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Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 12:33 PM
Report abusive post | Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won
| Quote |
[link to www.reuters.com]
snip
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's commander in Afghanistan has said the war against the Taliban cannot be won, the Sunday Times reported.
It quoted Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith as saying in an interview that if the Taliban were willing to talk, then that might be "precisely the sort of progress" needed to end the insurgency.
"We're not going to win this war. It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army," he said.
He said his forces had "taken the sting out of the Taliban for 2008" but that troops may well leave Afghanistan with there still being a low level of insurgency.
But Afghanistan's Defense Minister expressed his disappointment on Sunday at the commander's statements, maintaining the insurgency had to be defeated.
Peace |
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DJ_DOOMER
User ID: 515301
10/5/2008 12:38 PM
 | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Why would they want to win it?
If they win the war then they have to come home, they don't want to win, they want to occupy. |
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 12:41 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
But a spokesman for the Taliban said on Sunday there would be no negotiations with foreigners and repeated calls made by Taliban commanders for the unconditional withdrawal of the more than 70,000 international troops from Afghanistan.
"They should know that Taliban will never hold talks with the invaders," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf told the Pakistan-based Afghan news agency, AIP.
"What we had said in the past, we also say once again, that foreign forces should leave without any condition," he said.
Violence in Afghanistan has increased to its worst level since 2001, when U.S.-led and Afghan forces overthrew the ruling Taliban following the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said last week he had asked the king of Saudi Arabia to mediate in talks with the insurgents and called on Taliban leader Mullah Omar to return to his homeland and to make peace.
Peace |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 516075
10/5/2008 12:48 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
The need the non-stop military airlift flights to smuggle out the heroin and opium for the CIA to sell for George. |
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DanG
User ID: 479550
10/5/2008 12:51 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
and that one actually has an enemy... unlike the 'war on terror'
idiots |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 52612
10/5/2008 12:54 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Oops there goes the pipeline dreams of Obama |
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Kanigo2 
User ID: 442313
10/5/2008 12:55 PM
 | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Watching The US, Russia and China pay to use the The Khyber Pass,?
Priceless!
Quoted from a toll-keepers son.
Alt+F4 Allows GodLikeProductions User to Check Current score in Thread Dialog.
"GLP has some batty shit, but yours takes the fucking biscuit "-Disputed-
Hurray for Anarchy! This is the happiest moment of my life. |
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Enufs Enuf
User ID: 339212
10/5/2008 1:07 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
It was never meant to be 'won'......
It's to protect the opium industry and to get YOUR child addicted by indoctrination by the DARE programme and to fund the US, UK, French, German etc etc occupation governments' 'black ops'. |
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 1:08 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Looks like Britain wants to go, but Afghanistan doesnt want them to leave...
Taliban wont talk... so...
Peace |
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Strossus
scaremonger
User ID: 498216
10/5/2008 1:10 PM
 | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Why is this pinned? Honestly?
"We're not scaremongering, this is really happening." |
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 1:12 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
And then here we have
Poland leaves Iraq but ups troop levels in Afghanistan
[link to seattletimes.nwsource.com]
snip
DIWANIYAH, Iraq — Poland turned over control of an area south of Baghdad to American troops Saturday, making it the latest in a string of countries to leave the dwindling U.S.-led coalition.
But even as Polish troops head home from Iraq, their government is boosting troop levels in Afghanistan and preparing for a U.S. missile-defense base in Poland.
Peace |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 517999
10/5/2008 1:13 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
It's basic common sense. As soon as the US leaves it's going to revert back to the way it was. So the US will either stay there forever while trying to protect the nat gas pipelines (which is why there are there in the first place) or they will leave. Anyone's idea that it could be "won" isn't working with a full deck. |
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Strossus
scaremonger
User ID: 498216
10/5/2008 1:14 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
It's basic common sense. As soon as the US leaves it's going to revert back to the way it was. So the US will either stay there forever while trying to protect the nat gas pipelines (which is why there are there in the first place) or they will leave. Anyone's idea that it could be "won" isn't working with a full deck. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 517999
Revert back to the way it was... meaning no more occupation of a country?
Yeah, we don't want that now do we... :rollseyes:
"We're not scaremongering, this is really happening." |
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 1:15 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
[link to seattletimes.nwsource.com]
And about the people and drugs yes...
snips
The burgeoning drug trade, by which Afghan opium reaches international markets and provides more than 75 percent of the world's heroin, has brought more weapons and wealth into the criminal orbit, corrupting cooperative officials and eliminating scrupulous ones.
Just weeks ago, Alim Hanif, the chief judge of the country's Central Narcotics Tribunal and a man known for rare honesty in a graft-ridden system, was assassinated in Kabul. Officials said he had received numerous phone and text messages warning him to acquit a suspected drug dealer or face death.
Although Taliban fighters routinely hang and behead people in rural areas, the growth of crime and the lack of justice are the reasons most frequently cited by Afghans who support the reconstituted Islamist militia. More and more, people here look back to the era of harsh Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, describing it as a time of security and peace.
"In the Taliban time, the roads were totally safe. You could drive anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day. Now, you take your life in your hands every time you leave on a trip."
Peace |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 517875
10/5/2008 1:23 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
winning was never on the agenda.
they've gone there, filled the midfield and defence, and sat back, happy to settle for a 0-0.
(you haven't got a clue what I'm on about, have you?  ) |
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6th D nli
User ID: 455445
10/5/2008 1:31 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Let's shoot up some heroin and then discuss the war.
The warlords selling it have an unlimited amount of cash flow. IMHO they need the chaos to pursue in order to keep the eyes off of themselves. They are lobbying both Wallstreet and terrorists!!!
What a sick world |
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 1:43 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
So us being there hasnt done much... I mean the drugs are still flowing and the Taliban are still doing their thing, but now the people are looking back to the time when they "reigned" as being more peaceful?
They want us to go- This commander said his forces had "taken the sting out of the Taliban for 2008" but that troops may well leave Afghanistan with there still being a low level of insurgency.
And then it seems this may be the first in commanders to want us to leave, more to step up?
But then we see other countries pulling out of Iraq and going to Afghanistan...
Peace |
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bitchfromhell
User ID: 473633
10/5/2008 1:48 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Why would they want to win it?
If they win the war then they have to come home, they don't want to win, they want to occupy. Quoting: DJ_DOOMER
Damn skippy! well said.
Occuping Afgan territory will create even more terrorists. This is the BUSH/MCCAIN plan. Never ending war, no wonder our congressmen are heavily invested in the War Machine. |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 464050
10/5/2008 1:48 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Gotta keep harvesting that opium! |
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bitchfromhell
User ID: 473633
10/5/2008 1:52 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Tonight on 60 Minutes, they have on a guy that says he was moments from taking down Osama and was stopped by higher ups, we will never catch him because in reality this WAR FOR OIL has nothing to do with him. |
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bitchfromhell
User ID: 473633
10/5/2008 1:55 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
This is what the FBI Most Wanted site says about Usama - NOTICE IT SAYS NOTHING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT 9/11.
MURDER OF U.S. NATIONALS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES; CONSPIRACY TO MURDER U.S. NATIONALS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES; ATTACK ON A FEDERAL FACILITY RESULTING IN DEATH
USAMA BIN LADEN
Aliases: Usama Bin Muhammad Bin Ladin, Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin, The Prince, The Emir, Abu Abdallah, Mujahid Shaykh, Hajj, The Director
DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth Used: 1957 Hair: Brown
Place of Birth: Saudi Arabia Eyes: Brown
Height: 6'4" to 6'6" Sex: Male
Weight: Approximately 160 pounds Complexion: Olive
Build: Thin Citizenship: Saudi Arabian
Language: Arabic (probably Pashtu)
Scars and Marks: None known
Remarks: Bin Laden is left-handed and walks with a cane.
CAUTION
Usama Bin Laden is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. These attacks killed over 200 people. In addition, Bin Laden is a suspect in other terrorist attacks throughout the world.
REWARD
The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction of Usama Bin Laden. An additional $2 million is being offered through a program developed and funded by the Airline Pilots Association and the Air Transport Association.
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 518077
10/5/2008 1:57 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won
The Soviets couldn't win there and they were located next door to Afghanistan. |
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Earth420
User ID: 517986
10/5/2008 1:58 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
[link to news.bbc.co.uk]
From th BBC itself..
snips
Brig Mark Carleton-Smith told the Sunday Times the aim of the mission was to ensure the Afghan army was able to manage the country on its own.
He said it was unrealistic to expect that multinational forces would be able to wipe out armed bands of insurgents in the country.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says Brig Carleton-Smith's comments echo a view commonly-held, if rarely aired, by British military and diplomatic officials in Afghanistan.
Peace |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 283256
10/5/2008 2:02 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
DUH! It was all about the drugs and ONLY about the drugs. Historically no one has conquered the region since Alexander the Great. 'Al Qaeda' which is a CIA/MI6 construct included the 'Muhjadeen' including Osama bin Laden who was on CIA payroll as late as May 2001 (receiving a 5 million payout that month alone). We (USA) helped to arm Bin Laden and the Muhjadeen to fight the Soviets, who were drawn into their own 'Vietnam' war (unwinnable) there.
Now we are there, with political Skull and Bones boys ignoring military intelligance, estimates and protocols ( a guaranteed recipe for 'failure') while opium production resumed record levels, no real aid (infrastructure, economic alternatives to poppy production) have been offered or implemented. A closer look at the 'private contractors' in Afghanistan would reveal the Skull and Bones ties but like the multi billion dollar contract fraud, the Israeli AIPAC spying trial and the treasonous deliberate lies from the top down that have led us to the brink these crimes are all covered under 'state secrets/national security'. The old white collar crimes have become government crimes and the payouts are in the hundreds of billions that YOU get to pay. |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 517381
10/5/2008 2:17 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Same goes for Iraq, where the AMericans loose big time for 5,5 years now
the propaganda war can not compete with the reality of the many many coffins arriving at US airforce bases week after week
and at some point the warcriminals in the White House who provoked these illegal wars will be arrested, trialed and sentenced for the rest of their lives
this kind if honesty and pragmatism is needed from American military too
but they are too caught up in lies, schemes and propaganda |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 132975
10/5/2008 2:27 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won
The Soviets couldn't win there and they were located next door to Afghanistan.
I don't think ANY invaders have ever managed to conquer and subdue that country.
The Afghanis are major hard bastards, and they are all armed to the teeth. |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 517999
10/5/2008 2:47 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
It's basic common sense. As soon as the US leaves it's going to revert back to the way it was. So the US will either stay there forever while trying to protect the nat gas pipelines (which is why there are there in the first place) or they will leave. Anyone's idea that it could be "won" isn't working with a full deck.
Revert back to the way it was... meaning no more occupation of a country?
Yeah, we don't want that now do we... :rollseyes: Quoting: Strossus
my point is that the strategy was to install a puppet dictator and control the nat gas pipelines, and it won't work unless the US maintains it's presence there forever. I didn't comment on whether or not I thought it was right or moral or anything like that. |
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Earth420
User ID: 518185
10/5/2008 4:49 PM
| | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says Brig Carleton-Smith's comments echo a view commonly-held, if rarely aired, by British military and diplomatic officials in Afghanistan.
So whats the next step? Britains Prime Minister isnt so much of a lap dog like Blair was so in the works a possible withdrawal? While Bush is pushing the "surge" and "success" of it- and might try to impliment it in Afghanistan?
Come on, we all know what hes saying is true, but he is the first of his kind in a commander position to come right out and say it isnt going to work they way its been "put out" to the people of the world...
I feel the the future may very well be in "the hands of man" so it could be rather interesting if theis does indeed "snowball" into something "they" dont want to happen...
Peace |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 518154
10/5/2008 5:12 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
"British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won"
Gee, ya think? |
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Anonymous Coward
User ID: 492999
10/5/2008 5:22 PM | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
[ link to www.reuters.com]
snip
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's commander in Afghanistan has said the war against the Taliban cannot be won, the Sunday Times reported.
It quoted Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith as saying in an interview that if the Taliban were willing to talk, then that might be "precisely the sort of progress" needed to end the insurgency.
"We're not going to win this war. It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army," he said.
He said his forces had "taken the sting out of the Taliban for 2008" but that troops may well leave Afghanistan with there still being a low level of insurgency.
But Afghanistan's Defense Minister expressed his disappointment on Sunday at the commander's statements, maintaining the insurgency had to be defeated.
Peace
This war not only cannot be won, it was never designed to be won. Case in point? You quite simply cannot fight a mindset such as Afghanistan or Iraq people have ingrained into their very being. One must understand their value system in order to begin to understand their reasoning. They have no value to human life (or very little), including their own. Why? Life is basically shit for most of them, and the belief that is ingrained in their very minds. If they give their life, or take another life with them, (for the right reason, infidels I presume) then they will "graduate", for lack of a better word, to a "better" life. |
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highlandmists
User ID: 496097
10/5/2008 5:23 PM
 | | Re: Breaking- British commander says war in Afghanistan cannot be won | Quote |
Why would they want to win it?
If they win the war then they have to come home, they don't want to win, they want to occupy. Quoting: DJ_DOOMER
Indeed.. then they'd have to loosen their grip on the heroin trade.
"If you think I'm talking about the future, you're living in the past"
- anon
Hasty conclusion like toy balloon: easy blow up, easy pop.
Source
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
[link to www.fallacyfiles.org] |
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