An Afghan-American's perspective

Office e-mail | 9/15/01 | Tamim Ansary

[nina0113]

This is the first article I've ever posted so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.

[parsifal]

You did. Good article. But if the Afghan people are suffering, won't that make our job easier?

[rdf]

You did just fine on your first post.

As to the content, I think it is largely right on, with this exception.

If the US plays its cards right, and the early signs are we may, we could come in through a friendly Pakistan, with the Pakistani army. If so, this would be the first successful battle in a campaign to cripple the Jihad/Islamist war on civilization. It would cost blood and treasure, but it may be, I believe it is, time to begin it.

Enough talk of "retaliation" and "crimes" and "accountability" and "revenge."

All that talk is weak, reactionary, and fundamentally defensive.

If we have the will and the might, we should start strategic offensives to shrink this evil to the vanishing point.

Richard F.

[Paradox]

Thank you for this post. It should give us all pause. We have the bloodlust now, but let us first think about whom we are going to extract it from before we continue the bloodletting.

[katnip]

Yes, just right. Thanks for posting it. I too have an Afghani-American friend. The proudest day of her life is when she became an American citizen. We had a big celebration that day.

She abhors the Islamic Jihad and has taught me that Islam does not condone murder or hate. These people are being led by the devil and don't know it

[JMS]

There should be plenty of Afghans willing to help us destroy the Taliban and Bin Laden then. If as Muslims say these people pervert Islam then it is time for the Jihad to turn towards them, not towards the West.

[ChewedGum]

Thanks for the post...it is good for us to consider the people there - not to prevent us from action, but rather to help us take the best action. Some of those people are going to die most likely but the fewer, the better. There is no justice in revenge on the wrong person.

Ground troops is a tough choice to make, but I believe it is better than bombs. The soviet experience makes that option so much more difficult to make.

Gum

[Restorer]

The author of this article is probably right about what would be required to get rid of the Taliban.

Before we invade with ground tropps, however, it might be wise to examine the history of previous attempts to conquer Afghanistan. Specifically, the Russian attempt of the late 20th century, and various British attempts during the 19th should be studied carefully.

If there was ever a people and terrain designed for guerrilla warfare, it is Afghanistan. There is no question the US has the potential power to conquer the place. I strongly doubt we would have the ongoing will to do what would be necessary to accomplish this.

A far more likely scenario is massive assistance to political opponents of the Taliban. The same applies to opponents of their supporters in Pakistan.

[ARCADIA]

I agree, ground troops are necessary. Americans must die to protect the American way of life, the American dream.

Watch the NATO allies run for cover when they realize this is necessary.They're already trying to soften talk of war.

[ARCADIA]

I agree, ground troops are necessary. Americans must die to protect the American way of life, the American dream.

Watch the NATO allies run for cover when they realize this is necessary.They're already trying to soften talk of war.

[BurkeanCyclist]

When you think Taliban, think Nazis. When you think Bin Laden, think Hitler.

Well, yeah. Good analogy. But not exactly the analogy he seems to think it is.

What precisely does this guy think happened in World War II? Does he think we did surgical strikes against centers of Nazi activity and left the German people alone?

The sins of the state, elected or unelected, loved or hated, fall upon the heads of the people.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

You did. Good article. But if the Afghan people are suffering, won't that make our job easier?

Why not support the opposition (hopefully Masood is still alive) with food, ammunition and training?  At the same time, we move to help isolate the Taliban internationally.  At least it is a good start, and I'm sure that the Russians would be eager to help us there.

[dirtboy]

A far more likely scenario is massive assistance to political opponents of the Taliban. The same applies to opponents of their supporters in Pakistan.

You got all that right. The second-favorite sport in Afghanistan is shooting at each other. The favorite sport is shooting at invaders. If we invade or attack Afghanistan, we unify the tribes in that country. It is better to work to destabilize the Taliban.

Fighting this war by conventional means would be like wrestling smoke. We need to first secure our own country - these terrorists did not come from the Bekaa valley, they were here for months going to pilot school. We need to investigate EVERY immigrant from the Middle East over the last five years and boot out any one that has any ties to terrorism. Second, we need to cut off the money for terrorism - we need to go to countries with bank secrecy and tell them that a country that harbors the money of terrorists is just as culpable as a country that harbors terrorists themselves. THEN we move against the governments that harbor terrorists and the LEADERS of the terrorists. If we kill a thousand mujadeen, there will be three thousand new recruits the next day. We have to find the heads of this beast AND KILL THEM. But widespread, undisciplined violence against the peoples of the Middle East will only make matters worse.

[dirtboy]

I agree, ground troops are necessary.

Not in Afghanistan. Invading that country would only unify the tribes with the Taliban. Best to work to destablize the Taliban with assistance to other groups. Get the Russians involved - they're experts at this game.

[Arkinsaw]

You friend seems to be a very reasonable person. But at the same time, we have the right to defend ourselves. If exercising that right forces Islamic countries to decide which side they are on and they choose the wrong side so be it.

He says we will lose millions in such a war. I don't think so. But I think if we wait 10 years then we could lose millions in one day in such a war.

It's time to eliminate this scourge. No matter what the cost. And yes indeed it means ground troops in Afghanistan to free that country. And if that means going through a hostile Pakistan then we will have to do that first. I am sure that India will help in that theater and they have plenty of people themselves!

If Saudi Arabia chooses to side with the barbarians (which I seriously doubt) then it would require seizing and holding the oil fields. We can do that in short order I suspect. Holding them would not be that hard.

I don't want any war with Islamic countries. I am proud of how we stood side by side with Saudi Arabia in the Gulf War. I am glad of how we and the UAE and Kuwait and Bahrain all were arm in arm. I like them. But we have a job to do and they must choose sides. I hope its the right choice.

[BurkeanCyclist]

Before we invade with ground tropps, however, it might be wise to examine the history of previous attempts to conquer Afghanistan.

But we don't want to conquer Afghanistan. Our goal should be neither to rule Afghanistan ourselves, nor to install a friendly government, but simply to kill as many Taliban members and terrorists as possible, and smash as much stuff as possible, then leave the place to burn.

[parsifal]

I think a bunch of the more moderate Arabs would love to get rid of the extremists. We should make them an offer they can't refuse

[ricer1]

Good post... I need alot of edukatin' on this middle-east.

[ContemptofCourt]

The unfortunate reality is that Bin Laden is going to get what he wants. I see no resolution other than this becoming a religous war, which is a very dangerous thing.

[The Vast Right Wing]

I don't think the issue is blood lust. I have no blood lust. What I do have is a desire to ensure to the best of our abilities that this type of action never occurs again. How do we do that? There is no solution that is 100% perfect, but we can destroy ALL known terrorist organizations. We can declare war on any country that aids and abets these terrorist. This will be costly, both in monetary terms and in terms of lost lives. If we fail to do this we surely invite more attacks. I shudder to think that ten years from now, when a nuclear bomb is detonated in an American city, we will wonder how it could have happend. We know in our hearts and minds that it will happen, we must work to ensure it never does.