Let’s State the Obvious - You Can’t Win a War in Afghanistan

I guess the US needs to check its hubris against this fundamental historical fact.

Even aside from the probability that certain post-Soviet sources are likely enthusiastically sending weapons and munitions back to Afghanistan to get even with the US for Charlie Wilson’s War, there is certainty of defeat dictated by the facts on the ground.

Steep ground.

Steep, rocky ground.

Perfect terrain for sniping and allowing a small mobile force to wreak havoc against large and powerful armies. The only approach that works is an airwar that will necessarily kill civilians and create new populations willing to send martyrs to us for retribution.

“We will win the war in Afghanistan” makes about as much sense as “the beatings will continue until morale improves.”

I feel terrible for all the people suffering and being killed or injured in this amazingly stupid military exercise.

The foolish Bush planners gave us an unnecessary war in Iraq to test their theories on shock and awe, the best and the brightest a few decades ago gave us the Vietnam War, and we appear poised to repeat the best and brightest mistake in Afghanistan. The pertinent question is the same one that arose with the Vietnam War, “how do you ask a man to be the last soldier to die for a mistake?”

clipped from www.cnn.com 8 U.S. troops killed in battle with militants in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Hundreds of militants attacked American and Afghan troops in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, opening fire on an outpost from multiple locations with rockets, mortars and heavy-caliber machine guns, according to an initial U.S. military report on the battle. At least eight American troops and two members of the Afghan National Security Force died — the largest number of Americans killed by hostile action in a single day in more than a year, according to CNN records. The fighting lasted about 12 hours, with the militants firing down on the joint U.S.-Afghan outpost from ridgelines above the base, a senior U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the first reports told CNN. The official said the report was preliminary and subject to change as more information came in.

This entry was posted on October 4, 2009 at 11:51 am and is filed under News, Politics, Connect the Dots, War Criminals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

| Print