nkgupta80 said:I can see why many are against the War in Iraq, but why the War in Afghanistan?
Actually, I don’t think operation in Afghanistan was erroneous. I’ve written “Afghanistan, Iraq” just because they are often mentioned together, (kind of “conditioning” result :doh).
Perhaps such operations could be estimated on their feed back that is the resistance.
After the end of Taliban power in Kabul it was minimal, and only now it grows, being obviously connected to Sunni resistance in Iraq.
As PR–action US operation in Afghanistan was successful, imho, and all of the countries (even Pakistan that supported Taliban) appreciated it, or at least kept silence like Iran.
Nevertheless, the real success there also should not be overestimated. Afghanistan is the land of rocks and mountains where live many quite separate tribes those belong to Uzbecks, Pushtu and some other smaller peoples. Power in Kabul is nominal to great extent, it doesn’t mean the control over such a peculiar land*, nor it determines the life of those tribes (or does it to the smallest extent).
They live their life: run Heroin business, bargain, have permanent conflicts with each other.
If tribe elders will get some money, they will be loyal, if they will get some money from another side or if their interests will be somehow restricted they may begin resist.
The fact that US commandos and their Afghan allies have taken Tora-Bora doesn’t mean that they have completely wiped Al-Qaida out of Afghanistan. Caves and mountains are all over there. As well as Al-Qaida has plenty of space except Afghanistan.
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*Otherwise, perhaps Osama bin Laden would have been captured already (if he’s not a fake at all, and doesn’t live at the Bush ranch). Saddam in his plain Iraq was caught much sooner.