat and leave.
The War on Terror has no face. Behind the mask lies death. While other players choose their roles. And we pour funds down many holes.Once we start this awful ride.There is no place to hide.We'll pay the Devil his full due. The fate of all who rule.
"break the enemy's will"? Are you kidding? The past few egg-sucking administrations can't even NAME the enemy. They lie to us and themselves, pretending it's not Islam/Muslims. What is the common denominator in it all? Islam/Muslims. There are currently approximately thirty wars on the planet. All of them involve Islam/Muslims. The longer we stay stupid, the more forfeit our lives become. Wake up.
Sorry, Wind, it DOES have a face. It's called Islam/Muslims.
Islam is poison.
What I have observed over time is Islamist, Muslims, Jihadist all practice some parts of their Religion very well. Several different factions will come togather to create a force, reguardless of their religious beliefs in fine points. they will eradicate their foe or drive them out. Than they (each Groupe) will try to Capitalize on the situation by taking out the other groupe out so they can be in charge.
You have to admit those som beeches hold to their weird beliefs. It takes real stupidity to strap on a bomb and detonate it not knowing if anything is accomplished. Ever wonder why it's always a young guy or kid? Because the older ones know better.
First of all, they're young, religious zealots that have been "educated" (brainwashed) in one of the many madrassa's that dot the Pakistani landscape. Second, they're higher than kites, with Afghanistan being the top opium producer in the world. The combination of a religious fanatic and a powerful drug makes for a very deadly weapon.
ALL Religions are nothing more than Brainwashing weak Minds, but the Muslims are better at it. Here in the U.S. Religion is a very good business, I should have gone into it years ago. I would probably be a Multi Millionaire now telling people they would go to Hell unless they gave me Their Money. Give me A thousand dollars apiece folks and I will reserve a seat in heaven for you. If you don't like the seat when you get there, I will refund your money.
What a waste of time, money, and most of all, a waste of human lives ?
And our government really thinks that their latest schedules to wrap up this are anywhere close to reality ?
Get us out, NOW !
We cannot afford (lives & monies) being wasted on those still living in the seventh century, and refusing that the present exists.
These Islamic Radicals are willing to die for belief in their god. Unfortunately their god is Satan and Satan is the God of Death and Hate and Destruction.
This Islamic Insanity never ends and it will take the Real God of the Bible to end this Insanity some day.
They're all with Allah now, living in eternal paradise with their 72 virgins each.
We should intercept all there t.v stations, and put that muslim video up about there 'cockran' i mean koran, so they can start killing each other again,as soon as they see it' all the bearded men' with there sticks' will start yelling allah ackbar! allah ackbar!, f-in dam stupid a$$ arabs! i wish they would kick them ALL! out of U.S.A and EUROPE, or if they dont leave' lets have a holiday like thanksgiving, and call it no thanks, and any muslim that anybody can see should shoot to kill on that no thanks holiday.
"This is my War." Hussein said proudly. So how's it working out for you "Failure-in-Chief." Just like everything else this POS touches. Utter Incompetence on Display for all the World to see. He's still Running and Lying from Allowing Four Americans who needed and repeatedly asked for his help, to get senselessly SLAUGHTERED in Benghazi. But meanwhile he and Mooch-elle are planning their Multi-MILLION Dollar Hawaiian vacation and his second Abomination called his inaugaration. A jar of Glenn Beck's pee-pee is too Good for anything that has to do with him.
Yet another sore loser. Cool!
Every time I start to get tired of gloating and rubbing it in, another one of you comes along and makes it fun again!
Four more years, loser, then you can gripe about Hillary. Eat your heart out. Take some grapefruit juice for that ulcer. Have your stroke. Choke on your pain. It's ALL good! ;-)
Ya gotta love the "tea partiers" who keep saying they want to cut entitlements but when asked if they would accept cuts to THEIR SS, they say no!
Oh Good Greif, the Morons have finally finished their Raisin Bran and are ready to start the day.
Yes Willie, we have to have people literally starving in America. Now you're thinking! Let's stop feeding hungry Americans. We can continue to send food all over the world to feed starving people in other countries, but let's just let hungry American people starve. Brilliant
Incidentally, Willie, guess what the number one best way to stimulate the economy is, better than tax cuts better than unemployment payments, better than ANYTHING, most bang for your buck as far as stimulus spending is? You got it Bucko, food stamps.
i hate muslims so much that i woul'nt care if we nuke every dam muslim country, they are a piece of sh!t, thats why i praise those in the former yugoslavia, that tryed to exterminate all the trash muslims in there country, and what do we do again in 1999, we& nato bomb a christain country to help the dam muslims! cause it was called ethnik cleansing, and i praise the guy in austria, brevnic guy, that tryed to shoot every dam muslim piece of sh!t, to kill them, and to scare them' from entering his country, cause he said in court' that they are comeing in now, and in 10 years' there gunna want to take over, in there muslim ways! or if we dont agree' they will start terroists acts threw out austria, this was his words AND HE IS RIGHT!THE MUSLIMS ARE HAVEING 10 KIDS TO OUR TWO IN THE U.S.A AND THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING IN EUROPE MAYBE EVEN WORST SO WE HAVE TO SOON DO SOMETHING OR ITS GUNNA BE TO LATE!
You're quite mentally ill, aren't you? Can't afford your Stelazine prescription refills any more? It's generic now, and you should be able to afford it. So run, not walk, down to your local pharmacy, and get that scrip filled now.
mymomdidnotraiseafool thank you for corroborating rule #2 of the internet - "A poster willl always post something that is the exact opppostire of what his name implies" FOr example a poster named The Rational ONe willl post, "President Obama is training an army of islamic nicargauan spider monkeys to climb down the chimneys of white people on Christmas Eve to steal their guns>" THis willl invariably be voted up by someone callled "I think for myself"
I'm in Afghanistan now.
This place is great! I like it here!
I hope they let me stay. If they send me home, I'm going to volunteer to come back over here the first chance I get.
If you're a tax payer, keep paying your taxes so I can stay here longer. $110K a year, tax free, and accumulating time toward retirement! How bad could it be?
I believe you said at one point you had fourteen years in? That would make you one of the really dumb bunnies and rank your credibility with david-manynumbers.
It should be no surprise that in an area of the world where they cut off women's noses and heads for trivial or even imagined offenses that there are an unlimited number of people so barbaric, backward and stupid they are willing to kill themselves thinking that somehow they will be rewarded in the so-called afterlife.
Our insistence on staying there in the hopes of changing them shows we're not a hell of a lot brighter.
Just as backward and stupid as christians in America who think they will be rewarded in the so-called afterlife if they bomb abortion clinics, murder doctors, or force women to bear their rapist's child. Perhaps America should start dealing with their own christian taliban before worrying about the religious extremists in other countries.
Under Islam the rape victim is often forced to marry the rapist...yep...
Conservative republicans are the American Taliban and are proud of it but will not acknowledge how much they have in common with the Middle East Taliban.
Western Religion does not have anything that can compete with Islam. Christianity offers nothing close to paradise with 72 virgins to minister to the warrior who has died fighting for the cause. Until Christianity comes up with something more rewarding the believers in Islam will continue to win the fighting.
Yes, yes, christians are going to have to sweeten the pot a little. Simply laying around on a cloud basking in the glory of god just doesn't quite cut it. Perhaps they could offer a brand new Corvette along with a few playboy bunnies or something...
@prog-1, first of all there is no 72 virgins, not even one virgin. It just says you will dine with Allah. In Chrietianity it says you will Sit with Jesus at his fathers table and dine.
I really like you Clowns One says something rediculus and you all believe it. The more Rediculas it is the more of you believe it.
Really, I guess about all you can say, is that is 9 less idiots. I wonder how many they really have? Hasn't anyone told them it is all over on Dec 21 anyway?
“What if... there IS an afterlife, and you only get to go to it if you’re an atheist? Then you’ve got all the Christians dead, and then a load of bitter atheists going ‘and worst of all, I was wrong!'” - comedian David Mitchell on Pascal's Wager
That actually makes sense. None of our religions represent any kind of higher knowledge. They are all archaic and reflect the scientific knowledge of the time they were written, which is pretty much zilch. Atheists use their god-given brain to correctly identify there being no god. Correct because god never does actually reveal himself. God then let's in the atheists, they are the sincere ones.
We left 10,000 troops in Vietnam in 1973 after the war. How'd that work out ofr us in Aoril 1975 two years later ? Afghan will fall right back to their killing each other and running drugs. There is no point in a single soldier being there then or now.
I understand your complaint about Vietnam, That was 37 years ago and at the time it wasn't the right thing to do in hind site. Part of the problem here was the high death rate and an inept President, LBJ and couple thet up with Pubic Oponion and allowing Suits to call the shots overiding Generals and this is what you get.
This may turn out to be a like situation but Civilians and Suits need to keep out of the way and let Generals do their jobs. That includes sending them extra forces for a period of time if it is required to accomplish the Mission. One thing about Vietnam that irritated me was when the North was coming to the table to talk we were told to back off and let up (wrong), keep the pressure on. it will be less regretable in the long run.
It must be a great time to be a vulture in Afghanistan, with a never-ending supply of suicide bomber body parts strewn over the landscape. That's about the only creature with a future in that cesspool of Islamic fundamentalist excrement. The bipeds that currently live there should be allowed to continue killing each other without limit, until there's nobody left alive.
The US should just get the hell out, isolate them completely from the rest of the world, and let them continue living in their excrement-filled Hell. No passports should ever be allowed from or to this sewer, and not a cent in foreign aid should be sent to them. When they're all finally dead, let the Pakistanis move in, and re-start the process of killing each other. It should be amusing. Insects!
if im soooo mental' will do you have the same thoughts that i have about f-in muslims,everyday one or two of our troops gets killed over WHAT! a dam garbage of a country, that will never like us' and we give aid to, and our men&woman are getting killed every day by those muslim pieces of sh!t
The Taliban are impatient. Why waste lives when we've given them the date they will be allowed to regain control of the country?
They must have heard that Obama will keep our troops there past his self-imposed, self-aggrandizing withdrawal date.