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Russia's Mid-East Takeover Continues As Afghanistan Requests Military Assistance From Moscow
Earlier this month, in what amounted to a dramatic shift in strategy, the Obama administration announced that the US would not be pulling all of its troops out of Afghanistan after all. Under Obama’s previous plan, Washington would withdraw most of the 9,800 troops operating in the country by the end of next year, leaving a force of just 1,000. Now, all 9,800 troops will remain for “most” of next year and 5,500 troops will remain in 2017.
The apparent change of heart comes as some “experts” remain concerned about the security situation amid recent territorial gains by the Taliban. According to the United Nations, insurgents now control more territory than at any other time since 2001 (so... “mission accomplished”?).
(Taliban presence in Afghanistan via NY Times)
Ultimately, the move is symptomatic of what tends to happen when world powers get the bright idea to intervene in Mid-East affairs. It almost always goes awry in one way or another and by the time everyone comes to their senses a decade has gone by and no one can remember what the “plan” was in the first place. The White House contends that this same dynamic will eventually plague Russia’s involvement in Syria and while that’s certainly possible, it’s worth noting that using Hezbollah and Shiite militias to fight the ground war decreases the odds of Moscow getting mired in asymmetric warfare with an enemy they don’t fully understand.
As we said when Obama announced that nearly 10,000 US troops would not in fact be coming home from Afghanistan, the timing of the strategy shift seems terribly convenient. That is, one certainly wonders if the move to keep a US troop presence in the Mid-East has something to do with Russia and Iran’s stepped up role in Syria. Furthermore, it seems entirely possible that Washington is anticipating a Russian push into Iraq and so the Pentagon wants to ensure that at the very least, there are American troops in close proximity.
To be sure, this entire story is riddled with irony and all sides have exhibited a penchant for Einsteinian insantiy.
Recall that the Russians also got bogged down in Afghanistan in the Soviet-Afghan war during which Washington backed the fighters who would eventually become al-Qaeda. Now, Washington’s regional allies are providing support to al-Qaeda in Syria (via al-Nusra), and the Sunni extremists fighting for control of the country have declared a jihad against Moscow. So essentially, this is just a rerun of what happened in the 80s, only this time it’s going on in Syria.
Meanwhile, the US is still hanging around in the very same Afghanistan where the Russians fought in the 80s and the whole reason Washington is there in the first place is because the very same al-Qaeda who America supported in the Soviet-Afghan war ended up flying 747s into American buildings a decade later. And because the US never, ever learns anything when it comes to foreign policy, the Pentagon and CIA are now indirectly supporting al-Qaeda in Syria.
For better or worse, The Kremlin has apparently decided to try its hand at cleaning this mess up once and for all, and as we noted in “Russia Takes Over The Mid-East: Moscow Gets Green Light For Strikes In Iraq, Sets Up Alliance With Jordan,” Moscow looks set to effectively underwrite the expansion of Iranian regional influence on the way to establishing a presence in Syria, Iraq, and even Sunni Jordan.
That marks a disastrous turn of events for Washington who’s now been effectively kicked out of the playground that the US has sought to control for decades.
Now, in what might fairly be described as the final insult in a list that recently includes Iraq greenlighting Russian airstrikes just days after PM Haider al-Abadi promised Gen. Joseph Dunford that Baghdad wouldn't request direct military intervention from Moscow, Afghanistan has asked for assistance from The Kremlin. Here’s WSJ with more:
Afghanistan, battered by worsening security, is reaching out to an old ally and patron—Russia—just as the Kremlin is seeking to reassert its position as a heavyweight on the world stage.
President Ashraf Ghani has asked Moscow for artillery, small arms and Mi-35 helicopter gunships for his country’s struggling military, Afghan and Russian officials say, after the U.S. and its allies pulled most of their troops from Afghanistan and reduced financial aid.
The outreach has created another opening for the Kremlin, stepping up the potential for confrontation with Washington. East-West relations are already strained over such issues as Ukraine and Middle Eastern policy.
“Russia is seizing the opportunity,” a U.S. official said.
The Kremlin’s muscular new foreign policy has raised hopes among Afghan politicians that Russia will come back to their country as a friendlier ally in the wake of the Western drawdown, which has seen the U.S. troop level drop to about 10,000 this year, from a peak of about 100,000 in 2010-11.
The last Red Army troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. That war was a national trauma on both sides, ending in defeat for Moscow and the eventual collapse of Afghanistan’s communist government.
Because of that history, direct intervention in Afghanistan would be a very hard sell for the Russian public.
Alexander Mantytskiy, Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, said his government is considering the Afghan requests for military assistance, which he said have increased this year following the withdrawal of most U.S. and allied North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces.
“We will provide some assistance, but it doesn’t mean that any soldier from the Russian Federation will be here on Afghan soil,” he said. “Why should we carry the burden of a problem that was not solved by the Americans and NATO countries?”
Well, that's a good question, but one could also ask it vis-a-vis Syria, and the answer (for Putin anyway), seems to be this: "because by acting decisively to accomplish what the US and NATO apparently cannot, Russia gets to project its military prowess to the rest of the world and The Kremlin gets to supplant The White House as Mid-East superpower puppet master at a time when relations between Moscow and the West are the worst since the Cold War." Back to WSJ:
Abdul Rashid Dostum, Afghanistan’s first vice president, has been at the forefront of efforts to reach out to Russia directly.
An ethnic Uzbek who rose to prominence as a military commander in Afghanistan’s pro-Soviet government, Mr. Dostum met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other defense officials in Moscow this month to discuss possible assistance.
“Gen. Dostum wanted Russia to pay attention to the situation in Afghanistan,” said his spokesman, Sultan Faizy, who described Russia’s response to the request as positive.
So here again we see that US influence is waning in the face of what it is either an abject strategic failure or else a lackluster effort on the part of the Pentagon when it comes to battling extremism (of course dropping bombs on hospitals doesn't do much to help relations either).
Countries in the region are now taking a hard look at what's taking place in Syria and asking whether it might not be better to just have the Russians step in rather than spend another ten years wondering what exactly the US is doing and whether ulterior motives are leading the Pentagon to adopt strategies that aren't necessarily in the best interests of the host country.
The obvious question now, is whether Russia will be content to supply the Afghan government with weapons or whether the next step after Iraq is a move to eradicate insurgents in Afghanistan. Don't forget, Iran despises the Taliban and not only did Soleimaini help the US locate insurgent targets in Afghanistan after 9/11, the General actually spent years fighting the group personally in the 90s.
Needless to say, if the Russians and Iranians end up in Afghanistan, the stakes will be even higher than they are in Syria because unlike Syria, there's a sizeable contingent of US ground troops operating at Kandahar and elsewhere.
We'll close with the following rather ominous quote from Ramzan Kadyrov, the pro-Kremlin leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic:
"Kabul needs the support of Russia, just like Syria."
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Ah Oh
Kabul = KABOOM
Putin annihilates ISIS in a few weeks but US can't handle Taliban in 15 years....okay
But... but... NBC or whatever is doing a show on the U.S. bombing ISIS! Look! With your special eyes! It has to be true... It just has to!
This is a good article on NEO about what’s really going in the Middle East and why.
“Recent discovery of huge volumes of oil in the Golan Heights by an oil company whose board includes Dick Cheney, ex-CIA head James Woolsey, Jacob Lord Rothschild, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, business partner of one of Vladimir Putin’s most bitter critics, bring the stakes of the Russian intervention in Syria against ISIS, to a new geopolitical dimension. The US coup in Ukraine and its financing and training of ISIS all have one prime target–Russia.”
http://journal-neo.org/2015/10/26/genies-and-genocide-syria-israel-russia-and-much-oil-2/
The above mentioned dirty fucks are the latest in a long line of rapacious capitalists who are trying to dismember and destroy Russia for profit and world control.
You have now entered the Twilight Zone
Washington must be refusing to bomb any more hospitals. At least until the heat is off.
But, just think of the profit to be made.
The Russians now supply our former allies in Afghanistan and we now supply the Taliban to fight our new enemies the new allies of the Russians.
Our enemy is Al K-duh but our friend in Syria.
Look at it this way.
Whomever needs weapons no matter the affiliation we'll do our best to fulfill their needs.
Man, we can keep this War on Terror going for a 100 years.
Talking about profits, don't forget the rare earth minerals, lithium etc, that are supposed to be there in huge quantities, let alone the heroin crop that someone is making loads from. Or the potential north/south pipeline route that many US bases seem to be aligned on.
Also, Russia has a finite capacity for making military gear, much of which is fully loaded for the next couple of years. So not much money to be made for a while unless they sub-contract to Iran that seems to have such an embryo industry.
Afghanistan = Opium Wars 2.0
rapacious capitalists
Capitalism has nothing to do with exploiting government for financial gain which is Cheney's prefered method of accruing wealth. He and his cohorts would be better described as fascists rather than capitalists.
If you actually believe that Capitalism and Fascism can be separated in the real world then you simply aren't paying attention. To those who will inevitably down vote me, I challenge you to name A SINGLE country in the entire world in which Capitalism flourishes without Fascism (or full-on Communism).
Iceland
The inherent instability of capitalism (boom and bust) inevitably leads to fascism (dictatorship from above) or to communism (dictatorship from below). Basic Karl Polanyi stuff! Thank you Balanced for noting that.
I grow weary reading ZH commentor who view capitalism as a magical formula for success. It is not that! Capitalism is a philosophy of 'ME FIRST!", hardly a philosophy to build a civilization on. But to misquote Winston Churchill, "Capitalism is the best of a bunch of really bad economic/cultural options."
I challenge you to name A SINGLE country in the entire world in which Capitalism flourishes without Fascism (or full-on Communism).
What does that even mean? There is theft in every country by criminals high and low. That doesn't change the fact that the rest of us have to earn a living. It's not as if the theft of my money makes my desire to feed my family a bad thing.
Canada
"Canada is now the first country in the world to require that for every new regulation introduced one of equivalent burden must be removed"
By Editor on April 23, 2015
http://www.againstcronycapitalism.org/2015/04/canada-is-now-the-first-co...
Cronyism is destroying what capitalism is meant to be - A chance for everyone to capitalize on their skills in a free and open market.
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/11/03/russia-delivers-last-of-u-s-bought-helicopters-to-afghan-military/
Now that was the twilight zone.
I think you need to look up the definition of capitalists because you are using it incorrectly. Capitalists practice capitalism. Capitalism doesn't in any way resemble the system these thugs are running.
great link, redpill, thank you.
Awesome link. Sharing with friends.
If you have a problem... if no one else can help... and if you can find them... maybe you can hire... The V-Team.
Putin annihilates ISIS in a few weeks but US can't handle Taliban in 15 year
ISIS is composed of foreign fighters sent to Syria by "the West, the Gulf States and Turkey," whereas "Taliban" is often used as a name for any of the Pashtun who are a large native tribal group in Afghanistan.
Russia spent ten years fighting in Afghanistan and left because Ronald "Raygun" sent stinger missles to the Mujahadeen to shoot down thier planes an helicopters. Another foreign policy blunder
russia needn't go in, it can supply arms while iran's qud does the rest.
"This will not stand!" Proclaims Raytheon CEO!!!
This is bull shite - "al-Qaeda ... ended up flying 747s into American buildings a decade later."
757's and 767's are not the same thing as 747's
In any case, we all should know by now that it was a false-flag event. Any role that al-Qaeda may have had in it (totally unproven) was minimal. The Israelis were behind it:
9-11/Israel did it
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/9-11/Israel_did_it
BTW, an Israeli general has been captured at an ISIS HQ in Syria - another fake operation.
Israeli General Captured in Iraq Confesses to Israel-Isis Coalition
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/10/21/breaking-story-israeli-general-c...
I didn't think the transistion away from Obama and his mishandling of US foreign policy would be like a thunderclap. I doubt Russia goes into Afghanistan beyond selling arms though. It is better to watch Obama flail or flee there.
And there are lingering scars in Mother Russia from the war the was the "Soviet's Viet Nam".
Far from vietnam scenario. I guess many westerners only know US msm version of that war.
It was nice of them to ask, but Russia won't make the same mistake twice. Afghanistan is on their own.
I can definately imagine Obama suddeny handing out weapons to the enemies of the Afghan state, that he was supporting up to now, just to spite the Russians. Being Obama's ally is the second worse thing to being Russia's enemy.
Kabulistanis are in it for the money. They winessed how $5 billion of the $7 billion given to the Paki military "went missing" so they figure, "Why not me too?!"
BTW, I hear quite a few of those Paki military are now living in Canada, the second biggest money laundering country in the world.
BTW, where is Bremmer?
The Missing Billions: Ex-Iraq Occupation Chief Paul Bremerhttp://www.democracynow.org/2007/2/8/the_missing_billions_ex_iraq_occupa...
It must be a sweet gig if you can get in on it.
You cannot club 3 countries (UK, US, Switzerland) as No 1 and then name Canada as No 2 in money laundering....
That's not fair! :) ;)
By the way, India can also teach the world how to do money laundering....http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/21/bank-of-baroda-investigated-for-near-1-bi...
Imagine him trying to pull this crap just a few hundred years ago??
The king of the emperor would have him drawn and quartered.
I feel nostalgic all of a sudden. Can't we bring some of the old ways back?
The king of the emperor would have him drawn and quartered.
That's nothing compared to what this guy might do:
The Man Who Would be King of the Popeshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2xWQr4VaUA
no, Moscow - or any other imperial seat of power, to be fair - never makes the same mistake twice. then twice is not enough
two small items of evidence: FIVE major Russo-Persian_Wars; TWELVE major Russo-Turkish wars
of course those can't even be counted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Crimean_Wars , and are difficult to categorize
Guess what they defeated their enemies. They even saved your butts from Germany. You owe them.
Russia may agree to provide the heavy metal weaponry whilst Iran provides the boots to mop up the Taliban.
That may work (until it doesn't) because Iran hasn't been defeated there yet.
Afghanistan started out as a back door to the Soviet Union in the 20's. Next it was a back door to Iran after '79. Then it was the back door to keep those pesky Pakistan's nukes out of our living room.
So if you know what's good for you 813, you'll keep an eye on your back door or else a lot of people will be knocking to get in.
I live in an igloo, there is no back door.
How ya gonna get out if yer house catches on fire? Oh, wait... :>D
Hey, that was my line.
.
How do we know this was really asked by the Afghan's to Russia?
It is not yet time to stop being cynical. The west wants their citizens to believe Russia is taking over the ME, and that this is a threat to their lifestyle. Just the other day ZH published a story that Iraq was requesting Russia to bomb in Iraq. But there is no confirmation from elsewhere.
Not long ago there were ZH articles that China was entering the fray and had sailed warships to Syria. Using DEBKA as a source and nothing else. Known now to be false.
Now, do we automatically trust the WSJ (or ZH) just because we like the story line?
Maybe it is true, but be skeptical until you see real confirmation.
No shit eh?
The same dumbshit author constantly calls it the "Assad Regime", as opposed to the Syrian Govt....when we going to start called the USSA the "Obama Regime"? I mean he had less popular support than Assad by a long shot...
Also, Alqueda flew jets into the towers? Still selling the bullshit that was obviously an internal operation from day one?
Whatever, i love the planted bullshit stories....sprinkle in a little bit of truth and 95% propaganda and viola...."news"
It's okay. Obama gets a regular shot of penicillin.
It's a trap.
"“Why should we carry the burden of a problem that was not solved by the Americans and NATO countries?”
exactly...Hey Vlad dont fall for the "bananna in the tailpipe routine..."
Neoliberals will say it's not their fault - it's the fault of actual liberals and the media (one-and-the-same to them) for not falling in line and providing the money and support needed to "win" in Afghanistan.
So, no reason to get all worked up. "The policy was sound - those who opposed it are to blame."
Neoliberals: The buck stops elsewhere.
You're making the argument for providing continuous "money and support" to keep the dreaded "vacuum" at bay?
There isn't any "winning" over there and imho everybody would be better off without USSA's Biff Tannen foreign policy meddling.
I agree with you Chunga but I also agree that the neo liberals are completely insane. They will tell you that removing Saddam was the worse thing the US could have ever done and then tell you that removing bin Laden, Guddafi, Assad, and other leaders is the solution to the world's problems.
The politicos, after the fact, agree that deposing the last guy was a bad idea but the ones still in the yet to be deposed dept. are good ideas...
Footage of above mentioned mid east takeover -
1:17 of first clip, cool flashy thing coming from the wing of the plane?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23FklwPEk6A
9:40 second clip, watch through till end, WHAT IS THAT FLASHY MUSHROOM CLOUD THING THAT KEEPS ROARING FOR MINUTES?????????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdXMS3Sxlvg
Glad we are out of there.
I imagine McShitstain's eyeballs are popping out of his head this morning.
Has no enterprising lad or lass fragged that fossil yet?
He is simply determined to get more Americans killed for his masters.
Does this mean all the heroin/opium fields will be shut down?
Countries are looking to free themselves in what I will call "ME war to end American Exceptionalism"
" the same people that would later fly 747s into wtc". What a steamy pile of refuse
I know. This lie simply refuses to die even while people that know better, keep repeating it. 9/11 was and is the biggest psyops ever pulled off in the history of modern day man.
It's sarcasm- the authors are taking potshots at the official government narrative throughout this piece.
Of course it wasn't "just" al-qaida responsible for 9/11- "the network" has been working hand in hand with the CIA and the "five-eyes" (six, counting israel) douche-crew since well before Ronald Reagan was President.
If the sheeple can't recognize the lies of the government narrative, then "truthers" remain the "enemy of the state" instead of the state being recognized as the "enemy of the people". Thus, the authors seek to introduce cognitive dissonance into the heads of any sheeple coming across this article in an effort to free their minds from the NWO-Matrix. If they successfully resolve said cognitive dissonance, they recognize the truth and are freed into a new and probably scary, uncertain world. If not, they shake their heads and say "what a bunch of crazy doom-preppers ZH is!", and go back to saying the pledge of allegiance at their corporate-sponsored sporting events.
Therefore, it'd be good of you to read between the lines, recognize this, and not encourage any sheeples from turning away from the cognitive dissonance prematurely.
You are reaching. ZH doesn't need to propigate the false meme.
the "funny", er, sad thing AF is the US is snookered no matter what prevailing 9/11 narrative is used:
1) entirely Al Qaeda - US looks bad
2) Saudi backed - US looks worse
3) Total ZATO inside job / false flag - US looks despicable
So pick your petard US, and be prepared to be hoisted on it...
The Kagan Institute for the Promotion of War, eh?
This is framed as a defeat only in the eyes of the hyperinterventionists. We have foolishly accepted their view as normative when it is not. The view of both neocons and neoliberal chickenhawks is not only un-American, it is myopic, idiotic, and cynical.
What's so funny about non-interventionism, minding our own business, and getting our shit together at home for a while?
Have you ever dealt with cultural sterotypes that will demand respect they didn't earn, and do anything at all for respect they don't deserve? Now look at Obama. What do you think motivates a compete faiure like that to keep on doubling down?
Mishin uh-calmplisht.
Einstein never made that definition of insanity.
FYI, here are the "9 Albert Einstein Quotes That Are Totally Fake"**
** http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/9-albert-einstein-quotes-that-are-totally...
To quote A Pope: "A little learning is a dangerous thing..." (Pope, 'An Essay on Criticism', part 2)
'Rights aren’t rights if someone can take them away. They’re privileges. That’s all we’ve ever had in this country, is a bill of temporary privileges. And if you read the news even badly, you know that every year the list gets shorter and shorter. You see all, sooner or later. Sooner or later, the people in this country are gonna realize the government does not give a fuck about them! The government doesn’t care about you, or your children, or your rights, or your welfare or your safety. It simply does not give a fuck about you! It’s interested in its own power. That’s the only thing. Keeping it and expanding it wherever possible.' - Curious George Carlin
no one can control this area
this won't end well for Russia (again) either
The Afghan government asking Moscow to come and help? Oh, my... again?
Let me guess: Washington to contact a Saudi gentleman to coordinate and arm the insurgents? What was this guy's name again? Oh, yes: Bin Ladin
This is a risky move that Russia is going to use, Military support is somewhat acceptable but only if the airstrikes are as precise as in Syria.
Rebuiiling relations i can vouche for that. however :
They put boots on the Ground in Afghanistan it is game over for Russia's Foreign policy. Don't repeat the same mistakes
I can't remember the Quote to word but "Afghanistan is a land that cannot be conquered"
Afghanistan is where empires go to die.
Only because a true "scorched earth" policy is considered to be morally reprehensible.
It needs not be. Just start droning those poppy fields, systematically and for a number of years, and look who will raise their voice in protest. HSBC? US Congress men?
Russia is not even putting boots on the ground in Syria, why should they do that in Afghanistan? However, they can still supply them with weapons and perhaps also some military training etc. There are always ways to help.
Who wants the poppy fields more...........going to be interesting.
I remember reading an article about how Russia was voicing it's displeasure with the US presence in Afghanistan, causing a resurgence in heroin production and much of that product was flowing into Russia.
How is that place suitable for growing anything to begin with?
http://articles.philly.com/1997-01-19/news/25561414_1_poppy-crop-afghan-poppy-opium-poppies
The silk route of the Afghan poppy
The Afghan plague The rising tide of heroin feeds social ills and undermines the state
Afghanistan and Opium: Russia’s Growing ProblemWho is Most Affected by The Afghan Opium Trade?
Kremlin 'Unhappy' With Antidrug Efforts In AfghanistanWhat gives stories like this away is stuff like this'
"Afghanistan, battered by worsening security, is reaching out to an old ally and patron—Russia—just as the Kremlin is seeking to reassert its position as a heavyweight on the world stage."
The proposition that the Kremlin is seeking to assert itself is "NATO speak". Russia has more skin in the game than all the NATO allies combined. These conflicts are at Russia's door step.
This type of newspeak is quite unnerving when it appears here on ZH. I know that this is the reporting of information from other sources, but it can get confusing.
It is important to pay attention.
Putin's message to the Middle East and Afghanistan.. "From Russia with love"...
So Dostum who was part of the Soviet puppet goverment in the 80's is at the forefront to get the Russians back into Afghanistan again. What a strange coincidence. It makes one wonder who's idea it might be for Russia to be invited back. That it would be a hard sell to ordinary Russians to return to Afghanistan ... no shit ! Not that ordinary Russians anymore than ordinary Americans would ever be asked by their respective goverments.
Careful, having a 3-front war (Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan) could become fatal to Russia.
This smells like the updated version of Star Wars, where the true intent was to bleed Russia of its money and morale, by getting bogged down incrementally in Foreign Complications and rising internal debt levels (ever more guns and more butter).
Notice that all these conflicts are being taken TO Russia's borders or direct interests, and that Russia is not returning that favor.
Rx: The real and hired terrorists need to be driven to the frontier or homeland of their sponsors. In the meantime, if they refuse to "Be part of the solution", they and their supply routes must be droned 24/7/365 w/o cessation, exception or mercy. Keep forging coalitions, where the host sovereigns fight on the ground, and you provide air cover (to limit cost and body-bag exposure).
And if things get bad, then simply go to the Gold Standard. Do this with or w/o China and their co-opted Oligarchs, who are busy back-stabbing you and buying US real estate in cash (West Coast, Florida...).
This middle east whack-a-mole stuff is out of control, dangerous and never ever gets resolved, Obama probably has this one called correctly, get the hell out of there, let Russia get drained.
Rx: The real and hired terrorists need to be driven to the frontier or homeland of their sponsors.
Aye, Captain!!!
You're missing a big one - Azerbaijan.
And Russia is effectively returning the favor- Putin simply moves around some troops and equipment already stationed on the western border (so basically at no cost), and eastern young European governments start shitting their pants like white boys lost in the hood. On the one hand- expensive NATO hand holding missions and material pre-positioning might appear to aggravate the Russians, but they also aggravate and stretch the overextended USSA military which has a couple hundred other countries, and several active interventions that compete for attention and resources, and as well as that other SCO member who is building little islands in the South China Sea.
I can't help but think that this bodes well for confidence in our(US)currency.
My favorite story for Monday
The US is selling wing launched missiles to the Coalition and then telling everyone the Coalition is flying a bazillion sorties.
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151025/1029090443/us-coalition-syria-ineffective-fishy.html#ixzz3pgvz8U35
The Russians need not answer the phone on this.. They would do well to remember the 200 Russian Advisors and their families who were hacked to death in 1979 in Herat by guys shouting "Allah Akbar"
The Russians were there to help prop up a widely unpopular commie puppet government.
Sometimes, folks like that get hacked to death. That the Afghans shouted an Islamic phrase shouldn't lead you to believe they weren't killing Russians primarily 'as' Afghans. Generations of British cannon fodder shouting 'for the king' presumably didn't really give much of a fuck about the health and welfare of Longshanks.
that Wiki is terrible BS...fact is before so called Soviet invasion, the moderate leader was murdered by
outside supported takeover, that then placed the exact murderous coup supported leader as the"President" the Wiki article presents.....
Soviet intervention was reaction only to stabilze country to resist radicals enabled from outside.
if you exposed to MSM, etc, you already handicapped for any truth
this is decent account:
Afgantsy -Rodric Braithwaite-
Here are some photos of Afghanistan from those "bad old Commie" days. Wake up man, you're in OJ land.
The best thing that happened to Afghanistan was the Russians. If the Afghanis had been smart, they would have been Mongolia on steroids circa 2011 with 17% GDP. Now, the Afghanis just know how to kill people and run car parks in Dubai.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2013/01/28/podlich-afghanistan-1960...
http://www.businessinsider.com/astonishing-photos-of-prewar-afghanistan-...
According to the United Nations, insurgents now control more territory than at any other time since 2001 . . .
So maybe they'll put an end to the heroin trade like the Taliban did prior to the US invasion in 2001. The USA brings troops into the country in force in 2002 and within 3 years they are having record poppy harvests . . . go figure.
China will end up drawing in Iraq,Afghanistan,Syria,Pakistan,even Lebanon into its regional trade deals.The U.S. policy of MiddleEast control by bombing is a Wolfowitz Doctrine that is self defeating.It's only based on a short term attitude of helping to keep jobs in defence industry sectors,that's it.That's the extent of the logic which is also based on an outdated hate for the Russians which extends back to the Soviet era.That cold war is long gone decades ago and is a primitive mindset from the past.The NeoCons basically did an excellent job throughout the region of creating more enemies for the U.S. Government.You have to understand that China looks at things differently over very long time spans.It is an ancient culture.Washington has an immediate agenda with consequences that are not thought out from a permanent economic trading perspective.China and Russia will move in after bankrupt America has wasted all its taxpayers money on bombing people.What's left in America -well Detroit is a perfect example of what's wrong with the Washington military mindset.The Washington politicians don't reinvest in their own country.Even to Corporations,the Washington Government and its politicians are perceived as an enemy from a tax perspective.Most ordinary working folks view Wall Street,Bankers,The Fed and The Federal Government as criminals.
Gosh! If Russian gets involved, we may have to switch sides and begin supporting the Taliban. /s
But then you won't have the heroin market cornered...what the US DOD to do?
. . . the whole reason Washington is there in the first place is because the very same al-Qaeda who America supported in the Soviet-Afghan war ended up flying 747s into American buildings a decade later . . .
Yeah, right . . . this one sentence calls the credibility of the entire article into question. Whoever wrote this article can't be that stupid, can they??
" Whoever wrote this article can't be that stupid, can they??"
No,,, it's just keep pushing the meme propaganda. They suck you in on a few tidbits of truth then whack you with their BS hoping you will not really consciously remember what you read even though it is sub-consciously placed.
Honest and truly. What words to describe...
The U.S. military and CIA is a hermaphrodite that is only suitable for one purpose and one purpose only...
Fucking itself in it's own ass!!!
this would be a huge blunder for russia. just let the afghanistans sort out their own country on their own terms, with absolutely no assistance [financial, weaponry, or advisors] in a country that no empire could tame. period!
indeed the heroin trade into iran and russia is horrible with the crippling devestation it brings about [just think of the east-india company and british raj] regarding, then... chinas' qing dynasty during the 19th century with the former and latter gunboat diplomacy stuffing the shit down their throats.
kinda makes one wonder today about americas heroin problems and payback?
again, i would not only say it would be a blunder, but, there are other avenues less intrusive to quell the border with iran and afghanistan.
note: uzbekistan, turkmenistan, tajikistan and kyrgyzstan, and kazakstan all have current dual military roles with the ussa's covert & ct/ci for the last decade+/+
Seriously - who are the good guys and bad guys in Afghanistan? Are the opium/heroin growers the good guys? it just seems like Afghanistan is always one tribe not liking another.
Why have people always had such a thing about armies in this place? Why did the British care about it? I know they were big in the opium trade in China.
Now it is probably:
1. Heroin
2. Rare Earth minerals
3. A pipeline
4. Is there any oil or nat gas there?
In recent decades, Afghanistan has become a pipeline target:
The US wants them to run North-South.
China and Iran wants them to run East-West.
For now the US is 'winning', insofar that the Taliban refused the US wishes, and the DOD is stopping the Iran-China pipeline from being built.
The opium is just an added bonus for the US-bribed politicians and local war lords, not to mention the CIA Pension Fund (the "Other 401k").
Smedley Butler had it right ("War is a racket").
If you cannot sell oil and gas, sell military equipmennt. It's an economic model US has been following for decades. Difference is do you want to send troops and the answer is obviously nyet, but air support is okay. Middle East is becoming a threat to EU welfare state due to mass migration from Syrian civil war. Russia is in this sense helping Europe stabilize Syria after US bungling in attempt to change regimes everywhere in Middle East after Bush and Neocon stupidity causing kickback from Islamist state. Russia does not want more Islam problems on it;s border and is forced to take action.
The area adjoining Turkmenistan is the most crucial.
Turkmenistan is NATO's next target for destabilization.
Nope it is Krgyzstan. Azerbaijan was leaning towards west but they are now back in track after witnessing what happened in Ukraine.
The US needs to go the fuck home. The way it has acted in the last 14 years in Afghanistan and the M.E. it's no wonder countries are looking for more responsible backers...fucking Yankee assholes are just milking the murder over there to prop up it's bullshit at home, the spying, the Patriot Act, the profits of war.
How would we like a scumbag who started war in our countries and their only care was prolonging it? No matter how many suffered, how many dies, even if everything was destroyed?
The US should be ASHAMED.
True Afghan, of Soviet education.. tells of two sides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc2KeSkl5H0
very few know any truth about Afghanistan
if you ever watch MSM, is handicap from start
This is very true, I knew some original Afghans from the 1970's a lovely family, were high government officials in the pre soviet and soviet times, fled to the UK when the Russians left , lovely people some real class, distinguished manners and etiquette, spoke beautiful gentle english , very lovely looking daughters too, really made an impression.
yes good post
Soviet education was best of world.
Kabul was normal city. Civilized.
Powerful.
Good translation too.
The Taliban kicking butt again.... I guess after 50 years of losing the Army will have to return home and kick around some local patriots to notch up their ego a bit.
Bwahahahahahahahaha... that's why you don't takes news out of context (to fits your agenda).
Bwahahahahahahahaha...
OK...
Now, dude. I have read this A COUPLE YEARS AGO!!
I tought when i read that first? This must be a mistake!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/08/russian-helicopters-us-1-billio...
Who use BILLION DOLLAR OF US TAX MONEY, to purchased RUSSIAN HARDWARES, for Afghan's military??
- - -
Now, that above ZH news? Is a continuation of the above act.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/russia-to-sell-modern-attack-helicopters-...
- - -
Also, Pakistan? Usually buys US military hardwares (they recwived "anti terrorism budget act" about 5-7 B$/year from US. Thank you U-@SS.)
But now?
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/confirmed-pakistan-is-buying-new-attack-h...
- - -
Watching Syria?? Many countries now know, who built the better military hardwares.
Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha... Ohhhh... soooo.. funny!!
It is going to happen. I wish we could stop it!
Wilfred Owen's Anthem for Doomed Youth 1918https://youtu.be/ZlDoon91vZk
I'm Lovin' It!
theres a very delicate situation here, the taliban in afghanistan is supporting the islamic extremists in pakistan, a nation with nuclear weapons. the entire basis of the cheney clinton obama policy in this area is focused on getting that stuff back. an islamic takeover of pakistan is out of the question. bhuta was setup by the CIA to complete the mission (she had been against the afghan campaign in the tribal areas) and i am pretty sure she was going to hand them over, but she died before the election. there are contingency plans to liberate those weapons, should the Russians get a hand in here and they can obtain them so much the better, we can simply buy the material from them as we did during clintons term. the us aims and the russian aims in all this are more similar than dissimilar. you can almost quantify putin as a proxy of us policy, although in syria that policy is muddled, if putin does prop of assad its not going to be the same strongman regime that it once was, and russians are even more feckless on matters of foreign policy, if the us won the war in iraq and lost the peace, how do you think it will work out for them?
re Afghanistan Requests Moscow Military Help
I guess US patriots will just have to wait their turn in line....
You are #6.
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! ;)
the whole reason Washington is there in the first place is because the very same al-Qaeda who America supported in the Soviet-Afghan war ended up flying 747s into American buildings a decade later
Stopped reading at this point.... zionist press doesnt was with me... c'mon ZH sort it out
... "because the very same al-Qaeda who America supported in the Soviet-Afghan war ended up flying 747s into American buildings a decade later."
Wow! Is this guy for real? : ) I wonder if he also pictures Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld with turbans and a pair of AK-47's?
I know I sure do.
Am taking rooskie lessons already guyz!
According to the United Nations, insurgents now control more territory than at any other time since 2001
Pardon my language. But I want to know when the fucking American people will begin to ask some fucking hard questions of Government and the Pentagon. Do you know how much we spend on military forces? For over a decade the US Military has worked to build the largest most highly trained group of special forces professionals in the history of warfare. All across America and on overseas bases, thousands of young Americans are trained to standards that surpass anything we ever dreamed of 30 years ago. The graduates of all the various special forces training schemes are simply, and even Russian sources admit, some of the best soldiers ever seen.
We spent 1 trillion dollars to occupy Afghanistan and to bribe locals to cooperate. For over 10 years our total Air Power and Special Forces units fought Taliban. We used regular Army and Marines to occupy strong points and cities, while aircraft and special forces hunted down Taliban like dogs! 10+ years!
Have any of us asked this "So what the fuck happened" "Taliban hold MORE of the country than since 2001"?
What has our military been doing? What has Government done? Was Afghanistan war just another corporate rip off. We lost, we simply lost! But profits for corporations involved are off the charts!
I would think that given what we were told, how much we spent, and how massively we support the military with money, arms and moral support. Americans love their troops. The only troop I know personally, on a one to one level, who fought in Iraq for 14 months, he is totally jaded, fed up, doesn't think they accomplished a thing in Iraq. And he would never sign on for another American war over in the Middle East. I don't know at all if other Vets sahre his views. I'de love to hear from some Vets who were in these wars. What did you think and what do you think about our wars? Why are we now seeing Islamic nut jobs taking half the Middle East, after we spilt blood and treasure all over the entire region for over a decade.
Are you actually confused, or is this a devil's advocate talking??
You did not know that the US was never supposed to win another war after WWII? -- and yet you also presumabley know that the monetary system is itself just a shell game (otherwise, why are you a reader of zerohedge?) And yet you never stopped to consider that the two spheres of power --finance and the military, while both cater simultaneously to the corporate world)--would, necessarily, be inextricably combined as merely two faces on the same skull?
1) Who is this "we" you talk about? I'm an American and you aren't.
2) Umm... tactically speaking, we pulled out and they rolled in. Your argument in terms of time and money didn't hold water whilst we were still there.
3) Putin should head back in. It would be good for his career...
The Russian military equipment is simply better than US for the purpose, in the country without infrastructure and triple cheaper and financed by Russians (dedollarization). What not to like.
But Russia will not come back to Afghanistan except for training for the equipment purchased. Taliban is not IS and Russians will not fight them. Taliban are Pashtuns living in their country. Russia and China may even tactically align with them against IS already in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is no Syria, situation calls for different solutions.
Daily Syrian war updates can be found here:
https://contrarianopinion.wordpress.com/syrian-war-update/
This is a very slippery article full of half truths and subtle distortions of the real geoploitical moves and motivation.
In effect he's saying Putin and Russia are just "opportunists" (very Robert Gates) who haven't thought this whole scenario through - right, good luck believing that bullshit US because that is exactly the kinda dumbass "exceptional" analysis that's gonna get you totally FUBAR.
True dat, Bingo.
Putin been thinking this scenario through since Booger Bush quit the ABM Treaty in 2002.
The NYT, WaPo, WSJ etc just thought it was the cutest thing since ribbed condoms.
FUBAR doesn't even come close.
(if you noticed I didn't even mention chess playing once. Oh wait.)
Afghanistan, battered by worsening security, is reaching out to an old ally and patron—Russia—
BBBBBBWWWAAAAAHHHHAAAA!!!!!!!
Yea I can REALLY see the people of Moscow going for the plan to help "an old ally and patron" AKA AFGHANISTAN...
You can't make this shit up...
wait
You do a pretty good job, Alfie.
remember this?
Alfie never figured it out, did he?
Russia is probably smart enough to only provide "aid" (equipment and supplies). They need to keep focus "closer to home" and not overextend. They know this.
CIA is hooked on to Heroin from Afghanistan & uses Taliban , Paki Army & ISI in making profits.
Why they cant eliminate poppy , opium & heroin which is even visible from space , I dont understand.
Its all money game , human life has no value.
At the same time making noises about war helps them get funding from US congress
America thrives on evil
------
So now the world has no hope left , except in Russia
(China is also waking up)
So similar to British in colonialism era , the Sun is now setting for America too
NO ONE TRUSTS SATAN AMERICA
-------
http://americanfreepress.net/is-cia-fueling-new-u-s-drug-epidemic-using-...
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-spoils-of-war-afghanistan-s-multibillio...
http://mediaroots.org/opium-what-afghanistan-is-really-about/
http://www.mintpressnews.com/rumors-persist-that-the-cia-helps-export-op...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_drug_trafficking
Please don't be disrespectful our involvement in Afghanistan.