What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement?
The U.S. Government Lied For Two Decades About Afghanistan
Using the same deceitful tactics they pioneered in Vietnam, U.S. political and military officials repeatedly misled the country about the prospects for success in Afghanistan.
VOA Exclusive: Inside a US Military Base in Syria
In a remote part of Syria’s northeast, a few kilometers from the oil-rich town of Rumeilan, U.S. soldiers are busy helping local Kurdish forces ensure that militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) terror group do not again pose a threat to the region. In March 2019, the U.S. helped defeat IS’s so-called caliphate in eastern Syria. But remnants of the militant group continue to carry out attacks against civilians and U.S.-backed forces...
The culture in Afghanistan is much different than ours and we really didn't appreciate it. I only say that because we tried to make a government like ours which wouldn't work in this situation. We tried but it still wouldn't work. But as I said we did complete our original mission which was to take the war to the people who attacked us on 9/11, but we just couldn't leave the area in a total mess, which we ended up doing now.
As I originally said it should have been better planned than with what happened.
But more troubling was that in the sheer chaos of OUR route (not the Afghans), there was not one GO who rose to the occasion and flew in and grabbed command and began organizing on the ground and signaling to the American people what was occurring and what we were. NONE. It showed an inability to understand Information Warfare - as well as the basic groundings of leadership in a crisis. And the failure to do that one item amplified in the effects to a disaster. Every nation turned to look to us at that moment - and no one was there - nor all the way up to the White House. Defeat amplifies failure if no one stands up and changes it. And the effects of it are global... far past anything that was looked at with just withdrawing. Far past it... and saddling the junior leaders and up and coming leaders with a 120 lb ruck full of rocks they will have to carry for the duration.
This is the first time I will make an attempt to conduct analysis on mountainous area of operations. I am no expert on Afghanistan. Thus if I say something stupid, I told you so. I will say the CPT Obvious statement: Afghanistan has a lot of mountains,. People hide in mountains. Mountainous regions often means there are few straight roads. They have millions of covered and concealed positions. Locals know the mountains to for travel. The Taliban to maneuver forwards and backwards using the rough terrain.
The Russians found out convoys require flat land. Flat land is usually the low lands (valleys). Guess who occupied the high land? It was not the Russians! Sometimes the Mujahideen occupied high spots and ambushed convoys. If they did a good job they killed the front and rear vehicles. Now you have many vehicles pretty much trapped. They got killed too. I have read several historic accounts of fighters who use the mountains to their advantage. It becomes their sanctuary and base of operations.
If anyone can add to the narrative that would be nice. If I am mistaken I need to be corrected.