Philosophy
"We must demonstrate to the people and to the Taliban, that Afghan and [International Security Assistance Force] forces are here to safeguard the Afghan people, and that we are in this to win, that is our clear objective,"....--General David Petraeus.
Nine years now and it is a war of attrition where the initial objects have evaporated. It is time to seriously re-evaluate and end this often repeated mistake.
Seizing the flags of U.S. and NATO forces on Sunday morning, Gen. David Petraeus formally took hold of the Afghan war and began the daunting task of turning around an ever more deadly and unpopular conflict.
In a ceremony on the tree-shaded lawn in front of NATO headquarters in Kabul, Petraeus assumed command from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last month for the critical comments he and his staff made about Obama administration officials in a magazine article.
A general with a sterling reputation for military creativity and political acumen, Petraeus, 57, struck a determined tone in his remarks to fellow officers, foreign diplomats, and Afghan officials, insisting that "we are in this to win."
"We're engaged in a contest of wills, our enemies are doing all that they can to undermine the confidence of the Afghan people," he said.
Before he mentioned the Taliban, Petraeus described those enemies as "al-Qaeda and its network of extremist allies," harkening back to the initial justification for invasion nine years ago. He said his mission is to demonstrate to the Afghan people and the world that these extremists "will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan from which they can launch attacks on the Afghan people and on freedom loving nations around the world."
"We must demonstrate to the people and to the Taliban, that Afghan and [International Security Assistance Force] forces are here to safeguard the Afghan people, and that we are in this to win, that is our clear objective," he said.
Rather than promising sweeping changes, Petraeus praised the work of McChrystal and said he would look, as any new commander should, for opportunities "where refinements might be needed." The military strategy for Afghanistan, which Petraeus helped formulate in his previous position as head of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, will remain focused on protecting the Afghan people and shoring up its troubled government.
In a letter to NATO soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan, a gesture he also made when he took over command of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2007, he said "we must never forget that the decisive terrain in Afghanistan is the human terrain."
"Protecting those we are here to help nonetheless does require killing, capturing, or turning the insurgents. We will not shrink from that; indeed, you have been taking the fight to the enemy and we will continue to do so," he wrote.
He ended his letter by saying: "And I pledge my total commitment to our mission as we work together to help achieve a brighter future for a new country in an ancient land."
- Pity Party: Who Do You Feel Sorry For?
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- Right Idea, Wrong Way--gen. Stanley A. Mcchrystal
In a different time and a different part of the world such indiscretion by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal would have meant swift action, usually death, by the seated government. Such a government cannot allow a dissident to operate...after all perpetuation...
- Riches In A Devistated Country
You can bet the USA will be there demanding their pound of flesh. "Afghanistan Strikes It Rich With Lithium" by Kelly Faircloth Slate Finally, some good news for the Afghan economy and potentially for the American war effort. The New York Times reports...
Philosophy
No win engagement--Afghanistan
"We must demonstrate to the people and to the Taliban, that Afghan and [International Security Assistance Force] forces are here to safeguard the Afghan people, and that we are in this to win, that is our clear objective,"....--General David Petraeus.
Nine years now and it is a war of attrition where the initial objects have evaporated. It is time to seriously re-evaluate and end this often repeated mistake.
"Petraeus: In Afghanistan, 'we are in this to win'"
by
Joshua Partlow
July 4th, 2010
The Washington Post
by
Joshua Partlow
July 4th, 2010
The Washington Post
Seizing the flags of U.S. and NATO forces on Sunday morning, Gen. David Petraeus formally took hold of the Afghan war and began the daunting task of turning around an ever more deadly and unpopular conflict.
In a ceremony on the tree-shaded lawn in front of NATO headquarters in Kabul, Petraeus assumed command from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last month for the critical comments he and his staff made about Obama administration officials in a magazine article.
A general with a sterling reputation for military creativity and political acumen, Petraeus, 57, struck a determined tone in his remarks to fellow officers, foreign diplomats, and Afghan officials, insisting that "we are in this to win."
"We're engaged in a contest of wills, our enemies are doing all that they can to undermine the confidence of the Afghan people," he said.
Before he mentioned the Taliban, Petraeus described those enemies as "al-Qaeda and its network of extremist allies," harkening back to the initial justification for invasion nine years ago. He said his mission is to demonstrate to the Afghan people and the world that these extremists "will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan from which they can launch attacks on the Afghan people and on freedom loving nations around the world."
"We must demonstrate to the people and to the Taliban, that Afghan and [International Security Assistance Force] forces are here to safeguard the Afghan people, and that we are in this to win, that is our clear objective," he said.
Rather than promising sweeping changes, Petraeus praised the work of McChrystal and said he would look, as any new commander should, for opportunities "where refinements might be needed." The military strategy for Afghanistan, which Petraeus helped formulate in his previous position as head of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, will remain focused on protecting the Afghan people and shoring up its troubled government.
In a letter to NATO soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan, a gesture he also made when he took over command of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2007, he said "we must never forget that the decisive terrain in Afghanistan is the human terrain."
"Protecting those we are here to help nonetheless does require killing, capturing, or turning the insurgents. We will not shrink from that; indeed, you have been taking the fight to the enemy and we will continue to do so," he wrote.
He ended his letter by saying: "And I pledge my total commitment to our mission as we work together to help achieve a brighter future for a new country in an ancient land."
- Pity Party: Who Do You Feel Sorry For?
Been a while since we've done this one, so here goes: I feel sorry for Marcel Marceau. While I appreciate Gwydion's call for a moment of silence, I suppose the real irony is that he is now indeed a man trapped in a box. I feel sorry for the private...
- Bucks Over Art?...and The Winner Is "bucks"...afghanistan's Buddhist Treasures
"Mining threatens Afghanistan's Buddhist treasures" Aynak, one of country's richest historical sites, faces destruction as Chinese create world's largest opencast copper mine by Jon Boone November 15th, 2010 guardian.co.uk For almost 2,000...
- The Flaming Koran?
Well, there have been flag burners, Bible burners, and burning effigies in the past. A few bodies were bruised, some arrests were made, and a few died but most have forgotten those incidences. Here we are again faced with an icon [the Koran] and some...
- Right Idea, Wrong Way--gen. Stanley A. Mcchrystal
In a different time and a different part of the world such indiscretion by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal would have meant swift action, usually death, by the seated government. Such a government cannot allow a dissident to operate...after all perpetuation...
- Riches In A Devistated Country
You can bet the USA will be there demanding their pound of flesh. "Afghanistan Strikes It Rich With Lithium" by Kelly Faircloth Slate Finally, some good news for the Afghan economy and potentially for the American war effort. The New York Times reports...