Obama orders pentagon to prepare for afghan withdrawl

[Untaroicht]

I saw in a video that both US and UK forces would completely leave Afghanistan by December 31, 2014.

It's about damn time. This war has turned into Vietnam II: Electric Boogaloo.

[Farnhamia]

What the hell happened to that USA that loved to install military dictatorships in the place of regimes unfriendly to them especially in way more relevant situations like this is beyond me.

Our economy plunged into a depression and now we cannot afford said addiction to sprout up puppet dictatorships all over the world like Johnny Appleseed, and we're currently barricading our door because our chinese landlord is attempting to evict us with a battering ram.

What?

We would if we could, but alas we don't have the money to do so. I like to think that US politics are becoming more and more like the politics of the Roman Republic everyday, it makes me feel more comfortable then what is actually going on.

The US is nothing like the Republic. Nothing at all. Until we have armies returning to the US and overthrowing the government, until we have mobs from one house of the Congress murdering leaders of the other House ... no, just no. I do wish people would drop that idea.

[Aryavartha]

..

good to see you again...

my worry is about the aftermath and the repercussions to the region.

the ANA can't hold its own against taliban. so some ISAF/US have to stay back to keep things under the lid and not let the taliban overrun it like before.

i don't know enough of military operations to know how much is needed, but i am pretty sure it will be a few thousands - heavy in air force, even if patrolling and first line infantry is delegated to ANA (and that comes with its own can of worms with taliban infil and "blue on blue" etc)

i am also worried about what kind of deals US will cut with pak military to ensure safe withdrawal and what that might mean for indian security. historically and without fail, pak is always emboldened to stir shit up when it feels it has the US favor.

[America Libertaria]

What kind of america is this where I can't make fun of a political figure without questions?

Yeah, you're free to mock the Tea Party and Ted Cruz and I am free to ask a simple question about your mockery.

The Tea Party and Ted Cruz and the rest of his crew are all a joke with no basic knowledge of how the economy works. They deserve to be mocked.

[Hochste Kaiserreich]

I don't even see why we wait another minute to take troops out of that godforsaken country, there biggest export is freaking edible nuts.
The fact that stationing troops there provides no economic security for us or much strategic value is reason enough to get out.

Using ground troops to try to defeat a terrorist organization is like using an AK-47 to try to get rid of a cockroach infestation. Any idiot can see that the proper approach is drones, intelligence, and special forces.

[Priory Academy USSR]

As for the Afghan military itself, they do have several advantages over the Taliban. The first is airpower, and in particular, the composition of their air force. It may lack any fighter jets or unused Eurofighter Typhoons etc, but it is geared as an anti-insurgent air force. Last time I checked, their Air Force has ordered between 30-50 medium airlift helicopters, some of which will be modified to become gunships, in addition and 20 Super Tucanos, some of which are to be outfitted as training planes whilst others are to be used as ground-attack aircraft. In regards to the Army, there has been a great deal of improvement in its fighting capability thanks to NATO training. Whilst there are problems, they do have a decent mechanised capability to deal with the Taliban and in terms of special operations, their Commandos are battle-proven. Sure, they wouldn't last in a fight against a neighbouring country, but the point is that the Afghan military is built to deal with its sole threat: the Taliban. If it goes to shit, the US will just send more equipment and up their ante in terms of the stuff we don't hear about.

The fact that the world's best trained and equipped armies have failed to decisively defeat the Taliban doesn't bode well for a new army of a poor country managing to achieve that goal.

[Tekania]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-orders-pentagon-to-prepare-for-complete-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/2014/02/25/cfae2206-9e49-11e3-a050-dc3322a94fa7_story.html


What they won't tell you: It's only because the President of Afghanistan /refuses/ to sign the security agreement once more. Thus, we have no other option than to get out of afghanistan.

So, I'd say an accomplishment for the President of Afghanistan, not the current sitting President of the U.S.

Odd, the people who make these plans seems to have said as much; so who is this "they" that are supposedly not telling us these things we already know?

[Herador]

As for the Afghan military itself, they do have several advantages over the Taliban. The first is airpower, and in particular, the composition of their air force. It may lack any fighter jets or unused Eurofighter Typhoons etc, but it is geared as an anti-insurgent air force. Last time I checked, their Air Force has ordered between 30-50 medium airlift helicopters, some of which will be modified to become gunships, in addition and 20 Super Tucanos, some of which are to be outfitted as training planes whilst others are to be used as ground-attack aircraft. In regards to the Army, there has been a great deal of improvement in its fighting capability thanks to NATO training. Whilst there are problems, they do have a decent mechanised capability to deal with the Taliban and in terms of special operations, their Commandos are battle-proven. Sure, they wouldn't last in a fight against a neighbouring country, but the point is that the Afghan military is built to deal with its sole threat: the Taliban. If it goes to shit, the US will just send more equipment and up their ante in terms of the stuff we don't hear about.

The fact that the world's best trained and equipped armies have failed to decisively defeat the Taliban doesn't bode well for a new army of a poor country managing to achieve that goal.

I'm inclined to disagree. It seems at this point (and before you ask, no, I have no sources, so take this with a hefty grain of salt) that most of the AQ fighters are fighting because the people who are fighting the AQ are foreign. It's worth considering that once the majority of the country is turned back over to the ANA, then many of the Afghan's who were fighting wouldn't have a reason to any more, some might even go over to the ANA. Add in that the US will be sticking around in small numbers to train and supply the ANA, I agree with Wolf that the outlook is reasonably good for the Afghan Government, political shenanigans excluded.

[Chronodosia]

The fact that the world's best trained and equipped armies have failed to decisively defeat the Taliban doesn't bode well for a new army of a poor country managing to achieve that goal.

I'm inclined to disagree. It seems at this point (and before you ask, no, I have no sources, so take this with a hefty grain of salt) that most of the AQ fighters are fighting because the people who are fighting the AQ are foreign. It's worth considering that once the majority of the country is turned back over to the ANA, then many of the Afghan's who were fighting wouldn't have a reason to any more, some might even go over to the ANA. Add in that the US will be sticking around in small numbers to train and supply the ANA, I agree with Wolf that the outlook is reasonably good for the Afghan Government, political shenanigans excluded.

The frickin AQ are fanatics if the Afghan government starts leaning towards our ideals then the AQ will keep on frickin fightin they dont give a crap for their own lives they only interpret the Qur'an one way.

[Priory Academy USSR]

The fact that the world's best trained and equipped armies have failed to decisively defeat the Taliban doesn't bode well for a new army of a poor country managing to achieve that goal.

I'm inclined to disagree. It seems at this point (and before you ask, no, I have no sources, so take this with a hefty grain of salt) that most of the AQ fighters are fighting because the people who are fighting the AQ are foreign. It's worth considering that once the majority of the country is turned back over to the ANA, then many of the Afghan's who were fighting wouldn't have a reason to any more, some might even go over to the ANA. Add in that the US will be sticking around in small numbers to train and supply the ANA, I agree with Wolf that the outlook is reasonably good for the Afghan Government, political shenanigans excluded.

I agree that the Taliban will be weakened slightly from a 'patriotic' point of view after the US withdrawal. Nonetheless, I suspect that the Taliban will remain strong in their traditional strongholds in Pashtun-dominated regions, and they don't need nationwide support to be a huge danger to the government.

I think, unfortunately, we'll leave Afghanistan in the worst possible condition. The ANA won't be able to defeat the Taliban, but neither will the reverse be true. Unless some peace agreement starts soon I don't think the violence will stop any time this decade or beyond.

[Herador]

I'm inclined to disagree. It seems at this point (and before you ask, no, I have no sources, so take this with a hefty grain of salt) that most of the AQ fighters are fighting because the people who are fighting the AQ are foreign. It's worth considering that once the majority of the country is turned back over to the ANA, then many of the Afghan's who were fighting wouldn't have a reason to any more, some might even go over to the ANA. Add in that the US will be sticking around in small numbers to train and supply the ANA, I agree with Wolf that the outlook is reasonably good for the Afghan Government, political shenanigans excluded.

I agree that the Taliban will be weakened slightly from a 'patriotic' point of view after the US withdrawal. Nonetheless, I suspect that the Taliban will remain strong in their traditional strongholds in Pashtun-dominated regions, and they don't need nationwide support to be a huge danger to the government.

I think, unfortunately, we'll leave Afghanistan in the worst possible condition. The ANA won't be able to defeat the Taliban, but neither will the reverse be true. Unless some peace agreement starts soon I don't think the violence will stop any time this decade or beyond.

I sort of agree with you, but I guess time will tell how this sorts out.

[Riiser-Larsen]

What the hell happened to that USA that loved to install military dictatorships in the place of regimes unfriendly to them especially in way more relevant situations like this is beyond me.

Our economy plunged into a depression and now we cannot afford said addiction to sprout up puppet dictatorships all over the world like Johnny Appleseed, and we're currently barricading our door because our chinese landlord is attempting to evict us with a battering ram.

We would if we could, but alas we don't have the money to do so. I like to think that US politics are becoming more and more like the politics of the Roman Republic everyday, it makes me feel more comfortable then what is actually going on.

That comment is offensive! The Republic actually accomplished things! Seriously, in the Roman Republic shit actually got done, because the threat of being removed from office and likely ostracized or killed because you can't get over yourself is a far greater motivator than the "Please work." approach that we take in the US.

[Wolfmanne]

Our economy plunged into a depression and now we cannot afford said addiction to sprout up puppet dictatorships all over the world like Johnny Appleseed, and we're currently barricading our door because our chinese landlord is attempting to evict us with a battering ram.

We would if we could, but alas we don't have the money to do so. I like to think that US politics are becoming more and more like the politics of the Roman Republic everyday, it makes me feel more comfortable then what is actually going on.

That comment is offensive! The Republic actually accomplished things! Seriously, in the Roman Republic shit actually got done, because the threat of being removed from office and likely ostracized or killed because you can't get over yourself is a far greater motivator than the "Please work." approach that we take in the US.

Yes, that is exactly what we want to return to.

[Viritica]

Cool. Let's bring the troops home.

[Geilinor]

I don't even see why we wait another minute to take troops out of that godforsaken country, there biggest export is freaking edible nuts.
The fact that stationing troops there provides no economic security for us or much strategic value is reason enough to get out.

Using ground troops to try to defeat a terrorist organization is like using an AK-47 to try to get rid of a cockroach infestation. Any idiot can see that the proper approach is drones, intelligence, and special forces.

Have you seen the public backlash against drones and intelligence? However, I agree that ground troops are a worse solution.

[Chronodosia]

I don't even see why we wait another minute to take troops out of that godforsaken country, there biggest export is freaking edible nuts.
The fact that stationing troops there provides no economic security for us or much strategic value is reason enough to get out.

Using ground troops to try to defeat a terrorist organization is like using an AK-47 to try to get rid of a cockroach infestation. Any idiot can see that the proper approach is drones, intelligence, and special forces.

Have you seen the public backlash against drones and intelligence? However, I agree that ground troops are a worse solution.

the Public can kiss my @$$ if they think the higher ups in the military really give a shit. Drones and intelligence could provide the taticle advantage and help the ANA take the AQ down. The higher ups care about the soldiers overtheir not the damn public.

[The Fascist American Empire]

Meh. We should've left years ago. We stuck around waaaaay longer than we needed to. Yes. We should've gone in. No, we shouldn't have stayed as long as we did. I say that's the only good thing about Obama's presidency. And it wasn't even his working, technically.

[Ifreann]

What do you mean 'won't tell you'? That's been the news for like, the last two or three years.

Oh man, have we time warped back to 2011? We need to warn the world about...um...that Olympic ring not working?

[The Broken Russian States]

As America withdraws, Afghanistan slowly loses to the Taliban once more. America, could you finish the job first?

[Chronodosia]

As America withdraws, Afghanistan slowly loses to the Taliban once more. America, could you finish the job first?

There will always be rebels and terrorists what we need to do is frickin work on science and try to get into space.

[Farnhamia]

As America withdraws, Afghanistan slowly loses to the Taliban once more. America, could you finish the job first?

There will always be rebels and terrorists what we need to do is frickin work on science and try to get into space.

Right, like they won't follow you there. As much as I like space exploration, running away isn't an answer.

Okay, it is, but not a good one.

[Farnhamia]

As America withdraws, Afghanistan slowly loses to the Taliban once more. America, could you finish the job first?

Feel free to try to do a better job.

[The Broken Russian States]

As America withdraws, Afghanistan slowly loses to the Taliban once more. America, could you finish the job first?

Feel free to try to do a better job.

Give America an actual state of war, and just brutally slaughter the Taliban. Leave with that as a message to all terrorist forces who want to mess with the States

[Herador]

Feel free to try to do a better job.

Give America an actual state of war, and just brutally slaughter the Taliban. Leave with that as a message to all terrorist forces who want to mess with the States

Right, because the US military wouldn't inadvertently wreck civilian population centers and commit murder on a massive scale (not being edgy, I mean they'll massacre civilians), and just fuel the fire around the world, turning more and more people to commit acts of terror against the US and it's allies. This totally would not happen. Totally.

[Baader-Meinhof Gruppe]

While I'm all for peace and bringing the troops home I am a bit concerned as it seems a great many Afghans want at least a small contingent there to continue training the Afghan military. While I'm aware of the proposed bi-lateral treaty I think that goes too far and I'm sure many in both nations agree, but I don't see anything wrong with an Iraq style situation with our troops helping train the Afghans but with the bulk of them back home and those that stay will be accountable for their actions and can be tried by the Afghan courts if they commit crimes.