Former US military commander and current Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry warned on Tuesday that officials should prepare for “continued suicide attacks, perhaps at a higher level than we saw last year.”
The warning comes in the wake of several high profile Taliban attacks across the nation, including a flurry of attacks over the weekend that killed eight NATO troops in a 24 hour period.
Predictions of worsening conditions are hardly anything new, but Ambassador Eikenberry’s comments are particularly grim, as the summer of 2010 saw by far the worst death tolls of the first decade of the war. In June 2010 alone 103 NATO troops were slain.
The comments are also significant, as US officials had spent the past few months insisting the situation was “improving” in Afghanistan, That purported improvement, it seems, is the sort that doesn’t involve better security conditions.
Bring them home.., bring the peace to the people of Afghanistan.., bring them all home then you bring peace all over this earth of ours. people are not the enemy of each other.., it is the capitalism and its militarism systems which creates these wars to divide people.
All eight soldiers killed on Saturday, April 16 in Afghanistan were US soldiers. Two of them were women. Nearly 100% of combat casualties in Afghanistan recently have been US soldiers and that is likely to continue as other nations continue to withdraw or continue to have token non combat roles.
Why Jason Ditz wants to help perpetuate the Pentagon myth that this is a "NATO" operation is not clear.
"…of the first decade of the war." Not very optimistic, eh Jason? Given the reticence of the USG to end this adventure I suppose the pessimism is warranted.
10 years of war in Afghanistan and the greatest military power on earth can NOT defeat the rag tag Taliban – maybe in another 10 or 20 or 30 years?
The again – Alexander the Great had difficulty in taking his army through Afghanistan on their way to India.
The 'lesson' that we seem to learn from History is that we do NOT learn any lessons.
"The comments are also significant, as US officials had spent the past few months insisting the situation was “improving” in Afghanistan"
Things only "improve" during the winter months when the harsh Afghan weather makes it impossible to fight. Oh, but when spring and summer come rolling around … Funny how the military leaders never seem to acknowledge this basic fact.