Sounds like Kabul may be in danger of falling

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/October/international_October1291.xml§ion=international

NATO convoy bomb adds urgency to protecting Kabul (AP)

30 October 2011

KABUL, Afghanistan — The weekend suicide bombing of a NATO convoy that killed 17 people in Kabul adds urgency to the U.S.-led coalition’s work to expand a security bubble around the Afghan capital.

With most of the attacks in Kabul blamed on the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, the latest reinforced U.S. and Afghan demands that Islamabad do more to curb militant activity and sanctuaries on its territory. snip

Marine Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in a recent interview with The Associated Press that the operations against the Haqqanis were conducted in preparation for next year’s plan to step up operations to keep insurgents from infiltrating across the Pakistani border and into the capital, especially from the south.

“The campaign plan is to extend operations down in that area — pretty significantly — to secure the orbital districts around Kabul and push that security zone out,” Allen said.

[SixthSense]

1. and thus goes the 11th year...

bin Laden is dead - that's why we went in, allegedly - now let's get the hell out.

[Marazinia]

2. And leave all those natural resources unliberated?

Afghanistan is endowed with a wealth of natural resources, including extensive deposits of natural gas, petroleum, coal, marble, gold, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semi-precious stones, and many rare earth elements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Afghanistan

Rare earth elements in particular are probably of interest to the US, since our relations with China may become quite a bit unfriendlier as the fossil fuel supplies fail to keep up with demand.

[ArcticFox]

3. Rare earths

Isn't China already setting up to mine them there? Wonder if our government is providing security to them because of some threat over our debts

[formercia]

6. China will be mining Copper.

If it's not Oil, it's something else.

[Marazinia]

8. Hadn't heard about that

Looks like they're going to play nice and divide up the resource pie the US keeps stealing. At least for now. But what happens when increasing demands from over a billion Chinese citizens for an American standard of living collides with declining energy and fresh water supplies? That is the question.

[FarCenter]

4. All the Taliban has to do is stop the fuel truck convoys from Karachi to Kabul

It's a long and dangerous road.

The US can't do much without the trucked-in fuel. It's too heavy to airlift.

[Herlong]

5. I'm sorry but who's fault is that! n/t

[bvar22]

7. "Sounds like Kabul may be in danger of falling"

How would we know if it "fell."

...a reduction in corruption? :shrug:



Solidarity99!
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