The Obama Administration’s plan for the Afghan occupation in 2015 is changing in significant ways on a near daily basis, and is now virtually unrecognizable from what was being sold to the American public just months ago.
It was supposed to be less than 10,000 troops staying entirely to perform training operations. On Friday, it was revealed the president had signed a secret agreement to change training operations to direct combat throughout 2015.
Now the “less than 10,000” troops number is being scrapped, as officials say their contribution to the NATO occupation is being increased by a significant, but as yet undetermined number, but likely in the range of 1,000 extra troops.
The nominal justification is that the rest of NATO isn’t putting up the troops they were promising, and that otherwise the occupation “would have lost bases” if the US didn’t pick up the slack.
It’s more than that though, with the troops being committed to direct combat instead of just training operations, and scrapping a long-standing ban on night raids, the war is starting to look like it is escalating.
The US began the Afghan occupation in late 2001, and it escalated dramatically in 2008-2009. Officials sold the drawdown going into 2015 as the “end” of the war, despite a deal to keep troops there through “2024 and beyond.” With the number of troops increasing, and what they’re doing escalating, the claim of an end seems even less credible.
Seriously…they never intended to end this (or any current) war. The Archons would have to stand before the American people and admit that they'd failed despite having the best trained and best armed military. What they also won't admit, is that it takes competent people to win wars and that the US is woefully lacking in that department, civilian and military. It also requires that the common people believe that fighting a war is necessary, and winnable, and the leaders have failed to do that, in spades. The fact is that all these wars are not necessary and are criminal wars of aggression.
the afghan war was justified how it was executed is open to question
Sorry, no invasion by the US into a sovereign country is justified. It is an act of aggression that has been classified as the supreme international crime and codified since Nuremberg. But you are correct in that regardless of international law, it was badly planned and executed.
Listen someone's gotta protect the booming Afghan poppy crop. Drug profits and production is through the roof. We can't trust the Afghan warlords to pass on our cut, so US soldiers provide the muscle to make sure the elites get theirs.
If anyone at this point doesn't believe that we do not get a little something since the poppy production exploded after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, then they aren't really paying attention.
You can buy a lot of corrupt politicians, judges, cops, elections, etc with that kinda off the books drug money.
… and help give Iran & Russia a drug problem.
Washington is filled with evil scum.
Amazing how the more troops we put in there the more dope come out? See how this works? The Taliban in early 2001 before 9/11 had nearly eradicated the opium crop., but as soon as we invaded it was breaking all records.
When we were in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war all the dope came out of the golden triangle of Burma and Cambodia. When Ronnie Ray Gun was arming the Cotra Rebels against the Sandiinistas all that crack flooded into the country.
Two and two?