Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of Central Command, expressed confidence at the ongoing US escalation in Afghanistan, saying he is “seeing some positive trends” in the war, and thinks the US is on the right track, some 16 years into the war.
Votel cited the increased number of US troops embedded with Afghan forces, nominally as “advisers,” as an important part of the move to “break the stalemate” in Afghanistan, which he was confident would happen.
The “stalemate” conceit is something Pentagon officials have claimed for a long time, explaining that the war isn’t being won because it’s in a stalemate. In reality, US-backed forces have been losing ground for years, and hold less territory than at any time since the 2001 invasion.
President Trump announced an escalation of the war in recent months, announcing the US would send more ground troops into the country. Exact numbers have become a secret, per Trump’s orders, but several thousand more US troops have arrived, and indications are that more will continue to come.
Definition of ‘insanity’: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Yes, let’s have a surge and see how many Afghanis we can turn into peaceful civilians. The long term result will be huge costs to American taxpayers and a country returned to its original owners. When the GIs leave, the Taliban will return. Then the GIs will come back and the Taliban will change clothes. Then the GIs will leave and the Taliban will change clothes…
As long as the US$ is the world reserve currency, the entire world are “American” taxpayers.
How to follow a war from inside a propaganda bubble?
Legend has it that during WW2, the German people were only told of the great victories by their 6th Army at Stalingrad. Right up to the point when the German govt had to announce that the entire army had been destroyed.
In Afghanistan, no longer do you hear of US troops taking and controlling new areas. There was an attempt early in the Obama years to take a province. However, it was soon revealed that the news of their successes was greatly overblown. And a few months later it was announced that they’d lost the province back again.
Since then, its only been news of areas being lost, or of fights to hang on to some areas. It seems that there are an increasing number of attacks and battles in Kabul itself.
Thus, it seems like they are slowly losing, and only propaganda keeps telling us of the great victories. This is confirmed by Trump saying that they need a new strategy in Afghanistan. After all, a country that is really winning would just keep on with the same strategy. When you see a force constantly announcing new strategies that are going to turn things around, then even if the propaganda won’t tell you that they are losing, they are.
And, what have the American taxpayers gotten for the longest war in American history and trillions of dollars spent? Absolutely nothing.
So, reading between the lines, the “Afghan Army” is rather worthless and won’t fight on its own if there are not US troops “embedded” within each unit.
If that doesn’t change, then whenever the US admits that this a lost cause that’s cost over a trillion dollars and many American lives, the war will automatically be lost. In such a situation, might as well withdraw now and cut losses.
The Graveyard of Empires. I watched a program about Alexander the Great which said Alexander took his army through Afghanistan on his way into India and naturally ended up fighting there trying to conquer the place. On his way back home he dodged around it.
What is the problem – is the American military afraid to admit that they,ve fought a bunch of 18th Century armed guys and lost? Just straighten up your spine and admit it like a man – you will always have the glory of Grenada to look back on.
Sure wouldn’t want to be killed by the very afghan troops I was advising!
United States does not seem to be able the comprehend Muslims want to win Afghanistan is Muslim and the Taliban are devout Muslims . What are we trying to do ? teach Muslims about how wonderful democracy is ? in hopes they will forget about how great Islam is .
The war is lost, and if there was an sanity left in our society every general who has been involved with it would be forced to perform seppuku in disgrace.
Trump would have to kill half the population of Afghanistan, the majority Pashtun tribe, in order to win the Afghan war. As a poster already remarked below, the U.S. tried that in Vietnam.
The war continues to enrich certain parties in the USA, no other reason.
The only reason they want more troops there is so there can be more CONTRACTORS there, which means more money for defense contractors, which means a nice cushy job for retiring officers in various contracting companies.
gee,in 16 yrs nothing has been accomplished. want results/ force congress and the senate onto a plane for afghanistan with frump leading the charge. watch peace appear.
If the goal is actually to kill as many Afghans as possible, along with an increasing number of Americans, it’s a very promising plan.
Votel has no more credibility than his numerous predecessors. GO home yanks.
There’s got to be emails from the Army PR department reminding the Generals that no matter what don’t say “there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
I want my tax dollars back into the USA and out of wars. 16 years of NO ACCOUNTABILITY! Time for change. Feinstein has a challenger this election, help her lose her corrupt seat everyone. She has used her office for corruption since 1992 that we all know of, and no telling how much corruption before that. Feinstein is a WAR-HAWK! Defeat her!
Maybe he was being sarcastic. That must have been it, right?