A couple of days ago, I said that the events over the last couple months -- the murder of 16 innocent Afghans by a soldier, the burning of Qurans, and desecration of dead bodies -- meant counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan have failed and President Obama had to end them.
Today, things only got worse, for three reasons.
First, Afghan President Karzai issued a statement calling on all NATO forces to pull out of Afghan villages. It's a move, if implemented, that would effectively end counter-insurgency operations and make NATO forces move towards an Advise, Train, and Assist (ATA) role, much like the one in Iraq in 2011.
In his statement, Karzai said, "Not a single foreign soldier should enter Afghan homes, and the entire attention should switch to the country's reconstruction and economic assistance... Afghanistan is right now ready to completely take all security responsibilities, so we demand a speedy transition and the hand-over of responsibility to the Afghans."
Now, this could be posturing by Karzai. It's possible that it isn't what he really wants, but feels that as his people turn against Americans, it is something he has to call for. Whatever the case may be, it doesn't matter. Counter-insurgency operations' entire purpose is to provide security for the population so services can be rendered by government and peace can be brokered with the opposition. It absolutely, positively requires the support of the indigenous government.
Karzai's statement calls that support into serious doubt, making counter-insurgency even more difficult than it was right after the killing of Afghan innocents just a few days ago. It quite possibly renders any counter-insurgency success impossible.
Secondly, and relatedly, talks with the Taliban have been suspended, meaning a core purpose of counter-insurgency is now on the ropes. While it seems that preconditions for talks were the reason for the suspension, there can be no doubt that the death of innocent Afghans influenced the Taliban's decision to halt talks. If there can be no negotiations with the Taliban to bring them into the fold, then there is absolutely no purpose -- no goal -- for counter-insurgency.
And finally, and underreported, are riots in the street over American immunity, and calling for it to end. That is an unacceptable condition -- we can never allow U.S. troops to be tried in a foreign court. And yet, the Afghan people are pressuring the Afghan government to call for it. This is important, because it was the hot issue when I was in Iraq in 2011. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki refused any immunity for U.S. troops if there was going to be an extension of troops post-2011, because of his own domestic political pressure. And that issue -- largely -- was the reason why the U.S. could not negotiate an extension of our troop presence there.
In Afghanistan, the issue may, once again, scuttle any long-term arrangement between Afghanistan and the West, meaning that a withdrawal from the Afghan democracy will come much sooner rather than later. It also puts in danger any negotiated counter-terror mission, which would require immunity for U.S. forces. In the meantime, however, wrangling over troop immunity makes it much more difficult for our troops to operate because, again, it means we do not have the full support of the people.
President Obama has a lot of issues to weigh, but I really hope he sides with the American troops on the ground. They're now being asked by our government to provide security to a population in a mission that is no longer wanted by the democratically elected leader of that country, making their current mission untenable and unproductive. Therefore, the only conclusion he can come to is to engage U.S. forces in a mission that can be successful. And that is an immediate transition to an ATA role, on the way towards a negotiated counter-terror mission with a very limited footprint.
Follow Jon Soltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jonsoltz
Daniel N. Nelson: Time to Get the F*#@ Out
Joseph A. Palermo: It's Time to Speed Up the Timeline for Leaving Afghanistan
Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe: Sorry's Not Good Enough in Afghanistan. Here's Why
War in Afghanistan (2001–present) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afghanistan : Pictures, Videos, Breaking News
Afghanistan Crossroads - CNN.com Blogs
Afghanistan war logs: Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of ...
Like taking over the Viet Nam unwar from the French. Welcome to Indochina. Drafted, in a plane, wake up in Viet Nam -- see the jungle, check it out for us.
Afghanistan has no jungle. actually has nothing. Nothing here guys, gonna have to kick in doors and uncover the enemy. The U.S. spending is the Afghan economy: like make that work. Did they lose all there manufacturing jobs too.
That doesn't mean we should keep doing what we're doing, but it does mean we have made some important, hard-won progress and should not throw that away like it's nothing.
This is not an argument for continuing the American combat role beyond the Obama imposed 2014 deadline but simply a recognition that counter-terrorism, or counter-insurgency lite, trying to do more with less, is unlikely to succeed. If a large U.S. footprint has had only marginal success in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, a small U.S. footprint is likely to be even more problematic.
Karzai in charge of pipeline and mineral extraction contracts for Halliburton and other corporations. Anyone looking at any photo of Afghanistan knows that 20 or 50 guys can get together anywhere to plan anything the want. There is no way to stop planning there any more than in Colorado or Wyoming. The whole disaster is unglued. Out now.
We are done..Bush's 2 fake wars have sent out country in to a near depression and the lives lost are not worth a people who don't want us there.
Our own country needs reconstruction and finacial support!! Bring our men and women home and stop the bleeding.
What if the Talibans were to say that the breeders of the worst "terror" in Afghanistan are
the foreign occupation forces themselves and that no trace of these forces should be left
behind ?
So I suppose our time has been devoted to keeping Mr. Karzai safe. It seems to have worked too. 'cause he's been feeling empowered enough for a while now to bad-mouth America and insist that the troops stand-down. Personally, I think he's feeling a little embarrassed running that opium operation under our watchful eye...maybe afraid we'll ask for a bigger cut.
costsofwar.org/sites/default/files/articles/.../Bilmes%20Veterans%20Costs.pdf
This is a quagmire that has far reaching implications in so many directions. Bottom line, we need to be OUT of the middle east.
DC in DC. A special relationship. US reinforcements deployed to the Falklands.
"the hand-over of responsibility to the Afghans."
Does their constitution gift citizens the right to carry arms?
"there can be no doubt that the death of innocent Afghans influenced the Taliban's decision to halt talks."
They may have felt that others were muscling in on their turf and concessions.
"we can never allow U.S. troops to be tried in a foreign court."
That might give the impression that might might not always be right.
"that issue -- largely -- was the reason why the U.S. could not negotiate an extension of our troop presence there."
So there is a legal way of expelling invaders.
"It also puts in danger any negotiated counter-terror mission, which would require immunity for U.S. forces."
Don’t stealth helicopters still trump immunity?
"They're now being asked by our government to provide security to a population in a mission that is no longer wanted by the democratically elected leader of that country"
The function of the military of a democratic country is, in addition, to prevent government confiscation of power from the people. Another duty fail.
Obama is a 3rd term of Bush regarding our continued adventurism in the middle east and around the world for that matter, no wonder we're broke.
It's just like Eisenhower warned us 50 years ago, the military industrial complex can't be trusted and now they run this country and our gutless politicians. I came to the conclusion decades ago this country was hijacked by the power brokers or shadow government.