PaladinSolo Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 The Afghanistan government controls only 56% of the country, 14% is under Taliban control and the rest is contested. The Taliban have also moved into the city of Ghazni the last few days pushing police back as they ran low on ammo and supplies, the military arrived to reinforce them but the military uses US ammo, and the police us Russian ammo... 17 god damned years of this shit. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/world/asia/why-the-talibans-assault-on-ghazni-matters-for-afghanistan-and-the-us.html Nearly 17 years later, after tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds of billions of dollars spent and two White House administrations come and gone, those extremists are not only undefeated but seem as strong as ever. Since Friday, Taliban fighters have roamed the streets of Ghazni City, a strategic urban center less than 100 miles from the capital, Kabul, killing dozens of Afghan soldiers and police officers, cutting communications and severing the main highway from Kabul to the south and beyond. The Ghazni assault has demonstrated a stunning display of Taliban tenacity that belies the official Afghan and American narrative of progress in the war and the possibility for peace talks. It also has revealed remarkable bumbling by the Afghan military, including the wrong kind of ammunition sent to besieged police officers. Moreover, the siege has raised basic questions about what conditions the Taliban might accept for peace talks. For months, residents and local officials in Ghazni, a city of about 280,000 people, had warned that the Taliban was surrounding the city and making inroads of control. Taliban fighters were even collecting taxes in some areas. On a visit in June, I found the city in fear — people avoided large gatherings. Assassinations were more frequent. On Aug. 10, more than 1,000 Taliban fighters stormed the city in a predawn assault. Officials claim the Taliban were aided by foreign fighters, including Pakistanis and Chechens, and even some Al Qaeda affiliates The police were forced to retreat and protect the main government facilities — the governor’s office, the Police Headquarters, the intelligence compound, the main prison — leaving the Taliban assailants to entrench themselves elsewhere. The Afghan minister of defense on Monday said that about 100 police officers and army soldiers and more 20 civilians had been killed. He put the number of dead Taliban fighters at about 200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 The notion that the Kabul government actually controls 56% of the country is laughable. The government in Saigon "controlled" the majority of South Vietnam as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 I remember hearing about Al-Qaeda and the Taliban a lot after 9/11. At a certain point, I heard a lot about ISIS. Now I'm reading about the Taliban resurging in Afghanistan. Jesus, that war never ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Thanks Obama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 49 minutes ago, SaysWho? said: I remember hearing about Al-Qaeda and the Taliban a lot after 9/11. At a certain point, I heard a lot about ISIS. Now I'm reading about the Taliban resurging in Afghanistan. Jesus, that war never ends. No one could have known Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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