US-Afghan agreement would keep troops in place and funds flowing, perhaps indefinitely

[totodeinhere]

Source: NBC News

While many Americans have been led to believe the war in Afghanistan will soon be over, a draft of a key US-Afghan security deal obtained by NBC News shows the United States is prepared to maintain military outposts in Afghanistan for many years to come, and pay to support hundreds of thousands of Afghan security forces.

The wide-ranging document, still unsigned by the United States and Afghanistan, has the potential to commit thousands of American troops to Afghanistan and spend billions of US taxpayer dollars.

The document outlines what appears to be the start of a new, open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan in the name of training and continuing to fight al-Qaeda. The war in Afghanistan doesn’t seem to be ending, but renewed under new, scaled-down US-Afghan terms.

“The Parties acknowledge that continued US military operations to defeat al-Qaeda and its affiliates may be appropriate and agree to continue their close cooperation and coordination toward that end,” the draft states.

Read more: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/19/21534305-endless-afghanistan-us-afghan-agreement-would-keep-troops-in-place-and-funds-flowing-perhaps-indefinitely?lite

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As the article says, the agreement is "still unsigned by the United States and Afghanistan." We need to keep it that way. We need to communicate to President Obama in no uncertain terms that an indefinite military commitment to Afghanistan is unacceptable.

[MynameisBlarney]

1. NO GODDAMMIT!

Get troops out of there!

[snappyturtle]

2. crap eom

[heaven05]

3. if the powers that be

want a permanent base to protect whatever interests we have in Afghanistan, there WILL be a base, forever.

[dipsydoodle]

4. There are thought to be less than 100 al Qaeda left there

and the Taliban are not their affiliates.

[avaistheone1]

5. Wow! Perpetual cash flow!!

How can I get in on that?

[zeemike]

6. We signed on to perpetual war in 2001

And now we can't stop it because it is in the contract.

[Scuba]

7. US taxpayers funding and US GI's dying to protect the extraction industries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

[bvar22]

8. Surprise, surprise.

We have all the money we need to expand the Empire,
but not enough for Head Start, Meals-On-Wheels, Social Security, or Food Stamps.

I thought The Mighty Sequester was supposed to affect the Military too.
Guess not.

[CFLDem]

9. It doesn't matter what we think,

they made their decision to stay months ago.

Afghanistan is just our proving ground until we can get the next war up and running in Africa or the M/E.

After all war is how more Americans than we care to admit make their bread and butter.