Posted on May 31, 2018
Missteps in Afghanistan: Let Us Count the Ways | Small Wars Journal
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"Taliban fighters truly believe in their cause. Their strength of commitment compensates for their lack of military capability. They are waging total war, not limited war. Coalition soldiers await the end of their tours; Taliban tours only end in death, which the Taliban believe is an entry into paradise. Thus, the enemy's use of extremist religious ideology offers another advantage. Its impact on the populace is significant and can prevent legitimizing the Afghan government. Our approach of destroy and defeat will not work. The quote, "bombing them into the stone age and giving them no place to hide and driving them to reconciliation" will not work and is no way to neutralize an allusive enemy. Plus, Afghanistan is already in the stone age and there are plenty of places to hide effectively. We must disrupt, degrade, and neutralize through a comprehensive COIN strategy. We will not defeat the ideology, but with the right strategy we can disrupt and degrade their leadership and neutralize (render ineffective) their organizational networks. This is the best we can do."
Missteps in Afghanistan: Let Us Count the Ways | Small Wars Journal
Posted from smallwarsjournal.comPosted in these groups: 
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
Strategy
Senior Leaders
COIN (Counterinsurgency)
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan Strategy Senior Leaders COIN (Counterinsurgency)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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The Taliban strengths is their ideology, safe havens, and surprise attacks. The Soviets tried total war in Afghanistan, but were defeated.
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"extremist religious ideology"? COIN?
Sir,
As you are already aware, I do not agree with the term extremist. Those not following Muhammad's orders could be considered extremist. But, that so called extremist religious ideology is taught in every Sunni and Shia Mosque across the globe. They make the KKK and Black Panthers look like child's play. IMO.
COIN does not work. It was an Honorable effort. What works is power. Give them contracts to mine minerals, or grow crops. Those that make the millions and billions of dollars will start taking over areas. Controling the population.
My 2cents Sir from years of studying the enemy. But you know, as long as we are bringing the enemy into the west, there is going to be a growing chaos with the so called extremists.
Have a great day LTC and I really enjoy your posts. I hope the War college is being taught with hard facts and classified pics from women and children that were murdered by the enemy. Because, they are not part of the Ummah. Which makes them not innocent.
Over
Sir,
As you are already aware, I do not agree with the term extremist. Those not following Muhammad's orders could be considered extremist. But, that so called extremist religious ideology is taught in every Sunni and Shia Mosque across the globe. They make the KKK and Black Panthers look like child's play. IMO.
COIN does not work. It was an Honorable effort. What works is power. Give them contracts to mine minerals, or grow crops. Those that make the millions and billions of dollars will start taking over areas. Controling the population.
My 2cents Sir from years of studying the enemy. But you know, as long as we are bringing the enemy into the west, there is going to be a growing chaos with the so called extremists.
Have a great day LTC and I really enjoy your posts. I hope the War college is being taught with hard facts and classified pics from women and children that were murdered by the enemy. Because, they are not part of the Ummah. Which makes them not innocent.
Over
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LTC Eric Udouj
I would disagree - COIN can work - if there is more to it than the immediate and if it is used planning for the long term. Failure to do more than short term planning in COIN is not something anyone who has tried has succeeded in .. ever. And yet we have a hard time going 2 years since we are rotating in and out..
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Afghanistan is more of a job for the Peace Corps than the Marine Corps.
a Tribal culture with a middle-ages ideology. they need to be EASED into at least the 19th century. let them get used to it, the take a stab at the 20th century & see where it goes.
a Tribal culture with a middle-ages ideology. they need to be EASED into at least the 19th century. let them get used to it, the take a stab at the 20th century & see where it goes.
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