Objections to U.S. Troops Intensify in Afghanistan

[alp227]

Source: NYT

The continued presence of American Special Operations troops in Wardak Province, against the wishes of the Afghan government, brought demonstrators to the capital on Saturday and provoked a strongly worded denunciation from Muslim clerics.

President Hamid Karzai had given the Americans until March 10 to remove all Special Operations troops from the province, after complaints about night raids in which victims disappeared.

American forces are still there, and the top American commander, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., said that despite the public demands by President Karzai, “he has not issued a directive to the force, and he realizes that we’re working this as quickly as we can.” He was referring to a long-term plan to hand over authority to Afghan officials. American officials have confirmed that no withdrawal of the Special Operations troops is now under way.

On Saturday, the influential Ulema Council, whose members are appointed by President Karzai and represent all of the country’s Islamic clerics, issued a threatening statement demanding the withdrawal from Wardak as well as a transfer of the American-controlled prison at Bagram to Afghan control.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/world/asia/objections-to-us-troops-intensify-in-afghanistan.html

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. The foreign invaders refuse to listen to their puppet president.

I think we've overstayed our welcome by about a dozen years. Too bad we'll still have thousands of troops there for another decade. On the up side, I'm sure all those Pentagon and State Department contractors will be making good money.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Feel bad for both Dunford and Hagel, both new on the job and trying to keep

all of these political tug-of-wars and tensions from harming our troops. Already two of our special forces were shot, probably because of this Wardak conflict. I sincerely hope that plans are underway to end this crap sooner than almost two years from now. I don't give a shit if the Afghans get "trained" or are ready to "stand up". They'll figure it out. Or they won't. The Taliban might prevail, or maybe not. Either way, we've got drones. Let's get out of there.

[xchrom]

3. Du rec. Nt

[mpcamb]

4. Bring 'em home,

Bring 'em home.

[cbrer]

5. The SOCOM Tactics and Technology

Are kicking the Talibans ass.

This gets duly reported through the rest of the Pashtun tribe (of which Karzai is a member), and sent out to the local mullahs for dissemination. There has been no Jirga, or Loya Jirga. We're guessing what the country really wants, because at least 60% of the country's voice is not being heard.

And I promise you, the effect we're adding to both the local economy (and domestic debt load), is being felt positively by the locals (especially women).

Karzai is working both ends against the middle and costing the American tax payer billions (personally).

Considering the cost in lives, materials, and war crimes, it is past time to go.

[John2]

6. I think it is because

of the culture. It is a Muslim country. I don't think you can change hundreds of years of learned culture in a Decade. We went there to prevent Terrorism camps and get Bin Laden. The Taliban consist of some Pashtun Tribes and religious students trained by Pakistan's Intelligence agency. The founder of the Taliban was a Pakistani General. Karzai was also once an advocate for funding the Taliban when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. He seperated from the Taliban because they wanted to establish a more strict philosphy of Islam in Afghanistan. Karzai allied himself more with the late Massoud of the Northern Alliance instead before he was assassinated by the Taliban and Bin Laden. Most of these people probably see the U.S. now in the same light that they saw the Soviet Union as a Foreign occupier.

These people have been fighting Wars for decades, and I doubt they need to be trained how to fight by the U.S. Most males in that country carries a weapon. And they can easily disappear in the general population because they are Afghans. It is intellectually very unlikely any country is going to go into Afghanistan and create a Western style Democracy because of their religious culture. That should also apply to these Arab countries in the Middle East such as Syria. Whatever religious sect of Islam gains control of the Government is going to oppress the other religious group of Islam. The Alawite for example in Syria have more in common with the Shias of Iran, Iraq and Hezebollah in lebanon than the strict Sunni religions of the Salafists in Saudia Arabia, Egypt and probably Syria majority. And guess who is supporting whom. They all want superior weapons to suppress the other side.

When I looked at the casualties of the Civil War in Syria and belligerents on both sides, they all support a different sect of Islam than the other side. That reported 70,000 casualties also includes 14-16,000 deaths on the Government's side. It is probably because the government has better trained soldiers and better military equipment. That is [probably why the rebels want weapons from the West. My ultimate point is that I think the whole idea of nation building started by George W. Bush and his rightwing religious extremists is none other than ludicrous. You are not going to change Centuries of religious culture that evolved over Centuries in the Muslim World.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. color me surprised. nt