I thought we were winning in Afghanistan

Question

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7536422.stm

'Aid agencies in Afghanistan have warned they may become unable to operate in parts of the country once seen as safe because of the intensifying conflict.'

Answer 1

Contrary to what most people seem to believe, the Afghans are not a bunch of thick idiots.  We're fighting in their country, and they know their own land a lot better than we do.  Just one example of this is how the Afghans know that if they fire at us when they are under cover, we will not return fire.  Instead, we call in a tank or an artillery piece.  So, before we can, they check out all the routes a tank could come in, and lay bombs there.  Hence so many have died from "roadside bombs", because the tanks come trundling over these and explode.

Answer 2

No one ever 'wins' in a war.    Usually one side loses more than the other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But resorting to war is evidence that the argument has already been lost.

Answer 3

I am so glad my cousin is back home safely and left the army now!

My heart breaks every time I hear about the War or soldiers loosing their lives.  

Answer 4

Lord Paddy Ashdown, a former SBS Royal Marine Commando has already made is quite clear that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable.

The only person ever to win a war against the Afghans was Alexander.

This link connects to hundreds of other links about Afghanistan and Alexander in Afghanistan.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=na...

The British military commanders who say that we can only win in Afghanistan following a long and protracted 30 year campaign, are deluding themselves and not facing up to the simple truth about the people of Afghanistan.

What is this simple truth about the Afghans which is being ignored?

In plain English, the Afghans have always backed the winning side, thus ensuring their own survival.  The Afghans don't much mind who wins either.

The biggest mistake in Afghanistan has been forcing an expensive Western style democracy upon the people.

What has been the result of this so-called democratisation in Afghanistan?

It has resulted in criminals being elected to power, where formerly it was left to trusted and respected tribal elders to deal with political issues.

Afghanistan has a tribal tradition and not a democtractic one.

Answer 5

Well the enemy made a counter attack and the fighting has increased again. That does not mean were losing just means the fighting has increased. You think a bunch of rag tag group of guys armed with AK's and RPG's can beat the US, British and Canadian forces?  

Answer 6

How?

Without the yellow ribbon?

The yellow ribbon will make them look in shock.

With the strip-tease show in town.

On  cheap-skate ghostly stories of glorious past civilization.

With "Children are to be seen and not to be heard"

Having Judas and Barnabas looking forward to carry the cross up to Mount Calvary.

Luke 8.5-8,10-17

What do you think?

Answer 7

Odds are we will lose after all it is 2 losses and 1 win to us (1919).

Answer 8

We don't have the manpower in place in  Afghan to take and hold a position for any length of time. The troops have to move on and the Taliban just move back in.

My lads done 3 tours out there and due out again early next year, some of his comments are:

"we're sick and tired of fighting over the same ground time after time"

"we take a taliban group out and another takes it's place within 48 hours"

"we've been here 7 years and the Taliban are still operating within yards of our bases because we haven't the men to cover the area" - Camp Bastion suffered a rocket attack on Christmas day last year, just missed my sons block - that's how close they can get to the biggest base out there.

The Taliban have an infinite supply of fighters from all corners of the planet, mostly arriving from training camps in Northern Pakistan and crossing over a virtually unguarded border.

When you have the most senior officers' within the British Army warning of a prolonged campaign and a past NATO commander in Afghanistan saying "make no mistake, we are not winning in Afghanistan" then it is a strong indication that all is not well despite all the propoganda that says otherwise.

Answer 9

Yes as the Americans would say its a cluster f**k. and i wouldn't take to much heart from 1 commander they will have another to replace him probably flying out from Britain as we speak

This is what comes of trying to westernise the world they don't want it or understand it.No pipeline this year George

Answer 10

If you read the article again, it says that attacks on aid agencies are increasing. This is because the Taleban know that they cannot win against our troops. They are low life scum that do not care who they attack. They will attack any westerner. They even attack their own people! There was a case when I was out here where a whole village was attacked because the village wanted to build a school!

This is a long war that cannot be won in just a couple of years.

If you look at who kills more then we are winning (april-october 2007, my battalion killed 1027 Taleban and lost 9 of our own soldiers).

Answer 11

Who told you that? The new labour government?

When have they ever been known to talk about real facts & the truth?

Answer 12

Well i will tell yu the problem . We have a bunch of rag heads running around over there with ak's under their dresses and S***e . If they faught lyke men , we would slaughter them . But they run and they hide lyke little BZ's . So its kinda hard for us to find the acctual enemy . When we do though they get owned . If we wanted 2 we could bomb that place and kill everyone there . But we are being civil =[  

Answer 13

Afghans have been fighting their enemies for about two thousand years and all their enemies eventually left sadder and wiser.In the 19th century the British invaded twice and both times also left rather quickly. Now recently the Russians after ten years with thousands of troops,tanks and helicopters have also gone. Sadly the only reason we are there is on the coat tails of America thanks to Blair and New Labour.  

Answer 14

When we invaded afghanistan we already new we could not win.Win being a welcomed or peaceful occupation.Like in the playground we were just flexing our muscles on someone who were weaker.Notice we never invade countries who may bring trouble to our shores.Our army signed up to defend our country ,not attack others who don,t threat ours.

Answer 15

This is a country that no one has ever won in, ask the Russians what happened there, hundreds of thousands of troops could not quell what were considered to be savages, not so, they have experienced guerrillas and a terrain that suits them, i can't ever see this country ever being conquered by UK, US, just more coffins and body bags coming home.  

Answer 16

Its all about the logistics of the area

Answer 17

It amazes me how little people understand Military matters yet fiercely defend their weakened cases.

War is not so simple as winning or losing.  Once you get past the propaganda spewed out by both sides in war, you can see the facts as they are.  War is not about good and evil.  It is two or more sides in opposition to each other.

Kill the terrorists

Kill the infadels

These are mere slogans that do not convey what this war is actually about.  We call our enemies Terrorists, they call us Infadels.  You know what?  We are both right to a degree.  The same arguments for killing us are the same for our aruguments killing them, just interchange the term West for Muslim Extreamists and the term Terrorist with Infadel and you can make a pretty good case for either side.

How many "Muslim Extreamists" that planned 9/11, U.S.S. Cole or any other terrorist attack did you kill in Afghanistan?  How many war mongering "Infadels" that bomb innocent women and babies did they kill?  The truth is, you and I have little go gain in this war, and our enemies have little to gain either.  

The true propagators of this war are not fighitng it, instead they shamefully hide behind an American Flag or in a Mosque and send young men and women to their deaths against the Infadels or Muslim Extreamists.

"Your defending your freedoms back home!'

"You will go to paradise with 72 virgins!"

Bulls***, all of it.

You really think someone living in a mud hut in Afghanistan cares about your whether or not you have freedoms?

Politics, corporate greed and old rivalries hide behind such lies...lies we send our brave young men and women off to war for.  How many young Americans have to die defending freedoms that are not under attack by our enemy, but under attack by our own government?  In the guise of defending freedom, our government has been supressing it more and more.

Hate me if you like, you will hate me for telling you the truth, after all, Ignorance is bliss is it not?

I pity my own country...will this madness and self-destruction ever end?  It can, if you people would just wake up.

Here comes the thumbs down for those who like their fariy tale lies...