The Forgotten War Goes Bad
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, unveiled a long-term, civilian based strategy to help secure victory against the Pashtun based insurgency that is fueled by International Jihadist commanders. The plan calls for sending more civilian experts to the region. The plan calls for rebuilding the Afghan Farming sector, improve governance, and bring extremists back into the mainstream.
Also included in the Sec of State’s plan, is the notion of boosting neighboring Pakistan’s capabilities to fight its own growing insurgency against the homegrown Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and other jihadist groups operating under the “banner” of the Taliban name, and to help strengthen ties to Islamabad by supporting political and economic reforms. Key to this plan is the bright idea of ,” countering extremist voices” in both countries , where anti-American sentiment runs high. This is the long awaited civilian contribution to President’s Obama’s plan to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to do battle with the much experienced Taliban, the modern day Mujahideen, inheritors of the tactics that faced down the Soviet 40th Army. This will bring the tally of troops deployed to Afghanistan to 114,550 (84,150 + 30,000- according to ISAFs official website).
To those students of the Soviet Afghan War, these numbers are eerily similar to the figures of the Soviet 40th Army which varied in strength from 90,000 to 120,000. It is important to understand that the total number of troops deployed does not mean that these are all fighting troops, most troops deployed are primarily involved in logistics. When the 40th was deployed the troops that were valuable were the Spetznaz and various airborne units. Helicopters played a large part in that conflict, and as well in this conflict. A quick glance at the map below will attest to that fact. Thus the major quandary that the Stinger missile placed upon the Soviets. Afghanistan is a rough mountainous, subtropical mountain desert country situated at the Eastern edge of the Iranian plateau. It’s a vast desert in the South and Northern quadrants of the country. About 85 percent of the country is covered by mountains, which run mainly through center. The geography of the country is a strong reason why the country’s people are divided into various groups. That division is why invading armies find it easy to march troops into Afghanistan, and “conquer” the land & people.
The region’s central mountain knot keeps most of its various ethnicities perched on the edges of the knot where water is available, but there are no meaningful barriers that separate them from each other. The result is a hodgepodge of ethnicities that’s scattered about the Hindu Kush. Thus the “ease” of invasions such as those of the British in 1839 or the Soviets in 1979 and YES the Americans in 2001.But the qaundary that invaders find themselves in is that they find that holding the cities in the country is meaningless when all the fighting is done in the countryside. Holding the major cities in Afghanistan merely makes you a virtual prisoner to the country. Thus the situation faced today by the Americans.
In the next few days a joint operation involving US troops, British troops, as well as soldiers from the Afghan National Army and policemen from the Afghan National Police; they will be launching an assault in Helmand province on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. This should illuminate what I’m trying to get at and that is it is high time for the US to declare “victory” and withdraw the great majority of troops. The real meat and potatoes that are already operating in the country ,as is well known, are the Various Special Forces and Intelligence agencies involved in the Great Intelligence Game currently going between the so called ”Taliban”. These are the forces that should be reinforced,not the almost useless Heavy Metal Military.
It amazes me of the US leaders reluctance to admit that this plan is unbelievably stupid in its breadth and scope. First the plan is to flood the country with troops and “civilian experts” , OK mon ami, what do you want them to do? This is a lose-lose situation any way that you look at it. The Afghans are notorious for despising all foreigners. Second, the plan calls for strengthening Pakistan’s Army ability to supposedly go after the Taliban, which it won’t- why should it destroy what is effectively a branch of the Pakistani Military, in its grand strategy against the Indians, for strategic depth. So lets recap: US tax payer dollars are to go to the funding of BOTH sides of the war. This is pure stupidity. Why is it that my fellow American citizens dont realize this?
Why is it that there is no cry to withdraw from this country and pursue a different strategy? Why is it that US leaders cant see that others have tried this strategy before and it has never worked? Will Americans wise up before it is too late and the US ends up like Alexander the Great, Kushans, the Monghuls, The Moghuls, the Britsh Raj, the Soviets and others?
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