Obama’s [Afghanistan speech] is indicative of the lack of seriousness to which the US has approached the subject of political reconciliation.
http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2012/05/the-problem-with-obamas-afghanistan-speech.html
Tagged: Afghanistan Taliban Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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aziz
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cbarwa
Bit late to this story, about a US outpost being overrun by the Taliban, which is a little alarming
Combat Outpost Keating in the Kamdesh District of Nuristan Province, was attacked by insurgent forces on Oct. 3. Because the outpost was located in a deep bowl surrounded by high ground, the attackers were able to pin down defenders and prevent them from using mortars to repel the initial attack. In addition, air support was at least 45 minutes away.
The insurgents quickly overran the base, entering the perimeter through a latrine area, setting fires that burned down most of the barracks, and managing to kill the 8 soldiers and wound 22
As a colleague of mine pointed out, this was something the muhajedin never managed to do, during the anti-Soviet jihad. Though admittedly the outpost was a relatively small one. What really boggles the mind is the in the executive summary of the report on the incident, the US army claims this as a “severe tactical defeat” for the Taliban. If this is what a tactical defeat looks like, I sure would hate to see what a decisive tactical victory looks like.
