Posted on 02/08/2020 11:04:13 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
It’s always a great negotiation position when the other party knows you have no choice and want the deal badly.
This is like negotiating for a car when the salesman knows you are on foot and can’t get credit anywhere else.
If they aren’t coming to you with tears in their eyes begging to negotiate, they are gonna put the big britches on you... big time.
I agree with you. They smell blood in the water. They aren’t going to give an inch.
I attended a meeting of Pakhtun “elders” from areas so far distant that they had to introduce their kids to each other.
...........
Looking around the room it was amazing to see how much they looked alike. They could all pass for cousins or brothers. The incidence of first cousin marriage is about 40%.
............
You fight with one you fight with them all.
............
What military solution does anyone have in mind? Other than extermination?
That we have the political will for?
We killed bin laden, destroyed al-queda, and punished the Taliban. Declare mission accomplished, salt their poppy fields and bring the boys home. Enough of this nation building sh@t with 7th century goat humpers.
Trump is right we need to get out of Afghanistan but the negotiations need to have some US muscle to get their attention.
We know which areas are Taliban controlled and where they have bases. Our Air Force should bomb and Hellfire missile them to rocks and dust. The fields of poppies they use for opium sales should be sprayed with long-lasting weed killer. If we fear their ground to air defenses, we should have some cheap drones fly first and bomb any areas that Taliban fire comes from before our attacks and weed spraying. Yes there may be some innocents killed but we have accurate weapons to make the numbers small.
If we withdraw, it goes back to the Afghans themselves. The Talibs will take control of the country, unless there is sufficient desire among the tribes to keep them out of power.
Not all afghans want to live under Talib rule. The question is, are there enough of them? So far, considering the number of attacks on US people by supposedly “friendly” afghan soldiers, it looks like no.
We could take this back to a special forces war, which it seems it almost is anyway, where we align ourselves with any non-talib warlords and support them, and let them do the fighting. Maybe this is where Trump wants to go, but I’m not sure of that. Or maybe he is ready to simply let the Talibs have it, and let the chips fall where they may.
Taliban should be treated like ISIS.
Eradicate.
Should have been done 18 years ago.
This carries the State Department stench. Why negotiate? Just arm the Northern Alliance with our “leftovers” and leave.
What happened to the Northern Alliance?
NO, DAMMIT!!!
Too many good men have been lost there!
We will become just one more, with Alexander, the Romans, the British, the Russians ...
NO, nuke the mofos and let them rebuild themaelves!!
I trust Trump to get the best deal he can on the way out.
But it IS time to just leave, staying does America no good and continues to waste our money and the blood of our finest men.
breaking-
US Special Op. Forces & US trained Afghan commandos got into a verbal dispute with each other right before they were ready to engage Taliban in Nangarhar Province.
Between 6-18 US Special Op. Forces r said to have been eliminated by Afghan forces, their allies.
Hear! Hear!
sarge83 nails it...
The Constitution of Afghanistan is explicitly Islamic. That is all you need to know, to know Americans should not be defending it.
At least 4 American Spec. Ops killed in clash in my post #15.
Got a link?
I posted the AP article in the forum. It conflicts with the initial account from Afghans who were there.
Lots of links here:
https://mobile.twitter.com/searchq=Nangarhar&src=typeahead_click&f=live
Oops, sorry. Accidentally put a space in there.
https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=Nangarhar&src=typeahead_click
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.