Arrogance of US troops fed Afghan riots

[wizdum]

Arrogance of US troops fed Afghan riots

KABUL: Social frustration, anger at the arrogance of US troops and sheer criminality were fuel for the violent demonstrations that engulfed the Afghan capital, analysts said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of mostly young men armed with knives, wooden posts and spades rampaged through the city, torching cars and buildings and looting the offices of businesses and international organisations.<snip>

He said that while some foreign interests were looted and damaged, more property owned by Afghans was destroyed — which he said meant the violence did not reflect anti-international feelings.

“But at the same time the ignorance and aggressive behaviour US forces display on the streets increases anger,” he said, adding that memories were also fresh of a western strike in Kandahar province that killed 34 civilians.

Political analyst Waheed Mujda said the violence was a reflection of indignation about the arrogance of US forces. <snip>

Afghan Daily

[Doctor_J]

1. This is probably VERY slanted against our soldiers, but Smirk's arrogance

is now projected onto all of us. His behavior is so outrageous, so inhumane, that anything written about our country, regardless of how awful, is believable to the world. The man has single-handedly destroyed our reputation.

[wizdum]

2. Well said and quite true regarding dubya.

I understand why you feel the article is slanted, especially considering the source. However it is vitally important that we as Americans understand how citizens from the countries we are currently occupying perceive us. IMO, these soldiers are stretched too thin, they are scared, tired, overworked, they miss their families and their mission is underfunded and poorly planned. When you add all these factors together, the soldiers will inevitably at times vent their frustration towards foreign nationals in the countries they are occupying during stressful situations,especially since they lack familiarity with many of the customs.

But I'll concede the point to you that the buck stops with dubya. He is the Commander and Thief (and I don't say Chief because he stole both general elections with the aid of Karl Rove). It is because he put the soldiers in these situations that incidents like this occur. Afghanistan is extremely fragile right now and on the brink. It has been ever since the Soviet invasion. Kabul will fall. It's only a matter of time. The US mission there has failed thanks to dubya's arrogance and sheer stupidity. The Soviets had many more troops in Afghanistan, and even they lost. But dubya and rummy thought they could succeed where the Soviet Union failed. They were dead wrong.