so sad and powerful

[damion75 0]

Quote

We will all see when the time comes just like the WMD time will prove who is right.

Well there's something I think everyone can agree on - this is not over (forget Iraq - I mean the whole AQ / global terrorism thing)... I for one will be very interested to see how it turns out.

Looks unlikely that I will be out of a job for a while anyway!

Unless the Labour Party (UK Govt) are as short sighted as they appear...

***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

[beowulf 1]

I don't think you will ever be out of a job. War has been around since the beginning of recorded history and will be here as long as people are willing to kill for their assorted reasons. I guess it's human nature. The need to conquer, control, and destroy. Not to mention the most common reason for war. Religion.

[Skyrad 0]

'Once again, you demonstrate “not taking the whole issue into perspective.”'

I'm sorry you take offence. But I have to disagree with you. I don't think that it was a success, so looking at the whole issue this is why I dissagree.

The Taliban is still there and returning in strength. The security situation is terrible, outside of Kabul the Warlords and Taliban run the country, even in Kabul the situation is unsafe to say the least. The training facilities have been largely destroyed, I'll give you that. However Al Quieda has not been destroyed or incapacitated, and if anything has increased support and activity since the invasion. As far as destroying their base of operations, they've simply moved to a new base. Womens rights may have been given on paper but the reality is nothing has changed for the overwealming majority of the female population. Opium production that had been stamped on by the Taleban (No I don't support the Taliban in any way) has now increased and is the countries largest export with a value of $2B per annum. This years crop is up 20% on last years. Over a million displaced persons living and dying in refugee camps still.
Its hard to see how this is a success story..
Oh, and I don't watch CNN

www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/arr/arr_200404_113_1_eng.txt
www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618385513
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3604533.stm
www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=4869358
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/04/16/MNGQN668FP1.DTL
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1501,1056386,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1501,1086409,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1501,962936,00.html
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1501,1106732,00.html

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[pajarito 0]

Quote

I'm sorry you take offence. But I have to disagree with you. I don't think that it was a success, so looking at the whole issue this is why I dissagree.

The Taliban is still there and returning in strenght. The security situation is terrible, outside of Kabul the Warlords and Taliban run the country, even in Kabul the situation is unsafe to say the least. The training facilities have been largely destroyed, I'll give you that. However Al Quieda has not been destroyed or incapacitated, and if anything has increased support and activity since the invasion. As far as destroying their base of operations, they've simply moved to a new base. Womens rights may have been given on paper but the reality is nothing has changed for the overwealming majority of the female population. Opium production that had been stamped on by the Taleban (No I don't support the Taliban in any way) has now increased and is the countries largest export with a value of $2B per annum. This years crop is up 20% on last years.
Its hard to see how this is a success story.

The security situation really depends on where you are. Kabul isn’t the only place I would consider “secure” within Afghanistan. I worked personally with several of those warlords you mentioned. You’re correct in that the central gov’t hasn’t gained control the way it should throughout the country. That will take time. It doesn’t mean, however with some of the warlords in control of their areas, that this is necessarily adding to the chaos and suffering of the people. That is not always the case. Some of the warlords actually have the welfare of the local people in mind and take care of the communities. In response to 9-11, my mission, generally speaking, was to capture/kill Al-Qaida forces, deny them sanctuary within Afghanistan, and to deny them mobility within Afghanistan. We did that. Al-Qaida can’t use Afghanistan as a base of operations anymore. Maybe they can and have moved somewhere else but it’s no longer “cool” to be a terrorist in Afghanistan. They don’t have freedom of movement and definitely don’t consider Afghanistan a safe place to be anymore. We’ve pummeled their forces (speaking of Taliban, Al-Qaida, and other affiliated terrorist groups in and around that region), have got them continuously on the run and on their heels (like when you step on an ant hill), and they are constantly having to look over their shoulders before they do anything because they know we’re after them. That’s why there are small pockets of resistance of Taliban that you mentioned. It doesn’t mean that they are taking back over. Kind of like the situation in Iraq. You’ve got to see the big picture and not just isolated incidents that you might see on CNN. You’re right about their culture in reference to women and drug trafficking as a means of income. It’s very hard to change the way people think and that takes a lot of time. It shouldn’t be expected that it will happen overnight. Major steps are being taken in the right direction, however. I guess you can look at all the negatives, there are those in any effort, and continue to be a non-supporter of your country’s cause or you can step up to the plate, take the good stuff, and move forward. I feel a great sense of accomplishment in what we’ve done and am very proud of the way my country responded to being attacked. It might not have been that way under a different administration as was demonstrated from prior attacks. Despite the weakness of much of our populations, the USA and Great Britain will not lie down and take the kind of shit that other countries do. It makes me very proud. In reference to the UN threatening to back out, does that surprise you? I would expect nothing less from a spineless, weak, ineffective organization. I’ve also been forced to work under their flag so I have experience.