Relief in Afghanistan after largely peaceful landmark election

[MindMover]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Afghanistan's presidential election closed on Saturday amid relief that attacks by Taliban fighters were fewer than feared for a vote that will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict for decades.

It will take six weeks for results to come in from across Afghanistan's rugged terrain and a final result to be declared in the race to succeed President Hamid Karzai.

This could be the beginning of a potentially dangerous period for Afghanistan at a time when the war-ravaged country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave.

"Today we proved to the world that this is a people driven country," Karzai, wearing his trademark green robe and a lambskin hat, told his nation in televised remarks.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/06/us-afghanistan-election-idUSBREA331N920140406?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=992637

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I am glad to hear this good news. Afghanistan could sure use it. n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. The Taliban threat has been exagerated for years to justify us being there.

[Warpy]

3. The Taliban are a very real threat

especially to women living in the countryside away from the big cities.

However, the 19 years after they first came to power might have given a few of them a little more wisdom when it comes to governing, rather than terrorizing. They were kids fresh out of bin Laden funded madrassas in Pakistan when they came to power. They've had time to mature and chuck some of the cockeyed theory that just doesn't work in practice.

At least I hope this is the case, that 13 years of Western occupation hasn't just made them more viciously radical.

The one thing I can say is that we're leaving the cities better than the Russians did. Whether or not the Afghans can keep them is up to them.

We need to leave. Now would be good.

Likely the countryside will be divided among warlords and Taliban chiefs. I'm afraid Afghanistan is what it is and pretty much always has been outside the cities.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. There was a report out a while back where they said there were less than 100 Taliban left....

The biggest threat to Afghanistan is the extremists flocking in from Pakistan.

Back when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan all of the regimes in the Middle East emptied their prisons of the wild eyed types in the hopes they would martyr themselves before a Soviet tank.

[dipsydoodle]

5. I think ypu might find

that the reference to "less than 100" was to al qaeda : not the Taliban.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. Gotcha,....BTW: Have you seen this?

http://www.democracynow.org/2004/5/20/afghan_massacre_eyewitnesses_testify_that_us

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. 33 people killed in attacks on just 2 days of the past week

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014769399

They are still a danger.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

7. My mistake, it was the so called "al Qaeda" that I meant....

The media did a good job helping the Bush Administration confuse the two as if the Taliban was behind 9/11.

All they did was follow the demands of their culture in regards to being a host. We asked them to turn over bin Laden and they asked for proof that he was behind 9/11 so we said, "Proof? We don't need no steenking proof!" and invaded.