Though the broader Kandahar offensive promised for June 2010 never materialized amid massive public opposition, the United States is now hyping yet another offensive against the Zhari District of the Kandahar Province as the “next step” in pulling off the transformation of that province.
Though Zhari is in and of itself a pretty indistinct district just outside of Kandahar City, US military officials are trying to attach enormous meaning to the attack because Taliban leader Mullah Omar once ran a school in the district, and is hyping it as the “birthplace of the Taliban.”
US Lt. Col Benchoff says that the US is planning on an 18 month occupation of the district’s major village, which has some 10,000 people in it. This is a stark contrast from the invasion of Marjah, which was supposed to be over in a matter of days, but which over six months later still has a US presence. This means US troops will remain well into 2012.
But while trying to spin the invasion as a turning point, locals are sure to remind the invading troops that this is actually the sixth time NATO has attempted to invade the district since the 2001 occupation began, and that all of the previous ones ended in failure. To this day the Karzai government remains a non-factor in the district.
This is so ridiculous. Get out of Afghanistan already. Quit wasting our tax dollars on this nonsense.
“birthplace of the Taliban.” – I thought that was Langley Va.? Or was it Charlie Wilson's hot tub?
Good luck, you are so right, at the time it seem like a good idea, but once you put the screws to someone they have a habit of turning on you.
Todd
Sixth? Yeah sixth. Maybe they will overpower it in their 25th campaign.
Jane
In the end Evil gets defeated, always! Afghan Liberation Armies are fighting and defending their Homeland. Resist Evil.
The Pentagon are touting this to be their equivalent to the Battle of Stalingrad in WW2, the greatest battle in world history. American troops, those whom have even heard of Stalingrad, wouldn't have the stomach for a decent battle they would whine and whimper about being in harms way just like they do now when confronted by a woman and her children trying to flee to safety but murdered "because they were running away", the recent excuse for killing civilians.
Sixth time's the charm. Yup.
Yeah, let's announce our plans in advance, so the opposition can counteract it. Brilliant! The lunatics are truly running this asylum.
Get out of Afghanistan!
I never thought it is a good idea to tell your enemy that your going to attack a mouth ahead of time. anyone that come up with this plan should be Court Marshaled.
It would not surprise me in the least if the military were planning to attack flood victims in Pakistan because they are suspected of "hiding Bin Laden.
Nine years! This is worse than the trenches in WWI, North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific in WWII and now Petraeus is flashing his decorations and diplomas to beat the war drums on TV.
We should send peace pipes to the Pentagon because who knows what they are smoking now.
common sense at its lowest ebb