Caindo, EUA deixa Afeganistão: em 13 anos 140 mil soldados não venceram os pastores de cabras.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — American and NATO troops closed their operational command in Afghanistan on Monday, lowering flags in a ceremony to mark the formal end of their combat mission in a country still mired in war 13 years after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban regime for harboring those responsible for 9/11. The closing of the command, which oversaw the day-to-day operations of coalition combat forces, is one of the final steps in a transition to a support and training role that begins Jan. 1.
But with President Barack Obama's recent move authorizing U.S. forces in Afghanistan to carry out military operations against Taliban and al-Qaida targets, America's longest war will in fact continue for at least another two years. Obama's decision to give American forces a more active role than previously envisioned suggests the U.S. is still concerned about the Afghan government's ability to fight. And agreements signed by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to allow U.S. and NATO troops to remain in the country are seen as a red line by the Taliban, further narrowing any hope of peace talks.
Washington Post - clik 2 De pé a milenar fama afegã:
"Cemitério de Impérios".
Some 9,800 American troops will remain in Afghanistan at the beginning of next year. To put that number in perspective, there were over 100,000 U.S. troops here in 2011 (along with 40,000 troops from other nations) during the peak of the American-led surge. They occupied more than 700 bases across Afghanistan, some of them the size of small cities. Through 2011, those troops were committed primarily to a unilateral fight against the Taliban.
Many U.S. officials hoped that with so much combat power, Western forces could deal a knockout blow to the Taliban. By 2012, it was clear that such a blow had not been dealt. Insurgents were able to use sanctuaries in Pakistan to regroup and regenerate. Reconciliation efforts failed and the war appeared to have no short-term diplomatic or military solution. The White House needed a new "New Strategy."
Em 13 anos a resistência subiu de 6 mil para 60 mil voluntários.
Afghanistan military services have taken control over security in the country after the end of US mission, but there are doubts about whether they can tackle resurgent Taliban on their own. Former Pentagon official Michael Maloof blames the crisis on ineffective Washington strategy
Em 13 anos a resistência subiu de 6 mil para 60 mil voluntários.
Afghanistan military services have taken control over security in the country after the end of US mission, but there are doubts about whether they can tackle resurgent Taliban on their own. Former Pentagon official Michael Maloof blames the crisis on ineffective Washington strategy
