MetaFilter posts tagged with afghanwar

There's still a war going on

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:49:47 -0800

August was one of the deadliest months in Afghanistan, for both civilians and soldiers. The death toll was increased by so-called 'green-on-blue' attacks by members of the Afghan National Army and police forces on ISAF and US forces. These attacks have been steadily rising, with no solution or end in sight. President Karzai blames 'infiltrators,' but there is little evidence of this. Training the ANA is a cornerstone of US withdrawal plans. Calculating the number of dead in war can be difficult. Can US Gains Last? Afghans are pushing for elections, developing a 'civil society,' while the US engages other world powers. Reconstruction often can go awry, with waste, fraud and corruption. The Right Way Out Of Afghanistan, with discussion. Some are skeptical that it will work, and others see mission failure. Despite riots, Pakistan has reopened its border to US convoys, to smiles all around. Pakistan is still dealing with Afghan refugees, regional rival India, and the rise of the Quetta Shura. Pakistani bureaucrats have a history of being the right man for the wrong job, with Americans no better off. The Taliban is still a major force in the region, in Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan - particularly Waziristan (where the British had their own problems), and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The Taliban have recently become more active in Pakistan, claiming victory, opposing a planned offensive, even storming an air base killing several soldiers. Pakistan and Afghanistan are uneasily cooperating against an enemy that crosses their border. The US, though, has no idea who Taliban leaders are. The Taliban are in it for the long haul. This summer has been the summer of revolt, with factional fighting and disillustionment with the Taliban. Even 11 years after 9/11, Afghanistan still matters. In the United States, after eleven years, it is the new forgotten war. Neither presidential candidate has made the ongoing war a central point of their campaigns. 9/11 may have made Democrats more like Republicans, however. We're still at war.

Duty Status: Whereabouts Unknown

IvoShandor — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:36:36 -0800

America's Last Prisoner of War by Michael Hastings (single page) - In the early-morning hours of June 30th, according to soldiers in the unit, Bowe approached his team leader not long after he got off guard duty and asked his superior a simple question: If I were to leave the base, would it cause problems if I took my sensitive equipment? Yes, his team leader responded – if you took your rifle and night-vision goggles, that would cause problems. Bowe returned to his barracks, a roughly built bunker of plywood and sandbags. He gathered up water, a knife, his digital camera and his diary. Then he slipped off the outpost. In his final email to his parents on June 27, 2009 Bowe Bergdahl wrote: "The future is too good to waste on lies. And life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. I have seen their ideas and I am ashamed to even be american. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that they thrive in. It is all revolting."

Anatomy of a Massacre

AElfwine Evenstar — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:12:29 -0800

On March 11 United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales allegedly murdered 17 Afghan civilians. A reporter from Australia's SBS is the first journalist to interview survivors of the deadly Kandahar massacre.(via)

Is it worth it?

shothotbot — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:45:52 -0800

Should the United States and Nato stay in Afghanistan? Andrew Bacevich wrote an article in commonweal saying that it is not and that the question has been insufficiently debated. Andrew Exum (A former US Army Captain, now researcher who blogs as Abu Muqawama out of the Center for a New American Security) quickly responded to Bacevich saying that the issue has been carefully debated, pointing to a Stephen Biddle article entitled Is It Worth It? as an example. As MeFi's may appreciate, the comments section of that post vigorously debated the point and an Exum has started an ongoing dialog at the abu Muqawama site. Resolved, day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5.