Taliban complete northeast Afghan blitz as more cities fall

The ANA are absolutely pathetic.

If the US trained and equipped ANA lets themselves get beaten by this rag tag uneducated bunch they almost deserve what comes afterwards.

For how many years did my government and military BS everyone on “progress” reports? And for how many years did the corporate media BS everyone and never seriously question the government BS. Let the Taliban have Afghanistan. It sucks be we are not Afghanistan citizens. A time will come when either a popular uprising will emerge against the Taliban, or a new invader, probably the Chinese, will occur.

So they choose to remain a third world country...so be it.

Practically knew this would happen when Afghan announce the release of hundred of taliban prisoners last year as a agreement for peace talk. Did they really expect these release fighters would just happily behave themselves after getting out of prison? If you ever want to see just how suicidal a government can be, look nowhere else but Afghanistan. You have superior weapons and numbers at the beginning and somehow keep losing city after city. You start to wonder at this point if their soldiers are even really fighting and aren't just going over to the other side.

And for how many years did the corporate media BS everyone a

Not 'everyone' has bought the government's reports. I (and most people I know) have long opposed US military involvement outside the US, especially those involvements undertaken for the purpose of grabbing another state's resources, invasions done by the US, so the wealthiest Americans can get wealthier. I feel the same about Russia, China Turkey and Iran doing similar things for the benefit of their respective 1%. Be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, a former SSR or elsewhere. In my opinion There are and never have been any good empires.

In the main photo on top, if I had to guess who was the leader, I would pick the guy on the right.

He has that authoritative sophisticated look about him.

Well they had the time while we had the watches. Historically nobody ever, from Alexander the Great to Mongols, British, Persians, India, Russians, Americans none have ever managed to control that area. Best to just leave it undisturbed. Support those who want out. That’s the only thing you can do.

US interventionism is an evil that does a lot of damage to the country that is invaded, invades, abuses, takes resources 

Afghanistan doesn’t even have resources other than opium and proximity to Iran and former Soviet-bloc states.

Afghanistan was doomed to failure from the start, US forces were fighting blind and with one arm tied. Osama wasn’t there, the Taliban weren’t significantly weakened, the Afghan National forces aren’t any less corrupt and cowardly. The Taliban are now armed with M-16s and humvees “stolen” from fleeing afghan forces, Kandahar AB was ransacked, and the flow of opium into Europe and the US actually increased.

If the US trained and equipped ANA lets themselves get beaten by this rag tag uneducated bunch they almost deserve what comes afterwards.

I agree

All that bombing and more than 2 trillion taxpayer's money spent to not win another war. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda were both sponsored by the USA, through Osama Bin Laden, who was a recipient of CIA aid - several hundred million dollars a year to help the Afghan Mujahideen insurgents fight the Afghan pro-Soviet government.

If the US wants to fight China, it should fund the terrorist groups in Xinjiang that China is attempting to clamp down through the prison re-education camps. Surround China with South Korea and Japan and Taiwan in the east and Afghanistan in the west.

Clear evidence how the US intelligence agencies and military are either completely useless or just outright dishonest. Two decades and more of wasted lives and money, ongoing assurances that things were "getting better" and as soon as the final withdrawal begins this all happens. Sjameful,

All that bombing and more than 2 trillion taxpayer's money spent to not win another war. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda were both sponsored by the USA, through Osama Bin Laden, who was a recipient of CIA aid - several hundred million dollars a year to help the Afghan Mujahideen insurgents fight the Afghan pro-Soviet government.

The irony. The last 20 years, no, 40 years, seems like a dream or a nightmare. And it's not even over.

That development and outcome was crystal clear right even before the beginning. Taliban means students, so they know what and how to do. In addition they are extreme religious fanatics and all other parties involved are not. This combination makes them quasi unbeatable, if you don’t consider both aspects. In other words, to fight them successfully, you need knowledge of asymmetric military warfare, tailored to the situation and geography there and you need at least a strategy and sufficient resources and of course any ideological or similar strong followed goal. A few rectangular western style military camps in that big area, at best cowardly patrolling a few meters around them, that won’t work and of course it didn’t. And telling them tales of bringing a modern democracy, that also even doesn’t work in the home country, isn’t so much helpful too. Now the Taliban will of course take over, Dostum , other warlords, Afghan government, that’s not a significant factor anymore, they’ll just be entangled and dried out or actively attacked. So the best solution is a fence around the whole thing and strongly hoping that it holds for a while.

In the main photo on top

was able to differentiate the Taliban from US 'America-firsters, aka Trump's QGOP insurrectionists by seeing a couple were wearing masks, which is considered anti-American by some Americans who apparently cannot breathe in and out through their noses, only mouth-breathe.

Just like when America shamefully abandoned the people of South Vietnam after making tons of promises. American guarantees aren't worth the paper they're written on.

Remember, America hasn't seen any conflict through to a truly successful conclusion since 1945.

Taliban means students, so they know what and how to do. 

"Taliban" is just a name, like "Liberal Democrats",  full of sound and fury signifying nothing. The strength of the Taliban movement derives from their numerically powerful rural base of young, unemployed youth with raging hormones fed on religious fanaticism, their well-funded and supplied military arm courtesy of oily Sunni-side string-pullers and a nefarious neighbor with ulterior motives of future influence peddling. Now standing in the way of the Taliban's road to control of the country is a weak, central government in Kabul that has never been able to govern effectively the ethnically diverse groups across Afghanistan's vast mountainous terrain. Since the US has pulled the rug from under the regime, Kabul will fall faster than you can say "Saigon!". The only imaginable lesson left that chicken-hawk Biden might teach "the Students" on how to conduct themselves in a more civilized manner would be distance-learning by drones periodically zooming in on the Taliban leadership when they cross the line with their treatment of women and the civilian population they rule over, but that scenario might work better in a Marvel comic.

PT

Thats your take on this tragic story?

You never see these nasty looking guys smiling, unless they're auctioning off sex slaves.

Afghanistan doesn’t even have resources other than opium and proximity to Iran and former Soviet-bloc states.

Its location is critical for sure, but it does have natural resources.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/rare-earth-afghanistan-sits-1-trillion-minerals-n196861

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

containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semi-precious stones, salt, sulfur, talc, and zinc, among many other minerals.[

>

Maybe if we stop commenting on these articles about Afghanistan they will go away.

yes, there will just be on final article in 2-3 weeks blaming Trump for the Taliban takeover of the entire country, including the capital.

then Afghanistan will never be mentioned by the liberal media again, until election season when Dems will falsely claim its Republicans fault that Joe Biden gave the order to withdraw.

Not 'everyone' has bought the government's reports. I (and most people I know) have long opposed US military involvement outside the US, especially those involvements undertaken for the purpose of grabbing another state's resources, invasions done by the US, so the wealthiest Americans can get wealthier. I feel the same about Russia, China Turkey and Iran doing similar things for the benefit of their respective 1%. Be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, a former SSR or elsewhere. In my opinion There are and never have been any good empires.

I know PT. Where on the same page on this issue expect you forgot a few countries EU, Britain, France, Germany, all who have a hand in NATO, etc. So why mention Russia, China, and not NATO? So it seems you do buy into some governments.

After defeating Afghan forces, Taliban would immediately grab US state-of-the-art weapons.

This is not the first time in the long 19 year old conflict..

yes, there will just be on final article in 2-3 weeks blaming Trump for the Taliban takeover of the entire country, including the capital.

Oh give it a rest.

The debacles in Afghanistan and Iraq were started by Bush 2 and his neocons, aided and abetted by many Democrats and governments outside the US. Lots of blame to go around here.

Subsequent presidents were left with this bloody mess and I’d argue Obama and Trump were just delaying the inevitable by keeping troops there.

It’s time for all to learn a lesson and not engage in childish partisanship.

Where they got these AR15 rifles? From the Afghan army and security forces! Now you know the quality of a puppet army had been trained for 20 years!

I winder what the Covid infection rate is?

Europe should prepare for the terrorist acts following up the strengthening of the Taliban.

Bush and Blaire are responsible for entering Afghanistan. Obama is responsible for prolonging it. But he did get OSB. Nothing to do with Trump or Biden

Bush, Blair and Obama should are all responsible for the Disintegration of that country.

Just like when America shamefully abandoned the people of South Vietnam after making tons of promises. 

And like when America abandoned Taiwan in their war against the CCP.

How is it that the no. 1 military in the world and given 20 years cannot defeat these guys wearing sandals?

Bush, Blair and Obama should are all responsible for the Disintegration of that country.

Do you and your unnamed non-partisan historians still regard Bush 2 as a successful president?

Osama is dead so time to give it back to the Taliban?

How many dead?Anyone know how much was handed over to the military industrial complex by the states for this… war, how’s the poppy trade going out of interest?

destabilize the region to take over Iran and make a new Jerusalem in the name of Israeli is the end game, coming soon.

If the Biden administration cares about the outcome in Afghanistan they would do something to change it.

Wait--they already did.,

When you look back upon it all, you're left asking yourself... Was it worth it?

One has to wonder where next ? ... Will the next future step, should Global Terrorism start to stem from Afghanistan, will be to wipe out the area with a Nuclear attack - Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. That hasn't been tried before, and may be more effective... or ... not.

The likelihood of Nuclear weaponry being used within the next decade has increased significantly. China supplying a proxy to do it's bidding, or Iran settling old scores seem the most likely pretexts, though those could equally be used to hide other motives...

I wonder if Life on Mars or any other Planet for us, will be any different ?

When you look back upon it all, you're left asking yourself... Was it worth it?

America has only ever failed in it's foreign wars. Even the one war it did half ok in, WWII, was basically won by the allies before America bothered to join.

StrangerlandToday 01:06 am JST

When you look back upon it all, you're left asking yourself... Was it worth it?

America has only ever failed in it's foreign wars. Even the one war it did half ok in, WWII, was basically won by the allies before America bothered to join.

Tell that to the Japanese.

Tell that to the Japanese.

Why? They aren't the ones who just failed at another war. Their last failure was 70 years ago.

And you're assuming I don't tell them when it comes up. You know what they say about assumptions! Don't make me say it...

Where they got these AR15 rifles? 

Please educate yourself on guns.

zichiToday 03:59 am JST

America has only ever failed in it's foreign wars. Even the one war it did half ok in, WWII, was basically won by the allies before America bothered to join.

That is not even anywhere near the truth. It supplied essential goods and joined WW2 in Dec 1941. The war was far from being won. Without the Americans and the sacrifice by the Soviets the war would not have been won.

America fought on two major fronts. Europe and Asian.

Many countries contributed to both and made their own sacrifices.

That is exactly right, Zichi. Unfortunately, some people’s hatred for America turns their fantasies into facts, in their minds.

StrangerlandToday 04:55 am JST

Tell that to the Japanese.

Why? They aren't the ones who just failed at another war. Their last failure was 70 years ago.

And you're assuming I don't tell them when it comes up. You know what they say about assumptions! Don't make me say it...

Au contraire, you are assuming that I am assuming that you don’t tell them when it comes up.  Too much binary thinking from the self described "Enlightened one".  Yes, I do know about assumptions, and it evidently fits you well.

deadbeatlesAug. 13 09:55 pm JST

Let's have mention of ONE case of Amerika's interference in another countries affairs that has done anything other than bolster her military industrial complex and reign misery on such targeted civilians.

Does Korea ring a bell? Without America, all of Korea would be communist. Think of how that would play out today with the current North Korea leadership controlling all of Korea. By the way, if you don't like this answer, then digest this one. It was President Truman, a democrat, that led America into that war.