Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 Just now, Bacon said: So what happens if (the?) Taliban takes over Afghanistan? What do they even want? I mean, if they fully take over won't they then just be another government? I've never really understood what happens after it is all over assuming it could ever be all over. The Taliban want to create a "pure" Islamic state in Afghanistan in which Islamic law/jurisprudence will guide the governing of the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uaarkson Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 Let them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacon Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 Just now, Commissar SFLUFAN said: The Taliban want to create a "pure" Islamic state in Afghanistan in which Islamic law/jurisprudence will guide the governing of the country. But, in the end that would just make them another government, right? Like, I'm stupid so I just don't get it, but like unless they are hitting north Korea levels wouldn't their ideals and intents just totally morph into something else to the point where you'd have a new group of Taliban fighting for the exact same thing, again? I'm only saying this because it seems like governments are rapidly changing all the time. As old people die and new generations come into power, these new gens will always have their own opinion and the new opinions will eventually be the old opinions and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 37 minutes ago, Bacon said: But, in the end that would just make them another government, right? Like, I'm stupid so I just don't get it, but like unless they are hitting north Korea levels wouldn't their ideals and intents just totally morph into something else to the point where you'd have a new group of Taliban fighting for the exact same thing, again? I'm only saying this because it seems like governments are rapidly changing all the time. As old people die and new generations come into power, these new gens will always have their own opinion and the new opinions will eventually be the old opinions and so on. Maybe? However, if a government is based on a conservative, theocratic Islamic doctrine, then any changes will take place within that context and won't represent a radical shift towards a more "liberal" governance. Another thing to keep in mind is that for the average Afghan, who controls the central government in Kabul really doesn't matter all that much for the most part as daily life is largely dictated by the clan/tribe/village chiefs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 He risked his life helping US troops in Afghanistan before seeking asylum in Iowa. So why is he facing deportation? WWW.USATODAY.COM The government claims Zalmay Niazy engaged in terrorism. But the rural Iowa town that he's made his home isn’t letting him go without a fight. His act of "material support for a terrorist organization"? Giving the Taliban who were threatening his family a piece of bread. When he was 9 years old. Quote Current case law was established in 2018 when a court denied an El Salvadoran woman's asylum application despite her having been enslaved, forced to cook and clean, by the people who murdered her husband. The ruling suggests that aiding the enemy in any way, even under the threat of death, is material support for terrorism and cause for a denial. God damn America. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacon Posted July 6, 2021 Share Posted July 6, 2021 35 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: His act of "material support for a terrorist organization"? Giving the Taliban who were threatening his family a piece of bread. When he was 9 years old. So would rape victims be physically supporting them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Armed Afghan women take to streets in show of defiance against Taliban | Afghanistan | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Women in north and central regions of country stage demonstrations as militants make sweeping gains nationwide 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenVectron Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 20 hours ago, Bacon said: So would rape victims be physically supporting them? If the victim is brown, then an American tribunal would likely say so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Sources: U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan complete 'for all intents and purposes' - POLITICO WWW.POLITICO.COM The U.S. currently has roughly 600 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are Marine Corps and Army personnel providing security at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 Iran and Russia move to fill diplomatic vacuum in Afghanistan | Afghanistan | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Iranian foreign minister meets Taliban negotiators in Tehran, while Turkey offers troops to protect Kabul airport Taliban claim to hold 85% of Afghanistan after taking key border crossing | Taliban | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Militants capture Islam Qala on border with Iran amid sweeping offensive launched as US withdraws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkableriots Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Video shows 22 Afghan commandos executed by the Taliban - CNN Video AMP.CNN.COM CNN's Anna Coren is in Kabul with new evidence of the atrocities committed by the Taliban as video emerged of Afghan commandos being shot dead after an apparent surrender. The Taliban rejects the video, saying it's fabricated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uaarkson Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Oh man. Remember Trump’s “historic peace treaty” with the Taliban? Feels like a decade ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 From what I’m reading, the Afghan government is concentrating on protecting the cities with most people living there, and have either training or resources from the US government to push back. This is from the story over the past week so I guess we’ll see how it plays out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Just now, SaysWho? said: From what I’m reading, the Afghan government is concentrating on protecting the cities with most people living there, and have either training or resources from the US government to push back. This is from the story over the past week so I guess we’ll see how it plays out. The Afghan government is very much concentrating on holding cities, but that's ultimately a losing strategy when the Taliban will control the countryside surrounding those population centers which means that the only way to resupply them will be from the air and that's simply not a long-term (or even medium-term) solution at all. The Taliban know this so they can afford to be patient and have the population centers surrender when their supply situation becomes critical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 4 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: The Afghan government is very much concentrating on holding cities, but that's ultimately a losing strategy when the Taliban will control the countryside surrounding those population centers which means that the only way to resupply them will be from the air and that's simply not a long-term (or even medium-term) solution at all. The Taliban know this so they can afford to be patient and have the population centers surrender when their supply situation becomes critical. This article addresses the air supply situation: Afghanistan stunned by scale and speed of security forces’ collapse | Afghanistan | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM More than 1,000 have fled across the border, and hundreds more have handed over weapons to the Taliban Quote The Taliban are also targeting the air force, which is overstretched but vital to supporting increasingly isolated areas of government control. After recent advances, many provincial capitals are in effect surrounded and under siege. Militants are shooting down aircraft and, in a more insidious campaign, assassinating pilots. Years of training needed to fly means these men are very difficult to replace. Another question hanging over the army is whether the contractors who keep the helicopters and planes running will stay on after American forces leave. Afghan mechanics cannot yet maintain their own aircraft. Outposts that rely on helicopters for resupply are running out of ammunition and even food, and airstrikes that have been vital to holding off the Taliban in major battles do not arrive either. The US has promised “over the horizon” support from planes operating off aircraft carriers and drones based in the Gulf, but that is likely to be slow to arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 Taliban claim Afghan border crossing with Pakistan in major gain | Afghanistan | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Militants say they have made what could be their most significant advance in a nationwide offensive Quote The Taliban have claimed to have seized control of a crucial border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as their forces continue to rapidly advance in the wake of US troops pulling out, fuelling fears of the conflict spilling into Pakistan. In one of their most strategic gains yet, on Tuesday night Taliban forces descended on the district of Spin Boldak in Afghanistan, just a few miles from the Pakistan border, and attacked several posts of Afghan troops, who reportedly surrendered immediately. By the early hours of Wednesday, in a battle that took the lives of at least four Afghan soldiers and injured eight Taliban fighters, Taliban troops had taken full control of the city and the Afghan side of the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing into Pakistan, one of the most crucial trade and travel routes between the two countries. There's not much chance of the part that I bolded happening as Pakistan is largely responsible for Afghan Taliban's resurgence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 Afghanistan: US to evacuate endangered translators WWW.BBC.COM The Biden administration is to evacuate Afghan translators who assisted them during the war. Quote Operation Allies Refuge is set to start during the last week of July, the White House said. Oh sure, guys, let's not rush things, huh? Totally no need to hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Danish Siddiqui: Indian photojournalist killed in Afghanistan WWW.BBC.COM Danish Siddiqui, a photographer with Reuters, is killed on assignment, reportedly in an ambush. Quote Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui has been killed in Afghanistan, said the country's ambassador in Delhi. Siddiqui, the chief photographer of Reuters news agency in India, was on assignment in Afghanistan when he died. He was embedded with a convoy of Afghan forces that was ambushed by Taliban militants near a key border post with Pakistan, according to report Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkableriots Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Afghan interpreter for US Army was beheaded by Taliban. Others fear a similar fate WWW.CNN.COM Sohail Pardis was driving from his home in Afghanistan's capital Kabul to nearby Khost province to pick up his sister for the upcoming Eid holiday celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 12 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said: Afghan interpreter for US Army was beheaded by Taliban. Others fear a similar fate WWW.CNN.COM Sohail Pardis was driving from his home in Afghanistan's capital Kabul to nearby Khost province to pick up his sister for the upcoming Eid holiday celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan. The same fate befell many of our interpreters in Iraq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 Commandos deployed as Afghan forces battle Taliban for control of cities | Afghanistan | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Fears Lashkar Gah could be first provincial city to fall following major escalation in fighting over weekend Quote Afghan forces are battling to stop a first provincial city from falling to the Taliban following weekend offensives from the insurgents on urban centres in a major escalation in fighting. Taliban fighters assaulted at least three provincial capitals overnight – Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat – after a weekend of heavy fighting that resulted in thousands of civilians fleeing the advancing militants. Fighting raged in Lashkar Gah, Helmand’s provincial capital, where the Taliban launched coordinated attacks on the city centre and its prison hours after the government announced the deployment of hundreds of commandos to the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 On 7/23/2021 at 8:38 AM, Remarkableriots said: Afghan interpreter for US Army was beheaded by Taliban. Others fear a similar fate WWW.CNN.COM Sohail Pardis was driving from his home in Afghanistan's capital Kabul to nearby Khost province to pick up his sister for the upcoming Eid holiday celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan. This genuinely makes my stomach hurt. We are not trust worthy, and these people and their families pay a steep price for our actions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 12 minutes ago, sblfilms said: This genuinely makes my stomach hurt. We are not trust worthy, and these people and their families pay a steep price for our actions I'm sure this will do wonders for your stomach: From Afghan interpreter to US homeless - the long road to the American dream WWW.BBC.COM Thousands of Afghan interpreters have waited years to flee to the US. Arriving is a different story. Quote Zia Ghafoori, his pregnant wife and their three small children landed in the United States from their home in Kabul in September 2014. He held five US visas - a reward for 14 years of service as an interpreter with US Special Forces in Afghanistan. But the benefits stopped there. Upon arrival, Zia found himself homeless - sent to a shelter by a well-meaning volunteer who told him it would be a place for him and his family to start a new life. Seven years later, the memory still angers him. Speaking to the BBC from North Carolina, where he now lives, he recalled struggling to look his children in the eye, apologising for bringing them to the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2021 Share Posted August 2, 2021 36 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: I'm sure this will do wonders for your stomach: From Afghan interpreter to US homeless - the long road to the American dream WWW.BBC.COM Thousands of Afghan interpreters have waited years to flee to the US. Arriving is a different story. Why do you do this to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anathema- Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 On 8/2/2021 at 11:37 AM, sblfilms said: This genuinely makes my stomach hurt. We are not trust worthy, and these people and their families pay a steep price for our actions It's deeply shameful it had to come to this but I can say at least the government seems to have been shocked into action after this. They are definitely moving mountains to get interpreters into the country now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 Afghanistan war: Taliban capture regional capital Zaranj, officials say WWW.BBC.COM The Taliban reportedly take a provincial capital, a key moment in their offensive on Afghan government forces. Quote A city in southwestern Afghanistan has become the country's first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban in recent years, officials told the BBC. Local sources said the insurgents had captured Zaranj, in Nimroz province, on Friday afternoon, in what would be a major blow to government forces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Second provincial capital has fallen: Taliban captures second Afghan provincial capital in 24 hours WWW.ALJAZEERA.COM Deputy governor says Taliban captured Sheberghan, less than a day after taking over the city of Zaranj. State Department to Americans: GET THE HELL OUT NOW! U.S. urges Americans in Afghanistan to leave immediately WWW.CBSNEWS.COM A security alert urges Americans to leave on commercial flights as Taliban militants are attacking Afghan cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Christ, I know EXACTLY what the Taliban is going to do: they're going to hold off seizing Kabul until September 11. (Note: this is EXACTLY what I would do!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marioandsonic Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Fall of Saigon, part 2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Just now, marioandsonic said: Fall of Saigon, part 2? Funny you should say that America Helped Hundreds of Thousands of Vietnamese After the Fall of Saigon. It Won’t Be the Same for Afghanistan. SLATE.COM Why is it less of a priority this time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 I forgot to post this when the report was released - the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction absolutely excoriated the entire American political/military/diplomatic apparatus for whatever the hell it was they were attempting to do in Afghanistan. 'Hubris' and 'Mendacity': US Watchdog Unloads on US Efforts in Afghanistan WWW.VOANEWS.COM Current and future attempts by the United States to use its military might abroad could very well meet the same fate as the country's nearly two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, a U.S. government watchdog warned, citing the repeated failure of top officials to learn from their mistakes. U.S. Quote U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko unleashed the blunt assessment Thursday during a discussion with reporters, accusing wave after wave of top-ranking defense officials and diplomats of lying to themselves, as well as the American public. "We exaggerated, overexaggerated," Sopko said in response to a question from VOA. "Our generals did. Our ambassadors did. All of our officials did, to go to Congress and the American people about 'We're just turning the corner.' "We turned the corner so much, we did 360 degrees," he said. "We're like a top." Sopko, speaking to the Defense Writers Group, said that while there were "multiple reasons" the U.S. failed to create a more effective and cohesive Afghan military, some of it was "this hubris that we can somehow take a country that was desolate in 2001 and turn it into little Norway." But another key factor, he said, was "mendacity." Top ranking U.S. military leaders "knew how bad the Afghan military was," Sopko said, adding that they tried to keep such problems hidden. "Every time we had a problem with the Afghan military, we changed the goal posts," he said. "The U.S. military changed the goal posts and made it easier to show success. And then, finally, when they couldn't even do that, they classified the assessment tool." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclumber1 Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Weren't a lot of the Vietnamese refugees America accepted Catholic? I'm not saying there is a direct religious component for our apparent willingness to take in Vietnamese allies and unwillingness to take in Afghani allies, but it is interesting to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaku3 Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 I need a Scooby-Doo meme unmasking the War in Afghanistan and revealing it was Vietnam the whole time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 1 hour ago, mclumber1 said: Weren't a lot of the Vietnamese refugees America accepted Catholic? I'm not saying there is a direct religious component for our apparent willingness to take in Vietnamese allies and unwillingness to take in Afghani allies, but it is interesting to think about. While many were Catholic, the vast majority were Buddhist, reflective of the Vietnamese population as a whole. Heck, the US government supported a coup against a Catholic RVN president when his "Catholic supremacist" policies started alienating the Buddhist majority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclumber1 Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 20 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: While many were Catholic, the vast majority were Buddhist, reflective of the Vietnamese population as a whole. Heck, the US government supported a coup against a Catholic RVN president when his "Catholic supremacist" policies started alienating the Buddhist majority. TIL. I guess I should have assumed that. One of my Navy buddy's parents evacuated Vietnam in the early 1970s. They were definitely not Catholic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.