Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Another Victim of Iraq
There's been another victim of Iraq:
The New York Times leads with the Taliban stepping up their attacks and "flooding the rural areas of southern Afghanistan with weapons and men." The Taliban have launched spring offensives every year since their downfall, but this year they've built up quite a base. The Times says 20 minutes from the south's capital, Taliban are "walking in the villages openly with their weapons, and sitting under the trees eating mulberries."

...

"The Taliban and Al Qaeda are everywhere," said one shopkeeper. "It is all right in the city, but if you go outside the city, they are everywhere, and the people have to support them." This TPer recently flagged the Taliban's rise in the south, noting a vehicle ban they just ordered.
Each spring, the Taliban "offensive" has been a bit more aggressive and pervasive.

What a missed opportunity. If the U.S. had focused on really building a viable economy in Afghanistan, we would now be on the road to having what we've wanted all along .... a serious ally in western Asia. Experts warned of an "attack then leave" strategy as a big mistake which would only further weaken U.S. interests in the area. Even though the U.S. still has a presence in Afghanistan, it's little more than supporting the mayor of Kabul, President Hamid Karzai. Attack and leave is what the U.S. has done. Such a waste.
Written at 8:26 AM by Greyhair.
0 comments