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2022-01-23 Africa Subsaharan

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Posted by badanov 2022-01-23 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 Damn fine cinema.

Posted by M. Murcek 2022-01-23 07:45|| 2022-01-23 07:45|| Front Page Top

#2 Yet another foreign military misadventure with financial origins gone terribly bad. Yes, the US was involved in logistical support. England had run out of horses, and those which were available were unsuited to the task.

Posted by Besoeker 2022-01-23 07:55|| 2022-01-23 07:55|| Front Page Top

#3 Despite the ending (Which is true) it's still a great movie about the way in which governments speak out of both sides of their mouths and shaft those they have on the sharp end.

Posted by Silentbrick 2022-01-23 11:36|| 2022-01-23 11:36|| Front Page Top

#4 Summary executions were common on both sides. Spies were shot. Farmers wearing pieces of British Army uniforms or boots were shot. Farmers found to have 'dum dum' ammo were shot (cartridges with the tips cut off).

Posted by Besoeker 2022-01-23 11:56|| 2022-01-23 11:56|| Front Page Top

#5 Can't remember which well-known Clausewitz-grade war scholar said it, but the quote sticks with me: "Killing is the sine qua non of war." As soon as the political authorities get queasy about the optics of this or that killing, the spiral continues until you get the US in Afghanistan, where almost all killing was considered icky to the point there was no longer any chance of a decisive outcome other than the pathetic surrender that actually occurred.

Posted by M. Murcek 2022-01-23 12:00|| 2022-01-23 12:00|| Front Page Top

#6 "Killing is the sine qua non of war."
More like, destroy the enemy's ability to make war. That's the sine qua non of victory in war.

We'll never kill all the Taliban. We should have focused a strategy on working with their neighbors incl Russia and India to contain the Taliban in their caves and mountain lairs

Posted by Merrick Ferret 2022-01-23 12:33|| 2022-01-23 12:33|| Front Page Top

#7 To really stop the Taliban we would have had to do very unpleasant things to Pakland/ISI

Posted by Frank G 2022-01-23 12:56|| 2022-01-23 12:56|| Front Page Top

#8 Back in 80's I believe everyone officer basic course should have required the viewing of the Breaker, Paths of Glory, and Gallipoli.

Posted by Procopius2k 2022-01-23 14:19|| 2022-01-23 14:19|| Front Page Top

#9 You poor fools. Nobody was ever trying to win in Afghanistan. They let Bin Laden get away at Tora Bora and then began the forever war. Victory would have meant pulling out. You think they could have squeezed $2 trillion out of us with a win? No, the goal was to continue the war indefinitely. There were generals furious at the withdrawal, saying we must stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years.

Posted by Punky Elmigum9411 2022-01-23 17:18|| 2022-01-23 17:18|| Front Page Top

#10 Nomo "poor fools" Punky. First and last warning.

Posted by Besoeker 2022-01-23 17:58|| 2022-01-23 17:58|| Front Page Top

#11 There were generals furious at the withdrawal, saying we must stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years.

The Wall came down in 1989. The reason for American participation in NATO ended. We're still there. All we've done is feed Russian natural paranoia.

Posted by Procopius2k 2022-01-23 19:51|| 2022-01-23 19:51|| Front Page Top

23:54 CrazyFool
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16:23 Sock Puppet of Doom
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