world

Afghan forces face intense Taliban test as foreign troops leave

30 Comments
By Mushtaq Mojaddidi and Qasim Nauman

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2021 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


30 Comments
Login to comment

Afghan is not really a country. It is a region made of various tribes. The country will not be able to unify and withstand a Taliban surge.

Expect a new name for this region next year.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

The Taliban are fighting for a cause they believe in. The majority of the Afghan army are in uniform for the paycheck that goes with it. They are not interested in the fight.

There will be limited fighting followed by a Taliban/ government power share with the Taliban getting the lions share of the power.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Another foreign policy disaster in the region, by none other than....

8 ( +9 / -1 )

And after billions of dollars,human resources and lives lost it end's like this.

The U.S. should have never put it's feet in there,all these words brought from various administrations lead only to instability.

They should have learned the lessons from the Soviets.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

P. SmithToday  03:32 pm JST

Afghanistan is definitely going to go the way of Yugoslavia and break up. It’s not as if the Taliban are overrunning the “country” to assert their authority. Oh, wait . . 

Is that a legal analysis, maybe from a family/criminal law firm?

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

It’s just only the same error again and again. No way, that the Afghan military can resist if they do the same asymmetric ‘strategy’, well, they surely don’t even have such a one. lol Residing in camps and barracks and the most courageous ones do some short range patrolling, that is of no value there. Russians , Americans, NATO forces, whoever tried just only was damned to fail. The Taliban will overrun those installations with ease or they just dry and hunger them out beforehand, waiting for them to give up. If you then try to supply them from the air, they take out those helicopters and planes too. They still might have no access to air force equipment, but they surely have enough to neutralize it very quickly, in the moments the targets are in reach, start, landing, too less of height, and of course night attacks, blowing the whole hangars and runways away into desert sand. And , what already others wrote here, the Afghan military staff itself are not motivated and skilled enough. They just go with the ones who pay more or promise them to let them exist a day longer. If they are assured to survive they will even easily change side and then amplify the rows of the Taliban fighters.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

...so in 15 plus years, NATO couldn't train Afghans to maintain their own aircraft? Not sure what this says about who, but it isn't good. Perhaps just another reason that the effort to 'civilize' a country like this is doomed to failure.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

so in 15 plus years, NATO couldn't train Afghans to maintain their own aircraft?

As I am informed by several news, the NATO forces have trained quite some native Afghan fighter pilots. Personally, I doubt a bit, that they can really maintain the machines and fly such sophisticated equipment or communicate in English etc. all by themselves. But the main problem is of course the Taliban radicalism. If you know they are already outside of the city and will kill you if they catch you as a pilot, will you do the job, maybe caught soon and executed? Or would you quit and hide your uniform, let the Taliban in and take their offer to survive, then poor water over the opium fields and cash in more in a year from illegal drugs than an Afghan military fighter pilot ever sees in whole of his short lifespan? No need to answer, refer to the weekly map of areas under Taliban control.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Once more, US imperialism had failed, and its efforts have led to the suffering of those it wished to rule.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Express sisterToday  05:01 pm JST

Once more, US imperialism had failed, and its efforts have led to the suffering of those it wished to rule.

Interesting comment by someone who claims to not know what channel Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo are on.

Americans, and most of the world, benefitted from the substantial decrease in Islamic terrorism that stemmed from that region.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Interesting comment by someone who claims to not know what channel Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo are on.

Thanks? I'm unsure as to how having an opinion on foreign policy is dependent on knowing what Don Lemon is doing, but I'm sure you can enlighten me.

Americans, and most of the world, benefitted from the substantial decrease in Islamic terrorism that stemmed from that region.

Very little terrorism stemmed from Afghanistan. Instead, the majority of Islamic terrorism, including the 9/11 attacks (do Trumpoids still believe that 9/11 happened? I can't keep track of what you guys think) is from Saudi Arabia. Alas, we are reluctant to criticize them because of capitalism. Your favorite thing.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Express sisterToday  05:48 pm JST

Thanks? I'm unsure as to how having an opinion on foreign policy is dependent on knowing what Don Lemon is doing, but I'm sure you can enlighten me.

No Express, I was just stating you made an interesting comment for someone who doesn't know Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo--the above poster's idols, and who gets his information exclusively from CNN.

I watch BBC, but I can't name any talking heads from that station.

I know I am not the only one here, but having spent time in Afghanistan my estimate is 8-12 months, and the Taliban will have complete control. The local tribes there don't even get along with each other. There is no national unity.

Once the money dries up the Afghan army will crumble. Sad, but that is just the way it is.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

I really regret that we are leaving Afghans to their fate. At the same time, the Afghan army has to be willing to fight.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"If you look at it, it's steel armour, helmet, gloves, breastplate, everything. But of course they're hollow. They're propped up on a stick," he told AFP. "And if you were to go and give them a swift kick, the whole thing just falls over."

Sadly, we saw the same thing with the Iraqi army during the height of ISIS’s push through the country - soldiers who were equipped with the most advanced technology in earth, throwing down their arms and abandoning vehicles in the face of an enemy with small-arms and some Toyota Hiluxes. ISIS later as long as it did because the American-equipped Iraqis basically handed over everything Uncle Sam gave ‘em without a fight. Just proof positive that you can give a people all the money, training, and weapons in the world, but if they don’t have the will to use those things, they are useless. We saw it in Vietnam, we saw it in Iraq, and I’m willing to bet we’ll see it here, too.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

MatejToday 04:08 pm JST

let me ask

what for was good this US agression against Afghanistan?

The Taliban who were in control of Afghanistan during the 9/11 attacks on the USA, would not stop harboring the terrorists responsible for the unprovoked attacks killing thousands of people. Many Muslims and nationals from other countries were killed in the attacks. America in defending itself rightfully routed the terrorists in Afghanistan and a regime change occurred.

how it costs in total?

Estimates put US expenditure over 2 Trillion dollars over 20 years.

how many lives lost?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_in_the_War_in_Afghanistan

how many broken families and refugees as result of it?

Unknown but the Taliban forces are as responsible as the US for broken families and refugees.

what is real outcome from this?

The terrorist leaders responsible for the 9/11 attacks have been killed. Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan destroyed.

does USA consider this as "victory" in war against terrorism?

The war on terror is by no means over. The US routed those responsible, now new people will replace them and in all likelihood continue the war.

what responsibility will take USA as agressor?

They responded to an unprovoked attack so were not the agressors.

will USA pay any kind of reparation costs to Afghanistan?

Building roads, schools, buildings and power plants, water plants and infrastructure had a huge cost in US dollars and manpower. Any individual seeking compensation may or may not get it if they apply for it.

why USA policy of agression/invasion bringing such "positive results" like in Iraq,Afghanistam,Libya or partly in Syria?

The US defended itself, it's citizens and had every right to do so. The Taliban could have co-operated, were given the chance to, but chose not to.

all of my questions are legit and are not "off topic" as are directly related.

I have answered them for you as best I can.

what country will be next US target?

If the US is attacked again in the fashion of 9/11 then it will find the culprits, ask for assistance from which ever nation harbors them and if it is not forthcoming, they will take the appropriate actions.

as subject for their "export of democracy"???

Democracy is still the form of government of choice for those wishing to be free.

At the moment it is the best option.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"American-equipped Iraqis basically handed over everything Uncle Sam gave ‘em without a fight."

Too bad they couldn't have left them a "surprise" with the technology like in Star Trek III "The computer is the only thing speaking...5...4...3...2...1...Boom !"

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Are those troops in the picture GOOSE-STEPPING?? Perhaps that is a sign of some sort for the widespread support of the Taliban we are seeing in Afghanistan. What is life really like under the American installed 'government'. If it is anything like American installed governments we have seen in the past, it is not hard to understand why the Taliban may be winning however brutal their religious beliefs, which, of course, come to us ONLY through Western media. A Navy Chief giving us an NBC Warfare class long ago told us, "No 'Guerilla' army (now "Terrorists") which has the support of the population can be defeated". That was true of the Revolutionary War "terrorists" in 1776-1783, was true in Vietnam, and may well be true in Afghanistan. And history tells us over and over again that the brutal boot heel of domination by EMPIRE always has limits and when those limits are breached, Empire begins to crumble. How many of these has America lost now...? And is Taliban religionism any different than Christian religionism which sought to simply wipe out the 'pagan' Native Americans across the entire North American continent who refused forced conversions and/or Genocidal relocations to barren lands equivalent to Concentration Camps? ♪My country 'tis of thee, Land of Hypocrisy...of thee I mourn...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Democracy is still the form of government of choice for those wishing to be free.

But "Democracy" which is dominated by the usual suspects, the psychopaths amongst us, and responds ONLY to MONEY (or extortion or blackmail or outright murder) as we are seeing in the travesty of "American Democracy" is a delusion of the inattentive and/or poorly educated which slowly and unnoticeably, like a lobster in cold water being heated, turns into a homicidal miasma of fear and loathing...notice anything about America lately? I thought not...

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Are there any foreign wars where America hasn't been a complete and utter failure and disgrace?

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Commodore

Afghan is not really a country. It is a region made of various tribes. The country will not be able to unify and withstand a Taliban surge.

Actually, Afghanistan was a safe and developing country under the old Khan monarchy. One of the favourite hippie destinations of the 60s.... all forgotten now.

The Soviet Union messed that up with the leftist coup and subsequent invasion, but the Soviets would have pushed Afghanistan (with force) into modernity. The biggest and most tragic mistake was Reagans inexcusable decision to arm the fanatical Mujaheddin with American stinger missiles to allow them to defeat the Soviets.

That was a shot in the arm for the world-wide jihadist movements that we have never recovered from.

The ongoing-decades long string of disasters by subsequent American admins is only a long sequel to that.

Expect a new name for this region next year.

I do not. Any place we can bet on that'?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

beentofivecontinents

...and somehow never managed to learn a thing about Humanity...

"American-equipped Iraqis basically handed over everything Uncle Sam gave ‘em without a fight."

Yeah, they were SO grateful for the 500,000 to one million dead Iraqis we gave them freely and only asked for total obedience in return. Perhaps "Shock and Awe" wasn't covered in your grammar school history books. Or, before that, that Kuwait had run dry and BP was drilling horizontally under the border into wholly owned Iraqi oil which Saddam had asked them to stop for years but was ignored. We didn't 'defend' Kuwait, we abetted in homicidal armed robbery of the Iraqi People and committed atrocious war crimes while killing American kids and poisoning thousands more for life with the poorly tested weapons our monsters gave to those kids. The Gulf War would have more aptly been called the BP War for Profit. THAT is why Saddam burned the wells...But yeah, in reply to your implied beliefs, who cares about the detailszzzzzz...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ironic that the USA, who boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, ends up spending 20 years there accomplishing nothing save for enriching arms suppliers and other private companies supporting the war effort.

In hindsight, the USA could have allied with the USSR and created a stable country.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The Taliban mainly use weapons found easily in war-torn Afghanistan or procured from the black market, such as variants of the AK-47 assault rifle and other Soviet-designed arms.

And they hide like cowards blending into the population; thus endangering the population by inviting attacks to them

If you're a fighter/soldier, wear your identification and don't use the civilian population as shields

The insurgents also appear to have greater financial self-sufficiency. U.N. monitors said last year that the Taliban have annual revenues anywhere between $300 million and $1.5 billion, sourced from Afghanistan's huge narcotics industry, criminal activities, and taxation in areas they control.

And there ya have it - they're the biggest drug cartel around

In hindsight, the USA could have allied with the USSR and created a stable country.

A communist country................. which would have broken when the USSR collapsed

So no, it wouldn't have worked

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites