joyful
04-08-2009, 10:03 PM
Britain’s futile war in Afghanistan
By John Elliott, the FT’s first south Asia Correspondent (1983-88)
Published: August 4 2009 06:46 | Last updated: August 4 2009 06:46
Nearly 200 British troops have been killed (more than in Iraq), and many many more have been injured since the western invasion of Afghanistan began after the 2001 September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Gordon Brown argued a few days ago that the “tragic human cost” had not been “in vain”, and said how important it was to try to make the country ready for a general election later this month.
The tragedy is that the military campaign is futile. Afghanistan is a mountainous country that has seen off British and Russian invaders in the past, and it cannot be conquered militarily and returned to some form of stable government. It is splintered into too many ethnic and religious groups, whose interests are complicated by rival political factions, war lords and endemic corruption, and by the involvement of Pakistan, for such a simple solution. And the more Britain and the US fight the Taliban, the more they encourage young Muslims elsewhere to joint extremists groups and become potential terrorists.
Eventually, Britain will have to withdraw, and America too. But not before many more young soldiers lose their lives.
And the lessons? Attacking Osama bin Laden’s supposed Afghanistan bases after 9/11 was a logical act of revenge for America, but turning it into an eight-year war belies the true purpose of the war and the 9/11 attacks - to wage war on Israel's regional enemies
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7b3658a4-80b9-11de-92e7-00144feabdc0.html
http://www.honestmediatoday.com/never_ending_war_for_israel.jpg
By John Elliott, the FT’s first south Asia Correspondent (1983-88)
Published: August 4 2009 06:46 | Last updated: August 4 2009 06:46
Nearly 200 British troops have been killed (more than in Iraq), and many many more have been injured since the western invasion of Afghanistan began after the 2001 September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Gordon Brown argued a few days ago that the “tragic human cost” had not been “in vain”, and said how important it was to try to make the country ready for a general election later this month.
The tragedy is that the military campaign is futile. Afghanistan is a mountainous country that has seen off British and Russian invaders in the past, and it cannot be conquered militarily and returned to some form of stable government. It is splintered into too many ethnic and religious groups, whose interests are complicated by rival political factions, war lords and endemic corruption, and by the involvement of Pakistan, for such a simple solution. And the more Britain and the US fight the Taliban, the more they encourage young Muslims elsewhere to joint extremists groups and become potential terrorists.
Eventually, Britain will have to withdraw, and America too. But not before many more young soldiers lose their lives.
And the lessons? Attacking Osama bin Laden’s supposed Afghanistan bases after 9/11 was a logical act of revenge for America, but turning it into an eight-year war belies the true purpose of the war and the 9/11 attacks - to wage war on Israel's regional enemies
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7b3658a4-80b9-11de-92e7-00144feabdc0.html
http://www.honestmediatoday.com/never_ending_war_for_israel.jpg