NATO flags were lowered today in Afghanistan, marking what is nominally the “end” of the NATO-led occupation which has lasted over 13 years. Yet the war as such is far from over, despite officials trying to spin it as such.
What is actually happening now is much less significant, a transition from the NATO-led war to a more US-dominated one, with the US planning significant troops to remain through 2024 and beyond, and already agreeing to extend combat missions beyond the “end” of the war.
European NATO members have been trying to spin the conflict as over, in hopes of avoiding its continued status as an unpopular war and political issue. President Obama has been trying to do the same, insisting the “longest war in US history is ending.”
Yet the US involvement in the Afghan War is far from over, and not even all that changed between today and the first of 2015. The change is mostly on paper, with the shift from a UN mandate that the US and NATO ignored when it suited them to an Afghan status of forces agreement which they will similarly ignore as it suits them.
President Obama’s desire to get the focus off Afghanistan is part of an effort to portray the disastrous occupation as a “success,” and to get the bad taste of failed wars out of Americans’ mouths as the ISIS war picks up pace.
The approximately 10,000 US troops remaining in Afghanistan likely will not notice the difference in the war, and for them, official pronouncements of the war being over must seem awfully puzzling.
Empire war — A two class slavery
Since my tour in the Vietnam war, 1958 to 1962, has the slave training changed much? I don’t think so.
For pure glory is war for the upper half of society, they being all the commissioned officers and noncoms that learn the articulate use of force and how best to be the slave drivers of our Empire.
For pure hell is war for the laboring-class lower half, for all the hand-to-hand killing, all the bleeding and dying on both sides of the battle, this only the lower half must endure.
So they're being forced to sign up to go to war? I didn't know that. Now I see why the people keep chanting, support the troops, support the troops.
No one even half sane could ever believe the phony baloney US of Everything Is Rigged, Illegal (or pending) is going to abandon the #1 strategic goal of the US Empire in Afghanistan.
And no it's not the rare earth elements and minerals..
It begins with a P and end in a oppy.
We have no one at the helm who is capable of articulating a justification for this war. If we stay there for 50 years, eventually we will leave and the extremists will be left in control of the battle field. Just as they would be if we truly left tomorrow. Keep in mind: The Sudan govt. had OBL in jail and offered him to Clinton with no strings attached. Wet Willie refused. Instead he bombed a harmless drug manufacturing facility in the Sudan. The Afghan govt allowed OBL to enter as a temporary guest. Clinton, then next bombed an abandoned training camp in Afghanistan (he said was used by Al Queda) at which point, the Taliban (which we helped put into power in Afghanistan) named OBL an honored guest. That title carries with it the host's obligation to protect the guest so honored and refused to hand OBL over to Clinton when he asked. So this dumb mofuxker refused to accept OBL as a gift from the Sudanese a year before embroiled us instead in this criminal war costing now 1 trillion dollars and about 3500 American and god alone knows how many Afghan lives. The real wonder is why Clinton has not been locked up
It's the poppies, stupid.
The United States military using its full spectrum of heavy weapon tanks, long range field guns, air force bombing as well as close air support for ground troops was defeated by the light infantry of the Taliban soldiers. What did 2,356 American soldiers die for in Afghanistan? What did 58,000 servicemen die for during the Vietnam war? Absolutely nothing!
When will America realize their government is run by psychopaths who are willing to sacrifice their sons and daughters for imperialism and conquest?