By Ahmad Majidyar, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Ahmad Majidyar is a senior research associate at the American Enterprise Institute. The views expressed are his own.
A gunman in an Afghan army uniform killed three Australian soldiers in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday night, the latest in an alarming string of so-called “green-on-blue” attacks that have eroded morale and trust at a critical juncture as foreign troops are withdrawing and transitioning security to the Afghan lead. The deaths bring the number of foreign troops killed by Afghan allies, or by Taliban fighters disguised as them, to 45 this year, most of them Americans.
According to General John R. Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, the Taliban has been responsible for one quarter of these attacks through infiltration, coercion and impersonation. The new threat has been a PR disaster for Kabul and Washington, but a propaganda victory for the Taliban. In his Eid al-Fitr message, the insurgent group’s reclusive leader Mullah Omar claimed his fighters had “cleverly infiltrated in the ranks of the enemy,” and that the Taliban had created the “Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration” department to encourage more defections.
But while the Taliban has played a role, the majority of these attacks have been carried out by disgruntled Afghans with no connection with the insurgents.
One reason is battle fatigue. Afghanistan has already surpassed Vietnam as America’s longest war. For Afghans, the country has been embroiled in ceaseless conflict since the 1978 Soviet-backed coup. Drug addiction and mental disorders among Afghan soldiers and policemen are other key factors. A lack of cultural and religious sensitivity, as well as instances of miscommunication and verbal arguments, has also triggered such attacks. It is not a coincidence that insider attacks sharply increased after the Kandahar massacre and Quran burning by American soldiers earlier this year.
Left unchecked, these attacks have serious implications for the transition plan and NATO’s Afghanistan exit strategy. Insider attacks are particularly worrying because they call into question the most critical pillar of the Obama administration’s Afghanistan strategy, which is to train and build a capable and credible Afghan force that can maintain security and prevent the return of the Taliban and al-Qaeda after foreign troops’ departure in two years. Training and mentoring requires close partnership and is impossible without trust. One damaging effect would be a reduction in joint operations.
A continuation of insider killings could also produce political costs, and would further erode public support for the war in the U.S. and Europe. About two-thirds of Americans already do not want troops to be fighting in Afghanistan, and more such attacks would create domestic pressure on allied nations to withdraw troops faster than the 2014 timeline. Indeed, troop casualties were one reason countries such as France and New Zealand charted a faster pullout plan.
So, what can be done? First, the Afghan and U.S. governments need to get on the same page over the issue. The Afghan government, contradicting NATO officials’ findings, blames foreign spy agencies, a euphemism for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for the attacks. Both sides need to agree on what the real causes are and to act in unison to reduce the threat.
To mitigate the Taliban infiltration, both the Afghan and coalition forces need to increase the number of their intelligence and counterintelligence personnel. The Afghan government, meanwhile, needs to implement a more rigorous vetting and recruitment process. More in-depth cultural awareness arrangements for coalition and Afghan forces could also prove useful. NATO officials should also ensure that new security measures are balanced. Too extreme measures could offend the Afghans, widen the gap between the two allies, and increase the level of threat.
The insider attacks are still isolated incidents and do not reflect the overall security situation in Afghanistan – coalition and Afghan forces make hundreds of contacts and conduct joints operations on a daily basis. The Afghan security forces have seen remarkable progress in size and quality over the past two years, and some 350,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen are now responsible for security of more than half the population. But if insider killings continue to rise dramatically, they could potentially derail the overall Afghanistan strategy and undo gains made over a decade of conflict.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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American soldiers getting killed for the 1% , Awesome .
Well put, slimjim66. That goes to show just how the right-wingers have taken over in Washington D.C. With both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama running for the presidency, this will only continue, sadly enough!
Obama already has the plan in place to remove ISAF/American troops by 2014.I am quite certain that Romney would like to keep them longer or withdraw them with an Iranian invasion to follow.You can bet your behind that none of Romney's 5 sons will be enlisted for military duty if this ever takes place.
I didn't volunteer to "get killed for the 1%"... I volunteered so that you, as well as the people in Afghanistan, might have the opportunity to make such baseless accusations without facing legal consequences.
Don't take it personal, Mike. Because when you were sent over there, our government sure wasn't looking at you as anything but a statistic.
You may have been fighting for those things (and regardless of how it may come across, your service is appreciated), but I don't think our government had those reasons in mind. Being a pawn isn't cool.
Hi Mike,
While you did join to server our country, and I commend you for it, you aren't defending the American homeland when follow orders and fight a ideological political war overseas. America was attacked by 19 people that belonged to a group of a few hundred, maybe even numbering over a thousand. A little extra sense, such as not letting box cutters through security and American intelligence agencies coordinating would have stopped us from spending trillions on fighting two wars that have cost thousand and thousands of lives.
Actully Mike, this obnoxious war in Afghanistan has absolutely nothing at all to do with any of our rights or freedoms nor with our national security! We are in Afghanistan because of that country's vast undergroung mineral resorces totalling to well over $1 Trillion and to promote the careers of right-wing politicians!!!
High five to you Mike. Some people just don't get it.
I agree completely Mike...how can anyone say our national security wasn't in trouble after 9/11?? We were attacked. The Taliban and AQ ran Afghanistan. I know that most won't and don't understand this, but they don't hate us because we are in their country. They hate us because we are everything they oppose. They view us as ignorant swine. You that speak out against gov. policy would be killed on sight there before we came into the country. I'm not saying that politicians didn't make mistakes in dealing with some of the matters there. But to say we weren't justified after 9/11 is unacceptable.
There is hardly a person in the USA who does not appreciate what our servicemen/women do. We often care enough to try to make sure your sacrifice is for something worthwhile. If we had been better led than GW Bush our troops would have been in and out of Afghanistan in less than a year. I do not see a need to take offense at this......Old Navy A-4 Skyhawk
Well,Mikey at least you had the opportunity to "volunteer" for military duty.In 1970 I received a draft notice by the Selective Service to report to the U.S.Army recruiting office in Oakland,Ca.Next stop,a tour of South Vietnam to fight a much more formidable enemy than you faced in the form of the NVA.Freedom of speech applies to all of us,veteran or civilian.His opinion is every bit as valid as yours or mine and is due some respect
Mike,
Thank God you did volunteer. We have seen that if we don't stop them "over there" that they have no problem bringing it "over here". You are right - the cowards who get to sit in front of their comfortable computers and question your sense owe you a lot. And their lack of understanding of your "volunteering" makes their comments even more traitorous.
And in return, you have a Commander in Chief who in Ohio is trying to make sure that your voice is not heard as loudly at the ballot box.
This is a number of American's are getting tired of the rhetoric coming from the right. They merely voiced their thoughts on the war. They didn't degrade Mike for his service and actually commended him for it, as I do. They merely objected to the war policies and their costs to America, which the right wants to shove onto the poor and middle class. You're response? A personal attack on their character calling them cowards while repeating a already debunked lie about our current commander and chief just because they don't agree with your rigid ideology. I'll respect your political leaning, but does that mean I have to listen to your hate and not call you out on your lies? I don't believe so.
Excellent point. The only reason they hate us and want us dead is because we are in their country. You wouldn't accept Afgani troops walking down our streets and bombing us....why should they?
Good point. But I fear nothing is ever going to change there after we and our allies are out of there! the Taliban will just move back in and intimidate an already weak weary country. We came and got the mastermind behind out attack. It's time to leave and just focus more on protecting our own country.
Thank you, Cody. You said it all.
So them doing honor killings, suicide bombings, killing people for burning paper has nothing to do with it?
@Patrick. You are not the real Patrick. You are an islamist who cannot handle the fact that you are stupid.
You also use the names Joseph McCarthy/Quigley/LyndsieGraham/krm1007©™/Joe Collins/J. Foster Dulles/Marine5484/OldManClark/Willie12345/KillerO'Bama when spewing poison on people better than you.
No Cody. The extremists that finance, supply, recruit, train and motivate/brainwash your everyday Johnny Jihad aren't going to suddenly start loving America if we leave. They will simply find some other reason to hate us and brainwash their recruits with that excuse instead; our support for Israel, presence *anywhere* in the ME, or that old fallback rhetoric of how we're an evil Godless society that dares let women out in public alone. And if we leave, they'll simply bring the fight to us again. Unfortunately, theirs is not a mindset that understands or respects compromise, diplomacy or 'live and let live.'
Thank you Cody. We need more people like you in America. The fact that the USA is already 100% bankrupt from war based debt is a mockery to common sense. The fact that we are still involved in wars based on lies by war profiteers after we are already bankrupted by war is just plain pure insanity.
What an asinine statement slim, killed for the 1%....do you honestly believe that? So the 1% of Americans are sending troops to die so they can.....what, exactly? What is the 1%'s vested interest in sending ppl to die? Are you only talking about the elected officials who make up the 1%? If so, what did they gain by being in Afghanistan? How did that benefit them? You should really think before you type such non sense.
Where do you think the Trillions of dollars to fund these wars are going? Not to the soldiers or the familys of the heroic deceased.
Ever heard of defense contractors or Haliburton.Put your thinking cap on.Yes,they just happen to be the 1%ers referred to.
Yea. We're probably there to promote Democracy and good will. HAHAHAHAHAHA
Decline, do you have 30 seconds to learn the truth?
Ok fantastic! Let's follow the money trail from Iraq and Afghanistan, shall we?
1) Estimates Range from $2 billion to $5.5 billion that Dick Cheney made in no bid Halliburton contracts.
2) The world's largest private company is a defense conglomerate named teh Carlyle group?
Guess who owns it? Dubya's daddy.
Gosh, that took only 30 seconds to follow the money trail for wars based on lies.
Isn't it great that we never found a single WMD?
How hilarious is it that the US taxpayers spent one BILLION DOLLARS to build an Iraqi embassy.
The only thing funnier than the war profiteers with pockets full of US soldier's blood money are the legions of pedantic trolls charged with covering their crimes.
WRONG – all of you.
You saw what happened on 9/11/01, after we had "left them alone" – they brought the battle to us.
You do remember, correct?
Now we're bringing the battle to them and they're not liking it one bit. But battles are messy. Bad things happen in this world, regardless of what the US does. It just makes a difference WHERE the "bad things" occur. There, or here. I vote "there".
yes you are right any war the usa is involved in has to be in another country how fast every one forgets about what 911 looked like and what it cost our economy jobs that were lost and never came back and some of the people are still looking for work and all this country could think about was how to spend billions on a memorial there they should have just cleaned the mess up and sold the ground to be industrialized and maybe put the money in the peoples pockets that worked there and lost their jobs people need to ponder on what happened that day and decide do they want to fight any war on this soil and have what happen then pour across the usa in the same manner i sure don`t
Courtesy of Barack Hussein Obama...
All by Obama's hand...I didn't think he approved of the 1%?...as a Genius ,Obama has come up with precious few answers in A'Stan don't you think?
totally unethical leftists...typical!
and your mother is a hamster.
YOUR MOTHER IS A WORN OUT DELAPIDATED CAMEL.
His name isn't fareed. It's Fartweed . Another Obumbler lap dog.
A very good analysis. I think the insider attacks on our troops will increase as we're withdrawing.
You are an ingnoramus. You are nothing like the real Patrick.
It's spelled ignoramus, idiot. But what's your point anyway.
You are a thief and a liar and an islamist. My point is made.
Remind me to question every single grammar and spelling mistakes you make when spewing your poisonous rants.
Aside from that, you are a disgusting excuse for a human being.
Get your own name because no matter whose name you steal, you are still an idiot.
You need to consult a good psychiatrist soon. It's really serious.
Joseph McCarthy/Quigley/LyndsieGraham/krm1007©™/Joe Collins/J. Foster Dulles/Marine5484/OldManClark/Willie12345/KillerO'Bama – whomever you purport to be, you are an id iot. Stealing Patrick's name does not make you into him. You remind me of a dog who rolls into a bigger dog's pi$$ so that he can fool others. The only fool is you!
And who's the "real Patrick"? Your husband?
The real Patrick is a man of honour.
You are sc um.
What the devil was that bimbo Julia Gillard thinking by irresponsibly sending Australian troops to Afghanistan anyway? That was gigantically stupid move on her part! The worst part of this is that these guys never died for their country, only for the special interest groups in Washington D.C. and that's sickening!
Great post, Quigley. I am just as disgusted with this Julia Gillard as you are. Has she been that corrupted by the M.I.C. in Washington or what? Anyway, like you said above, that idiotic decision to send troops to Afghanistan was a true no-brainer!!!
I am the same guy. I am a useless piece of camel dung who works at the moron stage. I post anti-American, anti GB, anti-Semite, anti-India, anti-modern anything because I am a good Moslem from Pakistan. I have stolen Patrick’s moniker because I am so ashamed of myself and I post the most stupid comments because I am an imbecile. Mohammed the pedophile has taught me well. When people get angry with me, I claim they are the stupid ones. If I am not careful, my brain will explode because it is so full of hate and puss.
I'm sorry, but this probably could have been prevented if American soldiers didn't burn the Koran, urinated on dead Taliban and killed civilians etc. If you start behaving like the enemy, you become like the enemy.
Wrong, Ferhat. That would have happened anyway since the Afghans do not want and will not accept foreign rule over them! We need to do like the Russians did some 20 years ago, just vacate Afghanistan altogether!
ya right that what did it
They should have done more of that and also should feed pork to any captured Taliban prisoners.If they refused to eat it,inject pig's blood into their veins to taint their Muslim souls.
True, the Afghan forces have made remarkable progress in the last two years. The question is, who is going to finance the security after 2014 and pay for the services of these 350,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen? Karzai steps down in 2014 and nobody will shed a tear over his departure. Who will replace him and how strong the new government will be? The mission in Afghanistan is a nonstarter and the place is a hornet's' nest.
So what would be your guess?
US is still to prove it has got workable exit strategy for the conflicts it starts.
"Making Enemies / Buying Friends" approach does not seem to work particularly well.
geez, we invade a country, occupy it for a decade, prop up a corrupt government that stole an election, bomb civilians with our drones, and we can't figure out why they are shooting at our troops? arrogance or ignorance, i can't decide which.
They could have given us Usama when we asked right after 9-11 and they refused. Give that some thought.
Exactly. I would hope we will do the same thing when they turn the war machine onto US citizens.
y are u blaming the troops they are just doing what they are told they just want to server there country so stop blaming them considering the fact that they r trying to give these people something good and they are getting shot for it
American lawyers determined at Nuremburg, once and for all, that nobody can use the excuse that they are not responsible. Particularly people who chose to sign up after two wars broke out.
"trying to give them something good".....
They are SUPPOSED to be doing it to bring US good.
I can see how 'good' things are since all this BS started, can't you? Or is that THEM doing it to us still? From within?(it actually started a long time ago, but thats a different thread and comment block)
"They are only doing what they are told to do"? Yep, and they have a moral right, as human being to opt the hell out. They are NOT doing so, therefore, they are simply brainwashed into doing it. Have been for decades now.
There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that they(US troops) are 'doing' over there, even if they 'win'(?), that is going to make EVERYTHING thats going on over here any better. In fact, it's getting worse..health-wise, morally, ethically, and economically–just to name a few.
If they don't get out of EVERY place they are, whether through govt orders, or by mutiniy/awol of the troops, this country is DONE.
If they were to get out suddenly(which is what it will take) it would send a moment of 'OMG, they really did do it' ... that would be enough for every citizen of this country to get this land and people back. It will also give the people in the other countries having similar problems to do what they need to do also.
Until something that drastic happens...you can kiss this country goodbye.
And while you do that, as you have been brainwashed to do, I WILL be fighting for 'good' in this country, even when I know I will die doing it. THAT is a real patriot.
The troops need to be home now! Or they might as well get citizenship wherever they are. If they keep doing this, there is no country to came back to anyway.
Period.
Every single one of the troops are NOT fighting for America's interests and inhibitions...they are fighting for everyone else's....and if they continue to do so, they will watch their families and loved ones lose their lives, via the computers in which the ones that they take orders from, and are doing this to the U.S. people, have given them to see through. And they are absolutely BLIND to it. As are the sleeping sheep in this country that aren't demanding change..but waiting for the troops and govt to deliver us some 'good'.
Hell, even if they complete everything they are supposedly trying to do over there, it will still be the same here, and still deteriorating.
I will contend that we are the freest nation on this earth, but that is being taken away at a rather rapid pace by those that condone this and pay no attention to how to really get things back. Voting isn't going to do it. You see how that has been working for the past 50 years.
Again, I ask...I see alot of 'good' in the U.S. coming from these 'wars' in just the past 11 years..don't you? Yeah..the whole world is much better off now that we are doing so much 'good' for them...isn't it?
I can see the sleeping saying "you don't know what you are talking about. We need this. They are a serious threat to us. And my govt wouldn't let anything 'bad' happen..they keep telling me so!"
You are all pathetic, misguided, brainwashed sheep. And you probably will be until your loved ones collapse on the ground dead beside you...and even THEN most of you are so brainwashed that even THAT wouldn't deter you from thinking that it will get better, because our leaders say that it will.
If you are asleep now, when all of this is basically out in the open, and even being literally said right out of the mouths of our so-called leaders..you will stay asleep.
DISGUSTING!
All I have left to say to you is..you'd better get really good with your ducking lessons.
~Blessed Be to all~
i don`t think our goverment is really serious about bringing our troops home any time soon one reason is they know that the job situation is poor and theres no jobs for them plus they are trying to give what jobs we have to the illegals called the dream act a free ride for the illegals our goverment could not organize a rock fight with all that said wars will never cease lets just make sure we don`t fight them on usa soil for if we do our economy as you know it will be gone and we will truly look like a third world country that we are becoming
Funny how it's the Republicans who salivated so much for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who are now peaceful little doves blaming Obama for not having us out yet. How quickly people CHOOSE to forget...
The Taliban tactics change all the time, they adapt to survive. Have you heard of Darwinism? So that's it - the survival of the fittest.
You misspelled "filtiest".
What really irks the heck out of me is in the article that says"
"But while the Taliban has played a role, the majority of these attacks have been carried out by disgruntled Afghans with no connection with the insurgents.
One reason is battle fatigue"
Battle fatigue? What about the American soldiers and the American people, aren't we sick and tired of this war also? It's time to get out of Afghanistan NOW because nothing is ever going to change there after we and our allies are out of there!
There have been articles on battle fatigue for American soldiers. I have read them. I think it is OK that we acknowledge that another part of humanity might also have fatigue. It is their country getting bombed, their people that must worry about attacks while having weddings and going to the market.
This is just like the inevitable with drawl from Vietnam, Western kids getting killed for a flawed Western strategy and a corrupt local government.
Just a thought. Maybe we could all leave.
Of course that clown Karzai doesn't want to see reality. He wants to believe his troops will protect him but the truth is Kabal is going to fold faster than Saigon and his butt is going to be hanging Mussolini style from a lamp post unless we get him safe passage ala what we did with the Shah.
Kabul, typo.
I'm a democrat and I'm planning on posing and infiltrating the republican campaign in our area. I can be pretty damn devious.
On second thought, I thought I was a republican years ago, maybe I've been brainwashed and they had me infiltrate the democrats? I can't trust even myself now!!
The time is long past since we should have left Afghanistan. When we leave I have no doubt that Afghanistan will return to its old ways without any hesitation.
WHAT AND WHEN WILL AMERICA UNDERSTAND WE ARE WASTING ALL OUR TIME EFFORTS AND MONIES IN THIS GOD FOR SAKEN COUNTRY OF AFGHANISTAN EVEN THIER PRESIDENT CAN NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE HERE.
WE CAN NOT STOP THIS BARBARIC LIFE THAT THESE PEOPLE LIVE AND NOR DO THEY WANT US TO
GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE AND LET THINGS FALL AS THEY MAY BEFORE WE RUIN THE ENTIRE US AND GERMANY AND ALL THE OTHER NATO NATIONS. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH HOW MANY MORE LIVES DO YOU THE LEADERS OF AMERICA WANT ON YOUR HANDS !!!
Excellent point, Steve. Thank you.
Well Steve, there is the matter of all those poppy fields there and the huge deposits of lithium. Also a major oil pipeline runs through there.
Bring our troops home... leave afghastan Afghanistan for the locals destroy... they have been killing each other
for hundreds and hundreds of years... le't help them do it better...leave extra weapons and ammo.
please GET OUR TROOPS out now. how much more of american must we sacrifice for that place?
This situation was predictable. Afghanistan is a tribal country with no respect nor desire for central government. The British got their butts kicked there, then the Russians, and now us. The next Western power that tries it will get their butts kicked too.
We aren't "getting our butts kicked". Far from it. We could have total control of that country in less than 24hrs if we wanted it.
No, our goal is far higher – to return control of the country to the Afghan civilians (not the Taliban, however, we tried that and they provided asylum to OBL).
Yeah, like having total control of Iraq worked for us. There is a difference between having pride in your country and being delusional.
My liberal friends think the answer to this "green on blue" problem must be less guns. In fact, they should probably ban guns. Clearly, having our personnel armed and able to shoot back when one of these psychos goes on a shooting spree is not working.
Nevermind none of these incidents have death tolls anything like Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, and so on. Nevermind friendly fire not killing others in the process. I'm sure I'll get a rebuttal telling me how the military has elite firearms training (it does not).
I suggest we don't wait for supposed 'friendlies' to fire upon our troops ... we should shoot FIRST and "apologize" later.
Spoken like a true, weak minded Tea Partier, Bob! Gee whiz, is this all you Tea Partiers know? We need to cleanse this nation of this right-wing, lynch mob mentality! This is what led Germany to start WW2!
I am the same guy. I am a useless piece of camel dung who works at the moron stage. I post anti-American, anti GB, anti-Semite, anti-India, anti-modern anything because I am a good Moslem from Pakistan. I have stolen Patrick’s moniker because I am so ashamed of myself and I post the most stupid comments because I am an imbecile. Mohammed the pedophile has taught me well. When people get angry with me, I claim they are the stupid ones. If I am not careful, my brain will explode because it is so full of hate and puss.
hinduism absurdity of a hindu ignorant from hindered gutter land india, spewing his hinduism, absurdity, as he is commanded by his hindu racist hindu filthy Enoch man god Ram, married to his sister to be followed by every hindu pagan by faith, nothing but hindu's, parasite's of their cow mama's dung, pretending to be human.
ARE INDIANS UBER TERRORISTS OR WHAT???? Forget the GDP, focus on these murder statistics.
In India, millions of girls are strangled, slowly starved or simply tossed in the trash. Moreover, in India, at least 1,370 girls are aborted every day. As a comparison, some 250 Indians die every day in road accidents. Terrorists killed about six people, on an average, every day in 2009. In the last two decades of economic progress, 10 million girls have died as such in India.
SHAME ON INDIA AND ITS BARBARIC AND MEDIEVAL CULTURE !!!
Indians have killed more human beings (girls particularly) than Al Qaeda and Talibans put together.
i agree but why should we have to apologize for protecting our own life it is about all of our troops comeing home live and with all our body parts attached where they belong
This war is not nor was it ever winnable not now, not ever. The mindset of this medieval culture with the exception of a few will ever get their heads around what it means to be civilized. We had a chance at the end of Charlie Wilson's war, but we walked away when we really needed to stay. Afghans have put up with us solely for the money we have dumped into their economy. The Afghans can see the writing on the wall, the funds will dry up and we will leave.
Why did U send US troops there? What goals are they trying to achieve? Is it army job to do it (CIA, SpecOps might do it more efficient)? Who is their enemy (clear definition)? How much resources are U willing to spend (soldiers lives, time, money)? If U win, if army can not achieve its goals or U're spending too much resources how U plan to end this? I never heard answers to these questions from yours political or military leaders.
I'm Australian and we have a professional defence force i.e. our diggers go to war as a matter of honour and to hone their skills>we fight depending on what the action requires>we do everything from peacekeeping to infiltration and down and out killing>but we fight as professionals>no qualms>except when you get shot in the back by people who are supposed to be your allies>This tactic that the insergents are using has caused more casualties than any other these people who still live in the dark ages have devised>that is the point>these people live in the dark ages>they will fight each other if it wasn't us>they are were we were during the middle ages when we fought the deverstating religious wars around 600 years ago>there is no reasoning with these people>We should get out and let India and Pakistan belt it out>it is the best thing for us and the world economy>why should we pay the bill both in money time and precious citizens>we sacrifice our best and for what?>so some Indian economy can keep growing>or Pakistan keep lying to us while taking our money>I'm sick of it>I grew up and watched my mates older brothers destroy their mind and bodies during Vietnam and now kids in their 20's are being shot in the back by cowards>all the while the flags are flying and the pollies keep saying we have to stay the course>it should be mandatory for these politicians to sacrifice their sons and daughters on the front line with no commisions and then I'll start to listen to their crap
I bow to you, oh Endless Paragraph
HAHAHA!!! Oh endless paragraph where fore art thou?
"Drug addiction and mental disorders among Afghan soldiers"
It's not only the Afghans I far as I can tell...
Muslim clerics (imams, mullahs, muftis, ullemas, etc.) are responsible for these attacks. Eliminating these rats, certainly would drastically diminish violence and terrorist attacks.
It would be so simple to fly them to another country nearby where it is safer and train them there.no more sneaky suckers killing our trainers and the afghans.
But that makes too much sense and will never happen. It would appear that our military personnel's lives are not worth the fuel to save them..
And the nearby countries are Pakistan and Iran. That shows how much you know about the politics out there.
stupid pointless war: the name in the history books.
Let them kill each other off and be done with it.
You're a disgrace to humanity. Your parents should be ashamed of you.
While this is deplorable, what shocked me was a recent news article about an ongoing genocide in India. It is indicative of a total disregard of human lives. I would have thought that this would have ended with Kosovo and Bosnia. Perhaps it is time for USA and NATO to start bombing New Delhi as it did in Kosovo and Bosnia to stop this ethnic cleansing and murders. After all the military assets are nearby in Afghanistan and Bahrain and this could be accomplished with minimal cost.
There is no genocide in India. You're ignorant.
We'll pull out shortly after the election. And BTW, the Afghanistan invasion was different from the Iraq invasion. Afghanistan was justified. bin Laden hit us on 9/11, the Taliban gave him shelter, and that is grounds for war. We came, we ran out the Taliban, and eventually killed bin Laden. We're done; let's go home.
Iraq was never justified. There were no WMD's or links to al-Qaeda. W & co. made it all up. The troops did great, but the politicians were criminal. We still don't know the real reason our leadership was so determined to invade. But we know the cost in US troops, Iraqi civilians, and money.
You're right that Afghanistan was the right war and Iraq wasn't. But you're wrong that we should leave immediately because bin Laden is death. Al Qaeda is not a single person; it is an ideology and it's an organization intent on destruction of the Western world. Bin Laden is gone, but his followers are there. The new al Qaeda leader is in Pakistan with thousands of followers. And the Taliban are their allies. We can't leave prematurely and let achievements of our troops in the past decade to be wasted. We need to continue helping the Afghan security forces so that they can defend their own country.
Whoever hit U on 9/11 died the same day. Whoever planned the attack should have been found, interrigated and killed. And I don't think that US really needed to send more than a special unit or tomohawk missile to achieve it
there was proof of wmd and also they would not let the inspectors in like the un agreements required inspectors where rejected access about 15 times so we had all rights to invade at least it started of real good shock and ah that is only thing is we stopped the shock and ah too soon that was the only mistake
There must be another way of phrasing this international issue instead of "green on blue challenge". People are dying, but that headline makes it sound like college football Saturday when Michigan State takes on Michigan.
Unfortunately OvernOut, most Americans do tend to look upon this obnoxious war as another sporting event, the NATO troops being our boys and the Taliban being the opposing team. This is totally wrong and ignorant, but the politicians in Washington are glad that the majority of Americans feel that way so they can use it to enhance their political careers! The real tragedy is that this war is completely unnecessary and useless!
You're wrong. This war started as a response to the 9/11. If we leave Afghanistan prematurely, we'll revert to the pre9/11 situation. The Taliban and al Qaeda will come back to parts of the country and plot against us. We need to end the war responsibly. All the sacrifices of the past decade shouldn't go in vain.
>> most Americans do tend to look upon this obnoxious war as another sporting event,
All too true.
Not that any other nation views their wars any different.
Governments the world over have shown us that ALL peoples prefer war,
in all times, and in all places.
It is just a matter of when and who.
People will not tolerate peace.
Never have, and never will.
This is not uniquely an American problem; this is the state of an uncivilized race that
has not reached maturity, and never will.
Just kill them all. Stronger powers always force their will on the weak that's how life is. We have to be a stronger imperialistic nation
We need to KEEP our troops in Afghanistan for another 100 years.
It does not matter even if we get our white butts kicked red, blue and of course white
like a pig. We deserve this.
we should eat our own excrement to survive this war
stay the course and bring it on.
I wonder if this is plagiarized?
It is now time to bring our troops home they have done a great job and now it is up to the Afghan people to do what they must. It seems to most of the America that this country got the help they needed and now we can not hold there hands any more. We need to look at America and start taken care of our own now, not everyone else.
BECAUSE MUSLIM CAN NOT BE TRUST .
We have aproximately 30,000 Red White & Blue attacks on Red White & Blue resulting in death within the borders of the USA every year. And yet there will be no chants and flag waving at either political convention about this. If drunk drivers were killing 20,000 to 30,000 US troops in Afganastan each year the pundits would be protesting. And yet Clint Eastwood mentioned nothing about this. Neither did Ted Nugent. They both recently had a national spotlight. Anything from the Tea Party, Rush, Glen, Hannity, or Grover?. Guess it is acceptable.
Why don't they call it blue on green attacks? The ones with the blue uniforms are attacking our troops with green uniforms... Just saying
The war story never told, how the independent Vietnam farms , who needed no government had to be displace for one power are the other. It really don't matter much what the government calls it's self after the deed is done. The money and wealth still ends up with the money changers of the world.
Oh no, the locals don't like the invaders? Big surprise.
Ditch those holes and let them fight themselves.
It's kinda time we got out of there, they don't want us there, right?
It's kinda time we got out of there, they don't want us there, right?
No, wrong. A majority of Afghans still support the presence of foreign troops in the country. They don't want the return of terrorist Taliban. The insider attacks are carried out by a few individuals. There are 350,000 Afghan forces along more than 100,000 foreign troops jointly operating every day. The both see the Taliban and al Qaeda as common enemy.
It is obvious that Afgan Army is already taking orders from the Taliban. They are just greasing the way after NATO leaves a half hearted half done job unfinished.
When Bush put us into this war there was never a plan to get out, The Republican don't want us to end it they have done everything to make sure we never get out, If Romney is elected we can begin to call it the never ending WAR, it will never end, It is just time to get out of this mess, bring our troops home once and for all. and the hell with them, and If they should ever attack America again we can respond by bombing them beyond the stone age, there is no law that we have to rebuild there country and spend our money waiting 2 years more to withdraw hell with that do it now, think about how much we will save
We keep trying to turn Afghanistan into a "country", the way we think of a country. It's never going to happen.