Having in early 2009 been among the first forces out of Iraq for the dramatic escalation of the war in Afghanistan, the US Marines have found themselves on the front lines across Afghanistan, and a major part of the overall occupation force.
But despite major increases in troop number several times since then, the number of small outposts and new offensives are leading many to complain that they are “spread thin” and actually undermanned.
For much of the war, the US had somewhere in the realm of 30,000 troops in Afghanistan. Now they have around 100,000, with another 35,000 or so NATO troops there. Each increase in troops has come with an increase in violence, and predictably calls for yet more troops.
But can there ever really be “enough” troops? The “minimum troop density” figures cited in one recent piece pointed to 720,000 troops as a better figure. But with the situation growing worse by the day, it seems that even if the war-weary American public could be coaxed into putting up with such a massive deployment, there is little reason to believe it would accomplish anything. It seems that in the end “enough” is never enough.
pull the troops, leave rambo, i saw the movie, he can do it by himself, go rambo go.
750,000? Heck, why not make it an even million. According to Obamanomics, all spending is good spending – it provides jobs, you know. (Loans? What loans?) Fill the country with U.S. checkpoints, drone bombers, and helicopters with machine guns. That will make the Afghans thrilled. Remember that revelation in the WikiLeaks documents about how ordinary Afghans speed through checkpoints or turn around because they are afraid, and are then shot at – creating more relatives who are honor bound to revenge their fallen. I can't imagine better goodwill ambassadors than tens of thousands of thrill-seeking kids jacked up on speed driving APCs or flying bomb planes for 20 hours without rest.
And to help extend the reach of the Karzai government is another brilliant idea. That president who filled the ballots with millions of fake votes, and won when the only other candidate gave up and withdrew in frustration. The president who is supported by Tajik druglords and the remnant of the Communist party. You know, the "Northern Alliance" (everything good has the word "alliance" in it, which is why the media used that name). That will make the seven million Pashtuns in the south even more eager to cooperate with the occupation.
Thanks man. That has been cool knowing