Give it to the Chicoms the same way they took over Tibet. Protect their mineral rights. Keep a lid on the muzzies.
Should have let the russians keep it.
And once we bomb every population gathering, cave, mosque, school, crossroads, bridge, and bolt hole in Afghanistan
Then what?
Start over
They can’t win because the central government doesn’t have the loyalty of the people. They need a more decentralized approach. Local warlords who do inspire loyalty of the people in their district need to be seen as the real government of Afghanistan. Give them some kind of official title, call them governors or something, but our strategy needs to be wrapped around them. That’s how we won in the first place, a Special Forces war with teams assigned to the warlord in that district.
The warlord in Kabul can be called “president” but in real life he is just another regional ruler.
and the Forever War rolls into its 17th year...same as it ever was.
This article is just more Wormtounge whispering in our ears: “Its too hard, it will never work, better to just walk away from it - surrender.”
The truth is that this air campaign is powerful, and the Taliban are not made of stone.
In addition to really fighting them for a change, we very artfully struck their main source of funding this year - their drug money. We waited till the crop was in, the bulk processing was done, the main payments had been made, and the product was stockpiled for shipment. Then we swiftly blew up the bulk of their product, and bulk of their processing labs. That is new, and it is a big blow.
Also, we have fundamentally changed our policy with Pakistan, who gave birth to the Taliban in Pakistani madrassas. The Taliban only took control in Afghanistan with the support of the Pakistani ISI (Military Intelligence), and when needed, regular Pakistani military units, artillery and air. Pakistan provides them their essential safe haven. Pakistan is arguably the real center of gravity, and it has not really been challenged before.
Also, there is a new approach to enabling Afghanistan to grow its own economy - which would put more resources into the hands of the Government and civil society, while the Taliban is simultaneously losing income and influence.
If we kill the islamist core of the Taliban, who were indoctrinated in Pakistan’s Saudi-funded religious schools(most of them need killing) the bulk of their forces are basically Pashtun tribes, who are in it for the money. They just need a better opportunity elsewhere to move on, and the security to get away from the islamists (and they are pretty capable of that on their own, if they want it - tough people).
At least the ROE are more America friendly.