Taliban greets Pentagon's withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan with cries of victory

[SunSeeker]

Source: NBC News

“The 17-year-long struggle and sacrifices of thousands of our people finally yielded fruit," said a senior Taliban commander from Afghanistan’s Helmand province. "We proved it to the entire world that we defeated the self-proclaimed world’s lone super power."

“We are close to our destination," added the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the group's leadership had prohibited members from talking to the media about current events. He added that all field commanders had also been told to intensify training efforts to capture four strategic provinces in the run up to the next round of talks between the U.S. and Taliban, which are expected in January.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the Taliban's claims.

The Taliban sheltered 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden and was toppled soon after the 2001 attacks. Since then, the militants have been trying to unseat the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and reimpose their strict version of Shariah. Successes on the battlefield coupled with a recent intensifying efforts to reach a peace deal led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad have boosted the movement's confidence and power.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taliban-greets-pentagon-s-withdrawal-troops-afghanistan-cries-victory-n950811

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Trump's sudden announcement (tweet) basically took away all of the Kabul government's bargaining power in the upcoming peace talks with the Taliban. Now, it will not be so much peace talks as negotiations on the terms of surrender/safe withdrawal.

Trump's incompetence and impulsiveness will continue to result in humiliation for the United States until he is out of office.

[greyl]

1. Why tf did NBC use "Pentagon's" instead of "Trump's"? nt

[SunSeeker]

2. Good question. nt

[SergeStorms]

3. Yep,

Trump owns this boondoggle all by his lonesome. The Pentagon wasn't consulted.

[watoos]

4. Exactly, Trump defied the Pentagon.

[Hortensis]

8. Yes. ALSO, no troops are withdrawn and no timeline yet, just

"over the coming months." They're not out until they're out.

As a side note, what happens with air strikes?

[olegramps]

5. I think we must remind ourselves that this is primarily a continuous religious war since 650 A.D.

[ansible]

7. Afghanistan has been the graveyard of empires for thousands of years

“Alexander’s mother Olympias wrote him a letter once,” the officer tells me, “getting on his case for taking so long to knock off these primitive, poverty-stricken Afghans. So Alexander captured three tribal chiefs and sent them back to Macedonia, each one carrying an offering of soil from his own tribal homeland; they were supposed to deliver these tokens to Olympias as a gift from her son. But waiting outside the queen’s palace door, the three chiefs got into a fight and killed one another. Alexander’s Mom wrote back: ‘Now I understand, my son.’”


https://stevenpressfield.com/2010/03/downrange-an-informal-report-on-a-trip-to-afghanistan-with-marine-general-james-n-mattis/

[SunSeeker]

9. What does that have to do with the stupid, dangerous way Trump announced our withdrawal?

I don't think we need to be reminded of the long history of religious wars in the region. We know. Even Trump appears to know that.

The issue is Trump unilaterally announcing a pullout via Twitter and cutting off the legs of Kabul peace negotiators, and betraying our allies.

Why didn't Trump just tell the Kabul government and hold off on a public announcement until after peace talks? Then the government can use complete withdrawal as a rather powerful bargaining chip with the Taliban in the peace negotiations in January to get assurances that schools will stay open for girls, democratic elections will be held, etc. Instead, Trump gave the Taliban this gift for nothing. Just utter stupidity.

[olegramps]

10. The fact remains that regardless of our good intentions, the internal war will continue.

This basic fact was totally ignored by the Bush invasion of Iraq. Rumsfeld, according to Richard Clarke, didn't even know that their were religious Muslim factions in Iraq that were at constant sate of war with each other. When you involve yourself with a conflict, it is best to know the situation and make the proper adjustments to meet the conditions that are going to emerge afterwards. As regards Trump's latest blunder of course it was badly timed. However, if people believe that the Taliban is going to actually abide by an agreement that they are diametrically opposed to on religious beliefs would once again be a exercise in delusion. This is why I said to remember it is basically a religious conflict. These protagonists do not think in terms of the immediate but in centuries.

[SunSeeker]

11. Trump's sudden announcement wasn't just "badly timed"...

It betrayed our allies and endangered lives.

Yes, it is common knowledge that the Taliban thinks in terms of "centuries," and is driven by religion.

Are you suggesting that there is no point in entering into any agreements with the Taliban because they will break them?

[olegramps]

12. In a word: No. But don't expect unreasonable results.

[Scurrilous]

6. ...