Afghanistan — A suicide bomber driving a truck attacked an advance NATO combat post in central Af

reply to post by SLAYER69

It's an occupation...

Do you understand the meaning of the term and all it's ramifications? I'll give you a clue. They can fight us and they can kill some but they cant make us leave until we choose to do so. Unlike the Soviets who lost 5 times as many in a much shorter amount of time who were shown the door and given a very lovely parting gift.

"its an occupation"

An occupation for what?
Osama was killed a while back.... thereby the US finished its retaliation for 9/11... the main reason the US went to war with Afghanistan in the first place.

Why are you still there? Is it a just reason?

reply to post by jam321

Tell the politicians to take the gloves off so you can witness what our military is Really capable of doing.
Then you can start a thread about how ruthless we can be.

Actually, its the politicians who are the most ruthless. I know they want to win this war as much as a minimum wage soldier fighting this war.

Americas failure to win this war has only demonstrated how ruthless Americas enemy, the taliban can be.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n
You have no idea of the chain of command, do you.

Pity.

reply to post by beezzer


You are in denial of losing to poorly armed/equipped gangs of fighters aren't you?

reply to post by sk0rpi0n

Actually, its the politicians who are the most ruthless

Ruthless only in the sense that they send our troops to do a job while placing severe rules of engagement on them.

If you send our troops to fight, then let them fight.

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
Osama was killed a while back.... thereby the US finished its retaliation for 9/11... the main reason the US went to war with Afghanistan in the first place.

Why are you still there? Is it a just reason?

Well maybe this is why the US/NATO have been negotiating with Moderate Taliban? Personally I think the Pashtun which equals the vast majority of the Taliban who are from Afghanistan and Pakistan could maybe have their own country. A little land from Afghanistan and Pakistan and solve both countries problems



Pashtunistan?

Here is why we are in Afghanistan.

Document from UNODC.org

Prior to the invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban were pushing their fundamentalist religious system upon the country and were destroying all of the opiate production facilities.

Right after the invasion, the amount of opiates produced skyrocketed by multiples over the years to unprecedented levels which it is at today. The levels of production today are the greatest in recorded history.

Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since U.S. occupation started in 2001. Based on UNODC data, there has been more opium poppy cultivation in each of the past four growing seasons (2004–2007) than in any one year during Taliban rule.

link to wiki article

This is one of the major reasons we are there. Just think about it.

There is tons of evidence to support this. I have provided merely the tip of the iceberg.

Also, if you care to look into it, there is a long history of western nations intervening in the region over opiate production and transportation.

Here is a good start : Opium Wars

There is an extremely deep history here with countless facets to examine.

reply to post by jam321

If you send our troops to fight, then let them fight.

Yes, fight...
Thats what they have been doing in Afghanistan from day 1... fight with state of the art weapons and tech, armor, air support.... the works. All to fight a bunch of villagers armed with AKs and homemade bombs... too poor to even afford boots.

Dont blame the politicians. They ordered the war. Either the troops there are incompetent... or the Taliban are just that damn good. Which is it?

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
reply to post by beezzer

 

You are in denial of losing to poorly armed/equipped gangs of fighters aren't you?

Not in denial, not losing. Frutration over not being allowed to fight, but that's the weanies in D.C. making the call, not anyone downrange.

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
reply to post by beezzer

 

You are in denial of losing to poorly armed/equipped gangs of fighters aren't you?

The truck bomb used was quite powerful.

The knowledge required to build it and then deploy it with success is beyond that of average civilians.

This was a somewhat sophisticated attack, utilizing intelligence operatives, supply lines, and a bomb technician. It is possible that only a few people were behind the operation.

If it was a suicide attack, one of them is dead. The others may be out there planning the next attack.

I would have to disagree with you here, and say these opponents should not be underestimated, especially considering we don't even know who they are.

I would have to say they have at least moderate levels of training, are experienced, and are capable of planning attacks with a degree of success.

They also appear to be fairly well armed/equipped.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Also, if you care to look into it, there is a long history of western nations intervening in the region over opiate production and transportation. Here is a good start : Opium Wars There is an extremely deep history here with countless facets to examine.

Exactly...

UN report: Russia becomes largest market for Afghan heroin

Russia has become the biggest consumer of Afghan heroin with 21% of all the drug consumed in the world, as of the latest UN Office on Drugs and Crime report “Addiction, Crime and Insurgency” published on October 21.

According to the report, no less than 70 tons of heroin were trafficked to Russia in 2008 – that’s three times more than to the US and Canada together, and much more than previously estimated.

“It's being brought to Russia across the unprotected, transparent, and I would call them virtual borders, which were established after the collapse of the Soviet Union,” says Viktor Ivanov, head of the Federal Drug Control Service.

Heroin Trafficking

At present, opium poppies are mostly grown in Afghanistan, and in Southeast Asia, especially in the region known as the Golden Triangle straddling Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Yunnan province in the People's Republic of China.

The majority of the heroin consumed in the United States comes from Mexico and Colgmbia. Up until 2004, Pakistan was considered one of the biggest opium-growing countries.

Problems shooting up in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s opium production is used to fund insurgencies against invading U.S. forces. The money from Afghan opium trickles through everyone in the country — from farmers to police to government officials. Outside the country, Afghan opium production is a $65-billion industry.

Afghanistan is now responsible for 92 percent of the world’s opium supply.

Most of this supply is distributed throughout Pakistan, Russia, Europe and China. Russia has been hit hard with heroin use, as deaths resulting from AIDS have exploded from 1,900 people in 2001 to 40,000 in 2007, 80 percent of which resulted from dirty needles.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan strongly influences Russia’s rising heroin statistics. After the U.S. went into Afghanistan, the Taliban needed more weapons and money, facilitating increased opium production. Russian gangsters trade military weapons with Taliban drug lords for heroin, fueling the vicious cycle with the U.S. military.

Source

Russia is the world's top consumer of Afghan heroin. Last month President Dmitry Medvedev warned that high drug use amongst the country's youth was a threat to national security.

Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, said AIDS still carried heavy stigma in Russia and the government needed to address this.

"Something in society is malfunctioning and it is unable to talk aloud about weaknesses," he said.

www.cannabisculture.com...

From the US Department of Agriculture to a secret UN laboratory in Uzbekistan, scientists are working to create genetically modified fungi which will eradicate the world's coca, opium poppies and marijuana plants

reply to post by beezzer

Not in denial, not losing. Frutration over not being allowed to fight, but that's the weanies in D.C. making the call, not anyone downrange.

"Frustration over not being allowed to fight?"

Not being allowed to fight? Please.
How do you explain news reports of taliban getting killed by US forces that seem to pop up every now and then?
What are those supposed to be?

Or did the weanies in D.C not authorize those kills?

reply to post by sk0rpi0n
*facepalm*
It's too late in the day to school you in command structure or what is happening in Afghanitan.
I shudder to think where you get your knowledge of military activity.

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
Yes, fight...
Thats what they have been doing in Afghanistan from day 1... fight with state of the art weapons and tech, armor, air support.... the works. All to fight a bunch of villagers armed with AKs and homemade bombs... too poor to even afford boots.

Yes EXACTLY that's why they are hiding in the hills and using peasants to hide behind and amongst.

Dont blame the politicians.

Pull your head out of your backside Sunshine..
Politicians declare war not soldiers.

They ordered the war. Either the troops there are incompetent... or the Taliban are just that damn good. Which is it?

None of the above.

If they were really that "damn good" they'd still be running the joint like the Communist Vietnamese were able to in North Vietnam. They were really that Damned good. So please put away your crayons and fingerpaintings and lets put to rest the whole "you are losing to a bunch of towel heads" BS rhetoric.

It gets old and is not based in reality or fact.

reply to post by beezzer


And you still failed to address the original question.
Nevermind....the "chain-of-command" line is a pathetic excuse to explain the failure of a superpower to defeat a ragtag guerilla army. Heard that one so many times before.

Have a nice day.

reply to post by SLAYER69


That last link you presented was quite concerning.

Designing a fungi to eradicate various types of plants that we personally find to be detrimental when abused wrongly, will for sure have many negative implications.

We are talking about creating an extinction of certain plants on purpose.

If we take several plant species that are as widespread as this out of the ecosystem, we could be facing dire consequences.

Just think of the implications this could lead to outside of the human sphere. Just imagine what it could lead to in the food chain and such. Yikes!

But at the same time nature has a wild card, adaptation. The recent examples of pests becoming resistant to Monsanto's poisons may point out that a balancing factor will prevent our methods from totally destroying everything. I hope the plants grow resistant quickly...

Originally posted by MasterGemini

Afghanistan may have no oil but has massive stores of Lithium (for batteries) and it is also where the oil companies decided to run their pipeline through (before the war) to avoid other risky areas.

Wait... running a pipeline through AFGHANISTAN to AVOID RISKY AREAS?



Miscalculated there, eh? Afghanistan has been a "risky area" since time imemmorial...

reply to post by sk0rpi0n

Dont blame the politicians. They ordered the war. Either the troops there are incompetent... or the Taliban are just that damn good. Which is it?

I will buy you a turban, AK 47, and a ticket to afghanistan so you can personally determine how incompetent our military is. I'm sure you will enjoy the 72 virgins you are bound to inherit once you encounter our military.

reply to post by SLAYER69

Yes EXACTLY that's why they are hiding in the hills and using peasants to hide behind and amongst.

And the US army isn't hiding behind armor and better weapons/tech????? LOL.

Politicians declare war not soldiers.

Soldiers are out in the warzone doing whatever the hell they signed up for. If they have failed to win... they have failed... no two ways about it. So dont try and divide the "soldiers" and the "politicians"... the enemy does not see a difference...and doesn't give a damn.

If they were really that "damn good" they'd still be running the joint like the Communist Vietnamese were able to in North Vietnam. They were really that Damned good. So please put away your crayons and fingerpaintings and lets put to rest the whole "you are losing to a bunch of towel heads" BS rhetoric.
It gets old and is not based in reality or fact.

Reality and fact is this : the damn war in Afghanistan is almost 10 years old. No victory in sight.
Not saying its a good thing... but try and ponder over that

reply to post by jam321

I will buy you a turban, AK 47, and a ticket to afghanistan so you can personally determine how incompetent our military is. I'm sure you will enjoy the 72 virgins you are bound to inherit once you encounter our military.

Cheap talk... at best.
The best way to assess a militarys competence is to see how they fare in war.
And in this 10 year old war, with a bunch of backward people.... well, the results are obvious aren't they?