Superficial assessments won't work. Intelligence is the only real way to know the conditions within Afghanistan.
There is no reason to continue the proxy war with Russia. If Kabul is accepting the Russians to assist in their country, the presence of the USA is useless.
To propagate war with Russia is a forever war. It is futile and only prolongs the suffering of the people. The Taliban reconstituted in Pakistan and moved back to Afghanistan. Now, they have the backing of the Russians. There is no eliminating them. The FIRST "conditions assessment" the USA conducts has to include the installation of Russian assistance to the Taliban.
The AUMF does not provide for a ground war with Russia.
April 25, 2017
US Defense Secretary James Mattis (click here) has vowed to “confront” Russia, after the top US general in Afghanistan accused Moscow of arming the Taliban militants.
During a joint press conference with Mattis on Monday, General John Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said he would not “refute” the claim that the Kremlin was behind an influx of weapons to the Taliban.
“We continue to get reports of this assistance,” Nicholson said. “We support anyone who wants to help us advance the reconciliation process, but anyone who arms belligerents who perpetrate attacks like the one we saw two days ago in Mazar-i-Sharif is not the best way forward to a peaceful reconciliation.”
A senior US military official confirmed to the press earlier in the day that Russia had been supplying machine guns and other medium-weight weapons over the past 18 months.
The unnamed official claimed that Russia was sending the weapons under the guise that they would be used against Daesh (ISIL) terrorists in eastern Afghanistan....
Trump lies constantly. He is using the Bush/Cheney model. CURVEBALL.
It is why there is profound dissonance in the dialogue of Pakistan vs the dialogue of the USA.
USA escalation of the war in Afghanistan based in Russia supplying arms to the Taliban needs a UN resolution.
The tribal areas of Pakistan make their guns by hand. It HAS TO BE PROVEN! The Taliban has no problem getting guns. The Taliban is known to rob banks and otherwise. The Taliban has many sources of guns and ammunition. It may very well be a complete and abject lie by Trump and Tillerson.
Get ready, here come the mobile chemical weapons labs again! Trump is looking at the increase of political clout "W" carried into 2004 elections because of the invasion of Iraq.
It hasn't been determined that Afghanistan with a reconstituted Taliban is a threat to the USA. I know there are human rights involved, there are human rights issues in a lot of places in the world and the USA is not at war. Bombing hospitals is a human rights issue, too.
The Taliban were never a threat. Osama bin Laden was the threat. The Taliban existed before bin Laden. The Taliban became an enemy because they gave save haven to bin Laden and al Qaeda. Any sort of remnants of al Qaeda are in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
...Mattis, who was on his first visit to the conflict-ridden country as the Pentagon's chief, said sending any weapons to Afghanistan is illegal and Washington would raise the issue with Moscow.
“Any weapons being funneled here from a foreign country would be a violation of international law unless they were coming to the government of Afghanistan,” Mattis said.
“We'll engage with Russia diplomatically,” he added. “We'll do so where we can, but we're going to have to confront Russia where what they're doing is contrary to international law or denying the sovereignty of other countries.”...
“We'll engage with Russia diplomatically,” he added. “We'll do so where we can, but we're going to have to confront Russia where what they're doing is contrary to international law or denying the sovereignty of other countries.”...
This is from Reuters:
April 10, 2014
By Sanjeev Miglani
New Delhi - India (click here) has signed an agreement under which it will pay Russia to supply arms and equipment to the Afghan military as foreign combat troops prepare to leave the country, in a move that risks infuriating Pakistan.
Under the deal, smaller arms such as light artillery and mortars will be sourced from Russia and moved to Afghanistan.
But it could eventually involve the transfer of heavy artillery, tanks and even combat helicopters that the Afghans have been asking India for since last year.
India has already been training military officers from Afghanistan, hosted a 60-member Special Forces group last year in the deserts of Rajasthan and supplied equipment such as combat vehicles and field medical support facilities....
If there are a satellite of trucks moving munitions into Afghanistan it is the delivery arranged by India.
You know how it goes, Obama never had the guts to do what a real man would do.
Where is Congress? Everyone needs to be on record. Is the USA going to war with Russia?
If there are a satellite of trucks moving munitions into Afghanistan it is the delivery arranged by India.
You know how it goes, Obama never had the guts to do what a real man would do.
Where is Congress? Everyone needs to be on record. Is the USA going to war with Russia?
