World

Filling in for Afghanistan government

by YankeeJim | July 29, 2010 at 04:46 am

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It is described as a military action, though it sounds more like a combination of police and state department activity. US troops work with local armed farmer tribe leaders to stabilize an area and keep the Taliban at bay. In the meantime, the Afghanistan government has little if anything to offer and fails to gain strength. What was accomplished?

Little if anything. Americans came, messed with a local guy, gave him some seeds and took off.

Observe that we are risking American soldiers' lives to mess with a band of 40 to 100 strong locally armed tribesmen who are up against some number of Taliban. What is this about?

“Local strongman is U.S. troops' most reliable friend in Kandahar province

Never mind that the district governor says Ghani, 44, works against him, or that U.S. soldiers describe him as Godfather-like and his police as vaguely crooked. In an area rife with insurgents who stalk soldiers' every move, Ghani's militia has carved out a four-square-mile bubble of tranquillity. Farmers can safely collect U.S.-funded seeds, and children will soon attend a new American-backed school.

"What's his is ours. What's ours is his," Lt. John Paszterko, 29, said of Ghani, a onetime anti-Soviet commander who now rules his tribal forefathers' lands. "He's a good friend to have."”

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t k kidwai

at 05:28 on July 29th, 2010

So situation in Afghanistan has reached such a pass that forces of depredation are seeking help of a local militia man,whose area of influence comprises just four square miles,and army of armed tribals not exceeding one hundred.US can win the war if help of few hundred thousand militia men,each having four square mile area of influence for operation against Talibans and army of one hundred armed tribals is kept available 24x7.The last strategy the malignant empire can resort to to save its face.

YankeeJim

at 07:20 on July 29th, 2010

I think that your description is a brutally honest and accurate one. I wish that I had said it well, but you have expanded the interpretation eloquently.