US Commander: Troops 'Stalemated' In S Afghanistan

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(02-18) 12:21 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

U.S. and allied forces in southern Afghanistan are "at best stalemated" with a resilient and adaptable insurgency, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday.

Gen. David McKiernan told a Pentagon news conference that he welcomed the White House's decision to send more combat troops, but cautioned that fighting will be difficult in the months ahead.

"Even with these additional forces, I have to tell you that 2009 is going to be tough year," he said.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday approved the dispatching of 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to stabilize what he called a deteriorating situation. They include an Army combat brigade and a Marine expeditionary brigade and will join the approximately 30,000 U.S. troops already there.

"What this allows us to do is change the dynamics of the security situation, predominantly in southern Afghanistan, where we are at best stalemated," the general said.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/02/17/national/w134359S85.DTL

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. "30,000 U.S. troops already there" it used to be 15,000.

What's with this thing? If Obama keeps this shit up it's going to bring him down.

[LakeSamish706]

2. How about just get the hell outta there would be the best idea! n/t

[ixion]

3. does Obama really want to make the Afghani cluster f**k his own?

what gives? :shrug: :argh:

[Winterblues]

4. Remember when Russia was there they had 150,000 Russian troops plus

250,000 Afghan soldiers. They were beaten pretty soundly. Anyone think 30,000 Americans are all that much better. There are over forty million Punjab in the area and they all are feeling slighted.

[TheLastMohican]

11. Beaten soundly?

Of course, if the Crazy "Zbig" Bzezinski and the CIA are handing out billions of dollars to arm the mujahadeen, no conventional army can stand in a guerilla warfare like this.
Now which major power is supplying the Taleban now?

[Winterblues]

14. They don't call Afghanistan "The Graveyard of Empires" for nothing.

I think a lot of people way over estimate what the USA is capable of.

[Crowman1979]

5. It's over! and it all ended with Tora Bora!

What are they gonna do? Search for Bin Laden's corpse in the mountain? How the hell did it spiral down from finding Al-Queida, to an occupation of TWO countries?!?!

Has the military ever heard of conducting raids? Find em', take em' out, then get out! But I guess it's not as glamorous as conquering territory.

[SpiralHawk]

6. "Smirk." - xCommander AWOL & xVP Dickie 'Five Military Deferments' Cheney

[al bupp]

7. This may be one time when the peace-nicks turn out to be wrong

and I say that as a peace-nick myself. I really don't think bombs are the answer. However, the new boots on the ground replace to some degree the need for imprecise and heavy-handed air-strikes. The article says that the Obama admin intends to conduct a strategic review w/ the Afghan gov. We should face the fact that the Taliban really are the bad guys in this fight. I think Obama's banking on getting results from international co-operation on this one, and the troops just buy him some time to do so.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Exactly how do people

"insurge" in their own country :shrug:

[The abyss]

13. I prefer the term “popular resistance”

Organized resistance to an invading foreign army.

[shadowknows69]

9. If your "At best stalemated" that pretty much means it's a lost cause

Afghanistan: Where Empires go to die.

[acmavm]

10. It's drained the lifeblood out of more than one country, that's for sure.

<snip>
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier ~of~ the Queen!

Rudyard Kipling

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-young-british-soldier/

edit: what's lifebloof?

[CLANG]

12. Apparently recruitment is up. A reflection on the hard economic reality.

[Crowman1979]

15. Our over-reliance on technology as opposed to tactics is what has hampered our efforts in...

...afghanistan.