17 years into the US-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, the war is going poorly,and a large number of US troops are still on the ground. There is no end in sight. Officials, however, say that’s not the plan forever.
According to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford, neither he nor the Pentagon in general expect that the “current form” of the US military mission in Afghanistan, a practically permanent US deployment in a protracted fight with insurgents, is going to last forever.
That said, officials are being awfully vague on what comes next. Gen. Dunford would only say that the form of the US deployment will “change over time,” while his talk of permanent US interests in the region suggest that the US isn’t exactly planning to leave.
Facing growing pressure to show some sort of progress in what by all appearances is an unwinnable war, the Pentagon continues to hype the idea that the Taliban’s willingness to engage in peace talks proves that progress is being made militarily.
That narrative seems to be more designed to keep the White House from making changes to the failing war than to represent anything real. US officials are barely approaching peace talks with the Taliban, and recently spurned a Russian effort to put together a multinational conference to that end.
I guess if you say it won’t last “forever” then 17 years and a trillion dollars doesn’t sound so god-awful. New tactics.
I got some “new and improved ” dish soap yesterday, cant wait to try it.
Maybe he means the war will go on indefinitely but it will be outsourced to private parties.
Past “endless” 12 years ago, in war terms.
General McChrystal included in his 2009 assessment for Obama that Pakistan’s support of the Taliban was because India (with US support) has a presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan can’t stand for its arch-enemy to be on its western flank. That situation still exists, making (still) impossible any US success.
As Jason wrote, the current theme from (outgoing) General Nicholson is that (imaginary) US successes in the field causes the Taliban to seek “reconciliation.”
On Nov 20, 2017 General Nicholson, citing counter-insurgency doctrine, said gaining 80 percent control of the country would represent a turning point in the 16-year-old conflict, which has become the longest U.S war. “This we believe is the critical mass necessary to drive the enemy to irrelevance, meaning they’re living in these remote outlying areas, or they reconcile, or they die.”
According to current estimates the Taliban controls or contests 239 of Afghanistan’s 407 districts, or 59%, so the Taliban is expecting a US surrender, not any reconciliation. But hey, bring on general #17 (Miller) to oversee this endless tragedy in a small mountainous country full of illiterate tribal people, whose conquest is essential for US national security. . . . not
Well absent a plan to either win or leave, that is exactly what is going to happen. Why can’t one of these allegedly “courageous” military types speak the plain truth. I would at that point be very thankful for his service.