A minor rant about overseas deployment

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spot
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by spot »

There was a British army colonel on the radio today, discussing PTSD and the recently proposed US/Taliban deal. I was rather struck that he had previously felt the Allied engagement in Afghanistan had been worthwhile because of the lives it had saved. I hope I’ve accurately reflected his comment.

I’m stuck trying to work out whose lives would have been in jeopardy had the coalition of the willing not deployed in Afghanistan to start with.

I’m moderately sure that the majority of British service people would feel a foreign occupation of Britain should be met with civil disobedience and insurgent tactics by the resident population until the occupation was defeated, and that as a general principle this would be true in any country. The only time I have heard the principle disputed is when the occupying force is that with which one serves, in which case the resident population’s insurgency is to be deplored and the occupiers are for some reason to be cheered on.

There was, to the best of my knowledge, no civil war in Afghanistan prior to the Western invasion. After the invasion there was clearly Quisling collaboration alongside domestic resistance.

I’m frankly baffled why anyone should think PTSD might not be expected in these circumstances. It stems from thinking that the individual was serving a respectable cause, having volunteered to perform whatever task their political masters chose to set them. The solution was surely not to voluntarily hand over such power to such scoundrel policy-makers in the first place. Did anyone think the scoundrel politicians in Britain were to be trusted with a military capability outside of the Homeland? What rosy-tinted lying spectacles were they wearing at the time. What could they possibly have got out of a contract like that other than an education and a regular pay cheque. And, eventually, PTSD.

The world is a piss-awful place for a lot of people a lot of the time, mainly because volunteers refuse to think beyond their own short-term advantage.
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LarsMac
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by LarsMac »

Afghanistan has been in the midst of "Civil War" since the end of the '70s

It was the defeat of a recent Communists government that led to the Soviets sending military personnel there to "stabilize" the region. That phrase should sound familiar to my countryment who remember Korea and Vietnam. (Not to mention El Salvador, Niceragua, Iraq, ...)
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

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ATTENTION, ATTENTION !...............................has anybody seen, or heard from ZAP ? Does anybody know whether she is still with us, or has she passed to a better place where she can roam to her heart's content ?

I know that she was a 'paid up member' and her name was always green, so maybe Bryn could indicate whether her annual sub has been stopped or whether she is still paying ?

Please try to help !



Many apologies for seeming to mess up this thread, but what is a poor owd gal meant to do to get noticed ?
I'm a Saga-lout, growing old disgracefully
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by spot »

LarsMac;1531102 wrote: Afghanistan has been in the midst of "Civil War" since the end of the '70s

It was the defeat of a recent Communists government that led to the Soviets sending military personnel there to "stabilize" the region. That phrase should sound familiar to my countryment who remember Korea and Vietnam. (Not to mention El Salvador, Niceragua, Iraq, ...)


I think you delve too deeply into the country's history to say there was a civil war in progress when the West invaded. The Taliban had been the only government for five years at that point, the Northern Alliance held at most 10% of the country, around the prime opium production region, and wasn't fighting the government at all. Once the Northern Alliance allied with the invasion force, they provided the nucleus of the new Kabul administration and national opium production skyrocketed again.

Is that a fair summary?
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by LarsMac »

Even when The Taliban held much of the country, there had been factional fighting in many areas for years. It has not been Stabilized during the Occupation.



And I do not feel terribly confident in tRump managing to actually extricate the US from the place with any more success than he had in Syria.
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by spot »

LarsMac;1531108 wrote: And I do not feel terribly confident in tRump managing to actually extricate the US from the place with any more success than he had in Syria.


I had no idea there were any armed American troops in Syria outside whatever embassy you might have there, if we discount intelligence assets. You can't possibly have troops in Syria, you don't have air superiority.

I'm not saying you don't arm surrogates but that's not the same thing. The American press only reports from abroad if there's a dead US citizen involved in the story.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
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Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by LarsMac »

spot;1531113 wrote: I had no idea there were any armed American troops in Syria outside whatever embassy you might have there, if we discount intelligence assets. You can't possibly have troops in Syria, you don't have air superiority.

I'm not saying you don't arm surrogates but that's not the same thing. The American press only reports from abroad if there's a dead US citizen involved in the story.


American troops clash with pro-government group in northeast Syria

No End date for us troops in Syria
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A minor rant about overseas deployment

Post by spot »

I might buy a t-shirt with "nobody is a terrorist" printed on it at this rate.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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