Tag Archives: Afghanistan

08/22/2012 · 9:06 pm

We’re winning in Afghanistan, don’t lose hope!

A fellow blogger linked to the story of shrapnel from rocket fire hitting the plane that carried the top U.S. military officer to Afghanistan, and asked folks for their thoughts as to whether it was a lucky shot or something more skilled and devious. (Link to article about plane getting hit.)

My response in the comments of his blog is probably a bit overboard, but by the time I finished venting, I decided I should share them here. (Warning: They’re cynical and affected by the fact a Marine friend of mine just lost three buddies there…)

Here’s what I wrote:

I’m sure it was just a lucky shot. They’ve been saying for ten years that we’re winning, and victory is just around the corner, right?

If we can just stay the course until 2014, or maybe 2018, then they’ll have a fully functioning democracy complete with a government that lacks corruption and a perfect society that lets women vote and drive and generally speak their minds.

Hang in there, gents. We’ve got a whole line of general officers just raring to prove they’re smarter than the dozen who came before them. And those defense contractors… Oh, they’re licking their chops and our cowardly Congressmen don’t want to turn down their donations or appear weak.

So, buck up, young men and women. Lots of medals still to be handed out, plenty of chapters left for Generals to include in their books, and still time for our miserable Congressmen to raise some more campaign donations.

We’re winning this thing! Don’t ever stop drinking the Kool Aid!

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please accept the greatest gift I can give.

P.P.S. Thanks to all who continue to make my novel Little Man, and the Dixon County War a huge success! It’s gone as high as No. 16 on the Amazon UK Paid List (see here and here), landing smack dab between a Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book. And don’t forget to check out my newest novel (Sold Out). It’s already gone as high as No. 81 on the Amazon Paid List for the category of War (see here and here). Learn more about both books here.

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07/31/2012 · 8:46 pm

Marines and Navy Seals, all in a single blog post

Want to be a biker and shoot people for a living, before high-tailing it to the next town?

The job exits.

Marine Special Operators are now using motorcycles to hunt down Taliban members in Afghanistan. The article discusses the advantages of riding motorcycles, which is something I’ve never considered. (Story here.)

And while we’re on the subject of warriors and tough guys, you need to check out the video below. In it, Navy Seals recount a hilarious, almost unbelievable story of a drunken brawl that happens in the middle of a combat zone in Afghanistan.

Your first thought when you watch this — if you’re  a civilian — is that it can’t possible be true. Wrong. Things like this happen far more than you’d ever think. (And warning, video contains profanity. No shit, huh? They’re Navy Seals, people, not Scout leaders.)

Video link.

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please accept the greatest gift I can give.

P.P.S. Thanks to all who continue to make my novel Little Man, and the Dixon County War a huge success! It’s gone as high as No. 16 on the Amazon UK Paid List (see here and here), landing smack dab between a Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book. And don’t forget to check out Sold Out if you’re interested. It’s already gone as high as No. 81 on the Amazon Paid List for the category of War. (Link to be uploaded soon.) You can learn more about both books here.

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07/07/2012 · 3:34 pm

Is Afghanistan headed for civil war again?

The New Yorker published an outstanding article on Afghanistan in its most recent edition.

Titled, “Will civil war hit Afghanistan when the U.S. leaves?,” the article describes both the current situation and how things went down in Afghanistan after the Soviets left.

While the article is balanced and leaves open both the chance of stability or complete ruin, there are some shocking statements in it that should cause all Americans alarm.

Here are some examples (all direct excerpts):

  • A few weeks ago, Nasir returned to Deh Afghanan. The Taliban were back, practically ignored by U.S. forces in the area. “The Americans have a big base there, and they never go out,” he said. “And, only four kilometres from the front gate, the Taliban control everything. You can see them carrying their weapons.”
  • Largely prohibited from venturing outside their compounds, many American officials exhibit little knowledge of events beyond the barricades. They often appear to occupy themselves with irrelevant activities such as filling out paperwork and writing cables to their superiors in the United States.
  • In the early years of the war, diplomats were encouraged to leave their compounds and meet ordinary Afghans. In recent years, personal safety has come to overshadow all other concerns.

Numerous people quoted in the article stated the only hope to prevent civil war in the country is a strong Afghan Army.  I tend to agree that’s the country’s greatest hope.

But the Army is made up of Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Uzbeks, and none of these different ethnicities like or trust each other. In fact, they’ve all been fighting for years before the United States arrived.

Plus, there’s the problem of militias throughout the country. The article described the problems these militias are already creating.

Read the article. It’s the best single summary article of Afghanistan that I’ve read in at least two years. (Link again.)

{Reminder, my view on the situation is: Let’s get out of Afghanistan, like now. And you can see numerous news posts on Afghanistan here.}

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please accept the greatest gift I can give.

P.P.S. Thanks to all who continue to make my novel Little Man, and the Dixon County War a huge success! It’s gone as high as No. 16 on the Amazon UK Paid List (see here and here), landing smack dab between a Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book. Learn more about it here.

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06/30/2012 · 3:07 pm

Thanks, Pakistan. You guys are swell.

So our good friends in Pakistan continue to cost us a ton of money.

The latest is an additional $2.1 billion.

“Pakistan’s refusal to let NATO access its ports and roads into Afghanistan has cost the U.S. Defense Department more than $2.1 billion in extra transportation costs to move supplies and equipment in and out of the country.” (Article link.)

For those who forgot, Pakistan closed the ground route last November after a U.S. airstrike mistakenly killed 24 of its soldiers

Just as bad — maybe worse — this recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle said that now more Pakistanis see U.S. as its enemy, despite our enormous amount of aid.

“In the last couple of years, Washington has earmarked a bigger chunk of its aid to Pakistan for civilian projects, hoping to engender goodwill with the country’s intensely anti-American populace. The latest polling suggests that the strategy hasn’t worked.

“About 75 percent of Pakistanis surveyed regard the United States as an enemy, according to a poll released this week by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project. That’s actually up more than 10 percent since three years ago, when 64 percent said they viewed America as an enemy.” (Article)

Two final points.

First, we’ll be giving nearly $3 billion in U.S. aid to Pakistan for fiscal year 2012.  Second, we’ve given more than $20 billion in military and non-military aid since 2001.  (Link.)

Good thing we don’t have any bridges to repair or any ongoing deficits to cut or — umm, this is a stretch — any debt to pay down.

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please accept the greatest gift I can give.

P.P.S. Thanks to all who continue to make my novel Little Man, and the Dixon County War a huge success! It’s gone as high as No. 16 on the Amazon UK Paid List (see here and here), landing smack dab between a Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book. Learn more about it here.

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06/02/2012 · 4:28 pm

4 hostages rescued in Afghanistan, but is the situation worse?

Couple of quick things regarding Afghanistan.

First, a small piece of good news.

British troops rescued four hostages early this morning. Two of them were female aid workers, and they had two Afghan guards that were taken hostage with them.

And then in not-so-great news, the Taliban staged a major attack on a NATO base Friday. NATO forces fought back the attack, killing 14 militants, but by any measure, this attack should give the U.S. pause.

The Taliban used a truck bomb, and 14 militants storming a base is a serious attack. It goes against the conventions of guerrilla warfare — much easier to just plant IED’s and avoid direct engagement.

Even the very story above had this to say:

In the past two years, the U.S.-led coalition has sent tens of thousands of troops into Taliban strongholds in the south and has largely succeeded in boosting security there. The Taliban have responded by opening up new fronts in the north and west and stepping up attacks in the east, where much of the heaviest fighting is presently concentrated.

So, you see, normally you go where they’re not if you’re the enemy. And this attack, IMO, reinforces this post from a couple weeks ago: Taliban stronger, instead of weaker?

My view remains unchanged: Let’s get out of Afghanistan, like now.

Colin Powell’s ready for us to get out, too, saying we should stay no longer than 2014.

And hey, even Afghan President Hamid Karzai says that the Taliban no longer have the means to overthrow the Afghan government.

“There is a lot in the Western press about the Taliban coming back and all that,” Karzai said. “If you asked me three years ago, I would have not answered you in the positive. I would have said ‘I don’t know’ or ‘you are probably right’ or somewhere in-between. But now, I can tell you with confidence that the Taliban as a force to threaten the government of Afghanistan or the way of life we have chosen is no longer there. The withdrawal of the international forces from Afghanistan will not lead to the Taliban coming back.”

I think he couldn’t be more wrong, but let’s take him at his word!

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please accept the greatest gift I can give.

P.P.S. Thanks to all who continue to make my novel Little Man, and the Dixon County War a huge success! It’s gone as high as No. 16 on the Amazon UK Paid List (see here and here), landing smack dab between a Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book. Learn more about it here.

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