U.S. commander: Corruption in Afghan gov't undermines fight against Taliban, al-Qaida

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  • 0

    Yelnats

    This is a losing battle. Why bother being there? Waste of money and human life.

  • 0

    rajakumar

    Corruptions undermines Afghans,probably all their systems undermines them, from agriculture to electricity/water.

  • 0

    timorborder

    The old problem of corruption.

    Vietnam? The US and its allies fought a battle on at least 2 fronts. The enemy in the field and the corrupt puppets in Saigon.

    Iraq? Since the end of "major combat operations" (I love the sheer lunacy of that construct), the US and its allies have been fighting a battle on at least 2 fronts. The insurgents in the field, and the corrupt cabal of former dissidents in Baghdad.

    Afghanistan? The same thing.

    Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that perhaps these people do not want to be saved from themselves. When the Taliban was in power (a somewhat stable regime by Afghan standards), you still had various warlords screwing over each other. The Russians experienced something similar when they tried to tame the country. Perhaps the whole premise of building a stable Afghanistan is an unsound one. Note that I am not saying that we (the West) should let up in our pursuit of Al Queida and the Taliban, however, perhaps the who construct of believing that one day there will be a stable government in the country is incorrect.

  • 0

    Osakadaz

    Beginning with Karzai at the top.Trying to force a western model of democracy on a fiercely tribal society was never going to work.It hasn't worked in Iraq either...and for the same reason,it won't work in Iran.

  • 0

    Beelzebub

    Afghanistan is not a country. It's a bazaar full of haggling dervishes armed with AK-47s, who take no greater delight than blasting away at things that annoy them. It is beyond the pale of civilisation, and to think that this can be altered is naive to the extreme. They should be left alone to live out their short, nasty and brutal lives in isolation.

  • 0

    Sarge

    "Obama said Tuesday he will decide on a war strategy... the coming weeks"

    I wonder what the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize will decide?

    If McCain had won the election, the needed additional troops would already be there. Needed only because other nations refuse to take responsibility, I might add.

  • 0

    Investigator

    timorborder pretty much beat me to it.

    Sarge: If McCain had won the election, the needed additional troops would already be there. Needed only because other nations refuse to take responsibility, I might add.

    You must be the happiest man alive! You seem to see only what you want to see! That's bliss. Its like the last 6 years never happened!

  • 0

    rajakumar

    Sarge- I agree,Other nations refuse to take responsibilty and choose to enrich their own selfish desires only.

  • 0

    tclh

    Corruption is the problem but it is everywhere in poor countries, not only in Afghanistan. I am with John McCain , if Mc Chrystal said he needs 40,000 more troops to win this war, then give it to him .After winning ,America always has chance to reorganise everything ; but if loosing, Taliban will run that country to their liking again. Personally I prefer the method of long war in which America trains Afghan soldiers to finish Taliban themselves. But again who am I to talk against the field commander McChrystal?

  • 0

    some14some

    That's the best excuse U.S. commander can have..corruption like LOVE knows no boundries.

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    sarge: "I wonder what the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize will decide? If McCain had won the election, the needed additional troops would already be there."

    You guys are hilarious. You mock Obama's getting the Nobel prize SIMPLY because it was him (not because it was too early for it), and then you back up the mocking by saying he should commit MORE to war (like McCain). Or are you saying that Obama should pull ALL troops out of both wars tomorrow and the US not engage in any war?

    Duh.

  • 0

    Icantbelieveit

    "a still-secret document"? It's not so secret if JT has it! Jeez, have they never heard the term "loose lips sink ships"? Gotta love the media.

  • 0

    TheQuestion

    U.S. commander: Corruption in Afghan gov't undermines fight against Taliban, al-Qaida

    I believe that the appropriate responce to that artical title is a big fat duh .

    I really hope that we shorten the mission objective from 'kill terrorists and establish democracy' to 'kill terrorists' then send the additional troops to. We don't have to leave a shining utopia in afghanistan,just something habitable between bombed out wastelands.

  • 0

    zurcronium

    Agree, this is a big "Duh"

    Karzai is an oil company puppet, of course the country is totally corrupt. Bush put him in there so he would roll over for Exxon.

    This effort was lost once bush pulled troops out of the Afgan war to start a phony war in Iraq.

    The only decision is make is when to leave, same as vietnam story.

  • 0

    HonestDictator

    There was also another side of the story besides the main corruption in the current Afghan "government" (I use that term loosely). Some of the Afghan people that try to become elected officials that appear to be of sound judgement and less likely to join in corruption are either sent death threats (probably not just from the Taliban, but corrupt officials),or assassinated out right. Its quite disgusting... The only reason the US and other allies are there is because we don't want a "safe haven" for terrorist orginazations.

    The Taliban may have kept the country in line as far as their iron hand religious ideology, but corruption still existed and OBL and his crews didn't have anything to worry about either. You can lead a crazy horse to water but you can't make 'em drink.

  • 0

    zurcronium

    honestdictator,

    some corrections. Most of the 9-11 crew were trained in Germany and they were Saudi nationals. Not Iraqis or Afganis. Terror networks are by definition stateless.

    Also the taliban offered to turn over OBL to the USA but the USA did not accept the offer. Remember that bush dealt with the taliban directly up until 9-11 when they became the bad guys to justify the invasion.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/oct/14/afghanistan.terrorism5

    You fox news customers never get the full truth.

  • 0

    bushlover

    Zurc the Taliban knew what Al Q was up to with training camps in their country. They were trying to look good in the eyes of the world for people like you, by offering up Bin Laden but only to a country that can't be influenced by the USA. So they were trying to protect him. They reaped what they sowed. No pity.

  • 0

    Sarge

    zurcronium: "bush pulled troops out of the Afghan war to start a phony war in Iraq"

    He did not. In 2002 we had 5,200 troops in Afghanistan. In 2008 we had over 30,000 troops there. You really should check the facts before posting.

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