Oh Afghanistan, how I miss you

[Redmanss]

Having spent over eight years working in that shit hole, from invading it in Nov '01 to then working as a security contractor on the ANP/MoI training program from '07-'15, I could write a novel about the war there and why it failed so miserably. But I won't because I don't give a shit about that place, just like the Afghans when they had the opportunity to make a better country for themselves and their citizenry.

Nobody that served there in any capacity truly wonders why it failed.

 

[steve podleski]

@stefan73

I hope the Chinese are making a deal with the devil and it bites them in the ass. My wife is from Taiwan. She is mix of aboriginal (the Puyuma tribe), Dutch, Japanese and Chinese. She hates China (the Government and some of the people because they're rude).

You can't be more Taiwanese than with that heritage. She is embodied Taiwan history!

 

[RGStory]

The Persians took it as part of its empire circa 450BC, Alexander the Great took it and founded many of cities and married one of the daughters of one of the principal warlords (many present day Afgans refer to him as Ixander) and then the Mongols took in in pursuits of a Moslem royal fugitive.

Seleucid Empire, Kushan Empire, Timurid Empire, etc... Several notable empires controlled Afghanistan for longer periods than the United States has has settled the American west. IIRC the capital of the Timurid Empire was centered in Afghanistan. The flow of wealth that formerly traversed that region was immense. Afghanistan has been on a decline ever since the rest of the world figured out how to sail around Africa. We have ghost towns, that part of the world has ghost empires.

Iran and Pakistan have a direct interest in ensuring that Afghanistan remains a weak, tribal and fractured buffer state.

 

[Shooter McGavin]

Have you heard anything about their thoughts on Biden?

The people I know were really pro Trump. As far as Biden they don't talk about him. They are worried with recent events with China. The people of Taiwan have a negative view of China and have a positive view of the US.

 

[Doc68]

Having spent over eight years working in that shit hole, from invading it in Nov '01 to then working as a security contractor on the ANP/MoI training program from '07-'15, I could write a novel about the war there and why it failed so miserably. But I won't because I don't give a shit about that place, just like the Afghans when they had the opportunity to make a better country for themselves and their citizenry.

Nobody that served there in any capacity truly wonders why it failed.

Where were you at training them if you dont mind me asking.

Doc

 

[pmclaine]

Watching right now.

Michael Caine and Sean Connery are on Turner Classic Movies in the movie "The Man Who Would be King".

It's a sci fi tale of Afghanistan in the year 3000 showing how far they have advanced.

One of my favorite movies

 

[Khlit]

Weird that China is moving "peace keeping troops" in as we are moving out. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...eacekeeping-force-afghanistan-after-us-troops

Considering China just a couple months ago got busted running a spy ring that was running terror cells to kill US troops there, I don't think their mission will including keeping the peace.
Word is theres going to be alot of US troop build up in the south pacific.

 

[Redmanss]

Where were you at training them if you dont mind me asking.

Doc

I ran security for academy camps in Kandahar ('09-'10) and Kabul ('10-'15). '07-'09 I ran a mobile training team that went all over the country, been to well over half the provinces and to every major region there.

Afghanistan didn't fail due to lack of effort on the ground by ISAF (below O-5 level) or any of the other partner countries involved, and damn sure not due to lack of funding. That country is by far the most corrupt in the world, starting with Karzai and his family of drug lords, and involving anyone with "Minister" in their title.

In the end, they will get exactly what they deserve because it's exactly what they asked for through their own actions and lack thereof. I helped get my Afghani friends and their families out of there through SIVs, very glad they won't have to die once the Talitubbies retake power.

 

[Doc68]

I ran security for academy camps in Kandahar ('09-'10) and Kabul ('10-'15). '07-'09 I ran a mobile training team that went all over the country, been to well over half the provinces and to every major region there.

Afghanistan didn't fail due to lack of effort on the ground by ISAF (below O-5 level) or any of the other partner countries involved, and damn sure not due to lack of funding. That country is by far the most corrupt in the world, starting with Karzai and his family of drug lords, and involving anyone with "Minister" in their title.

In the end, they will get exactly what they deserve because it's exactly what they asked for through their own actions and lack thereof. I helped get my Afghani friends and their families out of there through SIVs, very glad they won't have to die once the Talitubbies retake power.

I was at camp phoenix when we got hit with a SVBIED and lost 13 soldiers on 29 OCT of 2011. Sad day.

Doc

 

[Redmanss]

I was at camp phoenix when we got hit with a SVBIED and lost 13 soldiers on 29 OCT of 2011. Sad day.

Doc

There were many of those, unfortunately. My camp at the time was about 1km west of PHX on JBad Road, and a bit east of Green Village which also took several attacks over those years. I had a pretty good contingent of men there and never took a direct attack at that one, although having so many more lucrative targets nearby probably helped more than anything.

I had more than my fair share of attacks otherwise, two of which I am fully confident were linked to if not directly ordered the very Afghans we were there to help, hence why I left and just do railroad shit now. They aren't worth it, none of it, and on my own personal scale certainly not worth myself or my wife who also worked many years over there. She tells me from time to time that such and such company reached out to her wanting her to work again in Iraq or Afghanistan, to which I immediately reply "Nope, fuck them."