Putin Urges NATO to Stay in Afghanistan
Russian President Vladimir Putin today expressed ‘regret‘ at the idea that NATO might end its occupation of Afghanistan at the end of 2014, saying that he believes NATO should remain in the country for as long as it takes to “get the job done.”
“They have made the commitment, let them follow through on it,” Putin added, saying that it is in Russia’s national interest to keep NATO troops fighting against heroin smuggling in Afghanistan.
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and occupied the nation for a decade, leaving in early 1989 after the war had virtually bankrupted them. NATO launched its own invasion in 2001, and has been occupying the nation ever since.
Nominally, NATO is supposed to “end” the war in 2014, but in practice it will only mean the redefinition of the conflict as Afghan government led. President Obama signed a pact earlier this year to keep US ground troops in the nation through 2024.
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Jaime
August 1st, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Lol. This son of a gun surely is laughing so hard at the west's stupidity.
persnipoles
August 2nd, 2012 at 1:46 am
Can't fault his sense of humor… …fighting heroine smuggling? …get the [lol!] job done? LOL! As long as 'it' takes!… …did he say what?
His expression in that pic in the first link works well for this. Y'all "must carry that [heavy burden] to the end."
curmudgeonvt
August 2nd, 2012 at 3:48 am
That ole Volodya!!! I bet he and his buddies sit around the dacha at night rolling on the floor at the US's failure to remember and understand history.
Bruce Richardson
August 2nd, 2012 at 5:08 am
Putin's remarks are pure bovine skatology (BS). The Soviets were trafficking in opium utilizing military aircraft for transport while occupying Afghanistan, as with another superpower. And now we are to believe Moscow is concerned that NATO remain on the job and curtail the opium business? For details read Alfred McCoy and or Peter Dale Scott's exposes' The Taliban are the single entity that had eradicated opium in Afghanistan 100% But we sure took care of that…eh?
pendulum
August 2nd, 2012 at 9:14 am
nato is like a leaf on a tree, withering until it falls to the ground. Putin is a funny dude
Wolfgang9
August 2nd, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Of course, it's plain logical. Russia also has a problem when Islamists are taking over in Aghanistan or Iraq and support Moslem extremists in Chetchnia. In history, several times Moslems tried to take over Europe, in the years around 900 from Spain and later from the Balkan. So, please, I'm also concerned!! The only difference is, that I think that the problem got much worse for Europe since the US is fighting those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, maybe, the problem could have been much better solved in some other way.
thedissenter
August 2nd, 2012 at 12:20 pm
LMAO! They'll probably take his advice too.
Aarky
August 2nd, 2012 at 12:51 pm
It gets better, because it sounds like he and his buddies are just using all the old Bush phrases. Putin should know that the Taliban killed many people to make certain that opium poppies were not grown. They will do it again as soon as they take over.
David Smith
August 2nd, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Maybe he hopes that Afghanistan will do to NATO what it did to the Soviet Union.
Anti_Govt_Rebel
August 2nd, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Brilliant strategy by Putin. Keep Nato bogged down and burning through money.
Augustbrhm
August 2nd, 2012 at 4:58 pm
I am all for it Mr Putin let their asses bleed for an additional 10yrs or so.What goes around always comes around.
jeff_davis
August 2nd, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Putin, being the leader of a world power cannot be so impolitic as to wag his finger and say, "Yeah baby, how's that Afghanistan thing workin' out for ya? Hee, hee, hee. Don't pull up your pants and execute an early withdrawal, there's at least ten more years of war-profiteering and royal rogering of your taxpayers to be had."
So he's says what he said. What a card. Cold as ice. Wish he were our president.