I am always concerned when I read people stating that we should withdraw from Afghanistan or when I read about out spineless European allies refusing to send troops to help in Afghanistan because I fear that people don't see the consequences of such actions.
Afghanistan was the most repressive appalling state prior to 2001. Do we remember just how awaful the Taliban were, and they were, in the main, not even Afghans. The Taliban and their al-qua'eda allies were largely from Pakistan or the middle east. Afghans referred to the Taliban as "arabs", which is a term to mean people from west of Iran. Yet we still have people who seem to think that a return to the picture of them destroying the Buddhist statues at Bamiyan , the hangings in the football stadium in Kabul or even the banning of kite flying and music are a good thing ?
The reason highlighted most often for out failure to "win" in Afghanistan is simply a lack of troops and money. The main reason for the lack of troops is a complete lack of will by our so called Nato and mainly European allies to send troops to parts of Afghanistan where they might be shot at. yet do these states realise how many potnetial deaths there might be in Europe should Afghanistan against become a home to terrorist training camps on the scale of 2001 ?
I did not support the war in Iraq because despite the repression there, Iraq was not a sponsor of international terrorism. But Afghanistan was the biggest single factor in the growth of terrorism around the world and we should never forget that.
10 comments:
Afghanistan is not the single biggest factor in the growth of terrorism around the world. US foreign policy is the biggest factor.
Our presence in Afghanistan is a result of the forelock-tugging 'special relationship'.
Given that we spend much of the time there destroying the Afghan farmers' main crop in the name of an (equally stupid and equally unwinnable) War on Drugs, it's hardly surprising that the only thing achieved by our presence is an increase in popular support for Islamic radicalism of one kind or another.
Nich, how many of the 9/11 hijackers was from Afghanistan?
Who set up the training camps in the 1980s?
Do you know?
How many 7/7 bombers went to Afghanistan ?
It's not where you are from, its where you went.
Let's leave aside 7/7 - we don't know the full facts as there was never a trial.
You didn't answer my second point - Who set up the terror training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
Here's another: the British have occupied Afghanistan successfully before, true or false?
I am no fan of America's actions in helping create terrorist groups, don't confuse my arguments for that.
However, anyone who thinks we can withdraw from Afghanistan and it will not fall to the Taliban, who themselves are an oppressive largely foreign group is living in cloud cuckoo land.
We'll have to agree to disagree.
I am no fan of America's actions in helping create terrorist groups, don't confuse my arguments for that.
However, anyone who thinks we can withdraw from Afghanistan and it will not fall to the Taliban, who themselves are an oppressive largely foreign group is living in cloud cuckoo land.
We'll have to agree to disagree.
I am no fan of America's actions in helping create terrorist groups, don't confuse my arguments for that.
However, anyone who thinks we can withdraw from Afghanistan and it will not fall to the Taliban, who themselves are an oppressive largely foreign group is living in cloud cuckoo land.
We'll have to agree to disagree.
Nich, are you planning on joining up to fight this unwinnable war, or will it be down to other people to fight it for you? It's easy to cheer from the sidelines while others are being killed and injured.
We're not getting the truth about this war - Nato forces are propping up a network of drug barons, not a democratic government. Now, under the foreign occupation of the Nato alliance, a man is to be executed for looking at a document on womens' rights!
We already have a volunteer, non conscripted army in this country. I don't feel that every time some advocates using the army that they should join up. It's akin to calling the police and thinking you should join the police force.
It's not a conscription army - but we know that it's not rich kids dying in the Middle East...
It's a fair point about about the police - but my point is, would you fight this war? They expect to be there for FOURTY YEARS! Already they're halving training for new recruits, strugging to cope with high levels of sickness, etc. So god knows, they might have to introduce conscription - in which case, would you dodge the draft or die in the desert?
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