[jlisenbe]

[Wondergirl]

Why didn't Trump solve the problems in Afghanistan and get us out?

[jlisenbe]

Yeah. It's all Trump's fault.

Good grief.

[Wondergirl]

Yeah. It's all Trump's fault.

Good grief.

Why didn't he? He was cleaning up the world and protecting us with a wall on the southern border and limiting the influx of refugees and immigrants.

[jlisenbe]

Trump was the one who signed the agreement that we would withdraw back in May. Few people are criticizing Biden for the withdrawal. It is the incredibly inept manner in which it has been done that is at issue, and it has clearly been a disaster. I just wonder what liberal dems are going to say when we have to start talks to get all of the remaining Americans (think "hostages") out.

[Wondergirl]

The talks have been going on already.

[tomder55]

The Taliban did not attack troops for over 18 months during Trump's watch while the withdrawal was being negotiated . All they needed to see was the way he dispatched IRGC boss Qasem Soleimani to know that they would rather not cross him up .

[tomder55]

Quid says he wants to shift to low intensity "over the horizon drone warfare (the last drone attack killed more than 10 innocent Aghani civilians ) . But without Bagram Air base that horizon is almost 1200 miles away. That's a 6 hr flight after assessing the intel; and arming /fueling the drone . Situations change rapidly in that time frame .That is how the target got close to the Kabul air base in an area surrounded by civilians . The choice ? Attack the truck and kill innocents or let the suicide attack occur.

We do not have a very sophisticated drone strike force . Oh the explosions make for great video . But we do not have anything close to a drone warfare doctrine . The Houthis using Iranian cheap swarm drones are better at it by far.
. “By using an unconventional long range strike capability, the [Iran backed] Houthi have consistently demonstrated an ability to penetrate modern air defenses and achieve strategic effects despite being overmatched in technology, manpower and funding” by the Saudi-led coalition.

Developing Unconventional Long Range Strike Capability for the ADF - Part 1 | The Cove (army.gov.au)

The highest profile and successful attack occurred on 14 September 2019, targeting the ARMACO facility in Abqaiq. While some of the details of this strike are disputed, the successful penetration of air defence and the effects are in no doubt. The attack utilised a combination of up to 25 OWA UAVs and ballistic missiles, and disrupted 50% of Saudi’s oil output and 6% of global supply.

And Iranian drones are becoming much more sophisticated ;thanks to the good ole USA .
https://theaviationist.Com/2016/10/0...stealth-drone/

Quid tried to get Putin to agree for US bases in the formerly Soviet 'Stans' nations to conduct his counter terrorism strategy The Dems have given Putin no reason to do so .

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a June 16 summit meeting with President Biden, objected to any role for American forces in Central Asian countries, senior U.S. and Russian officials said, undercutting the U.S. military’s efforts to act against new terrorist dangers after its Afghanistan withdrawal. The previously unreported exchange between the U.S. and Russian leaders has complicated the U.S. military’s options for basing drones and other counterterrorism forces in countries bordering landlocked Afghanistan.

Putin Rejected Role for U.S. Forces Near Afghanistan at Summit With Biden - WSJ

Another complication of course is that we now have no one on the ground we can trust to direct the attacks . US troops ? Gone .CIA ? They bugged out early . The Diplomats ? They were on some of the 1st planes out . The Afghan Army ? They cut and run when funding and America's withdrawal date was set .

[jlisenbe]

We should never have pulled out. Staying would have had its negatives, but pulling out has far more. We had developed a good strategy for our forces that was largely non-combat. It was a foolish move that we will live to regret.

[tomder55]

Bagram would've been an outpost equivalent to our troops on the 38th parallel ;or in Gitmo .