General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Should the US military pull out of Afghanistan or stay to protect females from the Taliban? [View all]JonLP24
(29,934 posts)For better or worse, the Taliban are likely to remain a political force in government. Another new government? You can't kill them all and especially when we far too nice to the golden goose -- Saudi Arabia who already has the oppression accomplished, a very long time ago. A significant turning point was the automobile when they decided women aren't allowed to drive or drive by themselves when prior, a woman was still allowed to ride a camel by herself. If the US had a legitimate human rights concern they would be in Saudi Arabia yesterday & I don't mean war staging & planning or drilling for oil.
Regarding US involvement, given that NATO was involved it reeks of "shock therapy" especially when I found out the US was involved in overthrowing the communists (or that was the accusation or stated difference justifying regime change) in charge, even by the Pentagon's own admission the US primary cause of the corruption because of the CIA teaming up with drug traffickers & war lords, Afghanistan had one of the worst banking crisis in history right around the time of our "Financial Crisis". Not to mention contracts were just an easy way to fatten their pockets, many projects were simply left unfinished and this is regarding US contractor contracts. The Afghanistan government reportedly had some anti-corruption proposals they wanted to pass but a US Diplomat was publicly criticizing them, basically saying they shouldn't do it because they won't work.
The US & NATO was more concerned that Russia isn't allowed, shouldn't be allowed, & under no circumstances allow them take part whatever it is going on in Afghanistan.
Any decision on the end date/end state will be taken by the respective national and/or Alliance political committee. Under no circumstances should the mission end-date be a topic for speculation in public by any NATO/ISAF spokespeople.
The term "compensation" is inappropriate and should not be used because it brings with it legal implications that do not apply.
Any talk of stationing or deploying Russian military assets in Afghanistan is out of the question and has never been the subject of any considerations.
Only if pressed: ISAF forces are frequently fired at from inside Pakistan, very close to the border. In some cases defensive fire is required, against specific threats. Wherever possible, such fire is pre-coordinated with the Pakistani military.
https://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks_cracks_NATO%27s_Master_Narrative_for_Afghanistan