8 American troops have died in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours. One of the operations involved a suicide bombing at the gates of an elite police HQ in Qandahar, followed by an attack with small arms, leaving 3 US troops dead along with an Afghan policeman and 5 civilians.
Qandahar is the major southern Pashtun city (the greater metropolitan area has nearly a million people), and is the intended site of a concerted counter-insurgency campaign by US troops.
Surprised not to see any comments – that’s eight deaths too many. We need to admit our mistakes and leave expeditiously.
If Qandahar is the intended site of a concerted COIN campaign, then should we assume that Q. was existing in an alternate universe to this point?
Why the need for a separate campaign? Isn’t COIN a entire national project?
If we now need little self defense, quasi police/self protection forces ,then is it not logical to surmise that all the money and lives spent to present have obviously been squandered?
If the AFGH Army/police/Nato/US forces haven’t secured Qandahar then why should we surmise that another campaign will do the trick?
jim at rangeragainstwar.com