chrisp65 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 We are sending out a strong message. Unfortunately that message is don’t help us, we can’t be trusted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will87 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 What's happened to the Afghan Army that we've been training for the last two decades? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 1 minute ago, will87 said: What's happened to the Afghan Army that we've been training for the last two decades? Switched sides I assume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 I just saw this from the PM Quote Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said no one wants Afghanistan to become a "breeding ground for terror", as the Taliban enters capital Kabul. Speaking after a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee, he said the situation "continues to be extremely difficult" and will get even more so. He called on "like-minded" powers to work together and not recognise any new government without agreement. Not sure if it’s a story from 20 years ago or a recent one. What does he suggest? Maybe an invasion of allied troops to wipe out the Taliban? Then create a friendly government and army? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 14 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said: Said in jest but sadly with truth Isn't that exactly the same as the EU position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 16 minutes ago, will87 said: What's happened to the Afghan Army that we've been training for the last two decades? Reuters Quote American officers have long worried that rampant corruption, well documented in parts of Afghanistan's military and political leadership, would undermine the resolve of badly paid, ill-fed and erratically supplied front-line soldiers - some of whom have been left for months or even years on end in isolated outposts, where they could be picked off by the Taliban. There was similar sentiment in something else I read recently, any soldiers or police recruits with any talent were extracted from the ranks, so the vast majority of the forces are deprived of anyone with any ability. In a country where most can’t read logistics was never going to be easy. Add in to the mix the industrial scale of skimming money and materials off at every stage and at every opportunity and it was always always a fake army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 14 minutes ago, colhint said: Isn't that exactly the same as the EU position? What EU position? It's not an EU-level competence. Different counties across Europe will hold the positions they feel appropriate regarding refugees, for good or ill. What weird sources have told you otherwise? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted August 15, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 15, 2021 Makes you wonder who got the contracts to train that army, how much they were worth and where the money went. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted August 15, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 15, 2021 So, a company called Dyncorp got a $1bn contract to train the Afghan army, Dyncorp (which has often been rumoured to be a CIA front) was acquired by Amentum, another contracting company which itself is owned by Lindsay Goldberg and American Securities LLC, a private equity firm that was founded by Alan Goldberg and Bob Lindsay from Morgan Stanley. A smaller $145m contract went to Raytheon to train the Afghanistan Air Force. It's almost as if the idea of training an Afghan army was just an excuse to move hundreds of millions of dollars of US taxpayers money into the hands of a US defence giant and a couple of investment fund billionaires and that in fact, its practical use was in fact almost immaterial. Perish the thought. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Salad Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Very **** sad all the years of of being there,the death toll,etc looks likely to be for naught. Blame solely has to lie on those in charge.Biden especially is getting huge backlash as I tbh think he should,and makes it even more so with 20th anniversary of 9/11 coming up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 I don’t think anybody expected it to unravel as quickly as this. Pretty much overnight, boom, 20 years undone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 1 hour ago, will87 said: What's happened to the Afghan Army that we've been training for the last two decades? This is indeed a very good question. Sadly as far as I can see accountability is not a concept that senior figures in the military here, America, or elsewhere in NATO need to be much concerned by these days. I would love to be proven wrong. I have to say I've been amused by the rush of 'explainers' from journalists in the last 24 hours saying exactly what the problem was, funny that the media have largely ignored the topic for most of the last 10 years if they had this level of insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Salad Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 (edited) 15 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said: This is indeed a very good question. Sadly as far as I can see accountability is not a concept that senior figures in the military here, America, or elsewhere in NATO need to be much concerned by these days. I would love to be proven wrong. I have to say I've been amused by the rush of 'explainers' from journalists in the last 24 hours saying exactly what the problem was, funny that the media have largely ignored the topic for most of the last 10 years if they had this level of insight. I think the senior figures you allude too are embarassed this happened(At least they should be) and a lot of backtracking and finger pointing will be the norm over the next few days,weeks,etc. Sad,frustrating,disappointing,etc all in equal measure that this has happened. I just texted an Army friend of mine who served some time in Afghanistan and to say he is angry is a vast understatement. Edited August 15, 2021 by Big Salad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 makes you wonder, what did we leave behind,? A trained army, weapons? Any infrastructure? Any leaders? And 20 days later some of the cruelist of the cruel, just take over and 100's of thouasnds are fleeing. What power do they have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 A couple of young lads in my town died out their early on. Only 17/18 I think. What must their parents feel when they see what’s happening there now. 1 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Salad Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 (edited) Just some figures the BBC released a couple days: Over one trillion, yes trillion dollars, has been spent towards this Over 3500 coalition deaths with over 2000 of those being American Over 20000 soldiers have been injured Thousands of Afghan citizens lives have been lost as well. Really sad that all this happened and today could be for naught. Edited August 15, 2021 by Big Salad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Another classic from Newton-Dunn I see: 'We'll all have to go back' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 10 hours ago, PussEKatt said: So,terrorism has a new base ?! No, still Arlington, Virginia. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post icouldtelltheworld Posted August 15, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2021 10 hours ago, Genie said: Is it not better to discuss Afghanistan in its own topic, especially as it’s not an Arab country? Sorry to be dull but one more vote for this from me. This is potentially the largest foreign policy setback for the West in many decades and will surely generate a lot of discussion on here. It doesn't really seem apt for that discussion to take place on a thread initially started to discuss a set of uprisings in an entirely different region 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted August 15, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 15, 2021 54 minutes ago, Big Salad said: Really sad that all this happened and today could be for naught. For naught?!? A number of funds and energy companies have made excellent profits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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