Spain completed it's withdrawal of nearly 30,000 troops on 29th October 2015!
By public demand when their electorate voted in a PM who promised to withdraw them.
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Brexit, for once some facts.
- Thread starter flecc
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By public demand when their electorate voted in a PM who promised to withdraw them.
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The Daily Fail really can't spell "Brexit" can it?
It looks like Brexit is no longer the dangly bits of a dog!
It looks like Brexit is no longer the dangly bits of a dog!
It's a bit of an enigma to me. As egypt and al-Sisi (instead of morsi) show public opinion has nothing on us dollars and strategic interest. Usually. Surely Afghanistan was of strategic interest. And ghost afghan soldiers and police and endemic corruption (which is standard fare anywhere in third world) aside, technology usually win wars these days, even asymmetric ones (as in syria), not a lot an rpg can do to to t90s with reactive armour (and unlike iraq the place weren't littered with us howitzer shells for ied's).
The answer is that technology doesn't win that kind of war and never can or will. The Russians found that out the hard way and withdrew from Afghanistan in early 1989 after finding it impossible to beat the Mujahideen. The USA found that out in Vietnam when they fled in fear of their lives from Saigon. Earlier too in Korea.
These are enemies who appear out of nowhere, attack and disappear into nowhere, as often as not because they are supported by the population who are a part of the enemy while often pretending to be allies. That makes it possible for them to attack from behind the lines with planted bombs, IEDs and suicide bombers. Thats why the Taliban took over so quickly, contrary to our lies they didn't have to fight, the Afghan army merely stood aside for them since they didn't believe in what they were defending, many of them believing in the Taliban and some even a part of the Taliban.
As for the strategic importance, there is none now since Afghanistan has become effectively a neutral between the two sides now that both Russia and the USA have been driven out and neither will want to return.
Now for both sides it will be about aid and diplomacy.
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Don't forget China in that equation. Afghanistan has a pivotal point, between Russian interests, Chinese, Western .. India and Pakistan, and the Oil rich Gulf . If ever there was a need to have another neutral Switzerland ,it is there.
Agreed and it's what I meant about the two sides, now China and Russia are increasingly aligned, also saying Afghanistan was effectively a neutral now.
But a neutral like Switzerland is a long way off I fear. More a country which hates everyone. The USA, Russia and China have spoiled their chances in many ways, the USA and Russia by their very long military actions in Afghanistan, Russia and China by their their treatment of their Chechen and Uighur Islamic minorities.
It will be very difficult for any country to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan.
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They are all checking out:
Texas man who led anti-mask protests in name of ‘freedom’ dies of Covid-19
Jessica Wallace told the newspaper her husband began experiencing Covid symptoms on 26 July but refused to get tested or go to the hospital. He instead took high doses of Vitamin C, zinc aspirin and ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medicine used for livestock that officials have urged people not to take for Covid-19.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/29/texas-caleb-wallace-anti-mask-protests-freedom-dies-covid-19
If my Father was still alive he would have found this to be unbelievableAmerican aid to Afghanistan
at Dunkirk they destroyed everything the Germans could use even when under heavy attack.
Are we to assume that all of this ordnance was in use by the Afghan defence forces?
And did the US remove it's hardware?
Didn't the Americans have the nouse to plant demolition charges in the weapons dumps that they could trigger if things went belly up?
And the icing on the cake
33 Mi Russian Helicopter Gunships the Russians will be happy to help with.
The Noble art of double speak
"“NHS guidance demonstrates that the global supply crunch affecting everything from manufacturing to food has found its way to the healthcare sector. However, there are no reports of similar shortages outside the UK”
That is the best description of "Global Britain" yet!
Only exceptionally well organised gibbering idiots could achieve
us becoming the first to achieve a "Global supply crunch"
Confined to ourselves
Putin loves you.
Have this photograph of some Roubles and there's more where they came from
"“NHS guidance demonstrates that the global supply crunch affecting everything from manufacturing to food has found its way to the healthcare sector. However, there are no reports of similar shortages outside the UK”
That is the best description of "Global Britain" yet!
Only exceptionally well organised gibbering idiots could achieve
us becoming the first to achieve a "Global supply crunch"
Confined to ourselves
Putin loves you.
Have this photograph of some Roubles and there's more where they came from
Confirms what I've been saying ever since the pandemic began. It doesn't matter how well it's handled, at the outset or later, it will still catch up with everyone eventually if they don't have near perfect isolation. Policies can make it worse as we've done, almost no policy makes it better.Israel seems to be struggling with Covid
I first said that about the UK with it's big regional differences last year, but since then it's become true all around the world
All those countries who were being praised for how well they were doing at the outset have suffered big setbacks since. And now Israel has shown what I said about the ineffectiveness of the vaccines against infection, since nowhere has been more thorough with vaccinating everyone than they were.
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Maybe they are doing more and complete testing, but much more important, at what ratio are these infections translating into hospital admissions , ICU admission and deaths.Israel seems to be struggling with Covid
I understand that these are the arsenal they provided the Afghan national army with. Now there will no doubt be plenty of ammunition to service these weapons. Moreover the Afghan Army is now a well trained army, and will obviously become the bulk of the new Taliban controlled National Army. They will have maintenance skills and workshops to keep those Blackhawks airborne, and that gives them a potent regional army.
Has Gove had some kind of break down or something, this seems very strange behaviour for someone in his position.
I didn’t think I could feel empathy for Michael Gove. Then he hit the dancefloor | Zoe Williams | The Guardian