US govt misleading Americans on Afghanistan: report

[MenInG]

Original report here but too long to post

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/08/world/asia/us-misleads-on-afghanistan.html

WASHINGTON: The US government misleads its public to justify the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, routinely using inflated data to justify its stay, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The report compares the US government’s data with those provided by various international aid agencies and with NYT’s own research and concludes that Washington does not want Americans to know the real situation in Afghanistan.

While the US government says the Taliban control or contest 44 per cent of districts in Afghanistan, the NYT report claims that the insurgents actually control or contest about 61pc area. Since 2017, the Taliban have held more Afghan territory than at any stage since the American invasion in October 2001.

The report also notes that so far more than 2,200 Americans have been killed in the Afghan conflict, and Washington has spent more than $840 billion. “The war has become more expensive, in current dollars, than the Marshall Plan, which helped to rebuild Europe after World War II,” the report claims. “That investment has created intense pressure for Americans to show the Taliban are losing and the country is improving.”

The report also disputes the US military’s claim that the Afghan government effectively “controls or influences” 56pc of the country. The NYT, how*ever, says that in many districts, the Afghan government controls only the district headquarters and military barracks, while the Taliban control the rest.

Similarly, on paper, Afghan security forces outnumber the Taliban by the ratio of 10 to 1, or even more. But one third of their soldiers and police officers are “ghosts”, who have left or deserted without being removed from payrolls. Many others are poorly trained and unqualified.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1431814/us-govt-misleading-americans-on-afghanistan-report

 

[Zeeraq]

Nothing surprising about it, USA have misled public significantly on the Afghanistan issues.

 

[troodon]

Why is there so much support for Talibans among Afghans ? Don't people want more freedom? Or they want strict Sharia Law?

 

[PakLFC]

The American's to keep an eye on China want a permanent stay in Afghanistan. They will have to be forced out and they eventually will be. All reasons they are giving to prolong their occupation are nonsensical. Any person with an ounce of commonsense knows its about keeping a close eye on China, nothing else.

 

[Zeeraq]

Why is there so much support for Talibans among Afghans ? Don't people want more freedom? Or they want strict Sharia Law?

First and foremost people would want a government which is elected by the people themselves and not a puppet installed by USA.

 

[troodon]

First and foremost people would want a government which is elected by the people themselves and not a puppet installed by USA.

Does it mean they support Taliban? Totally messed up.

 

[blackanhyellow]

Does it mean they support Taliban? Totally messed up.

Afghan people are historically very stubborn. Along with having very rough mountainous terrain, these two reasons are why its known as a graveyard for empires.

Also its not as simple as some people make it out to be. Not accepting the afghan government because they are american puppets is only part of the story.

Its also the massive amount of corruption in the government. People are being harrassed and treated like dirt. The corrupt people in the government partner with warlords in the area to get a cut of profits from drug trade or other crimes. The warlords thus have a free reign to abuse little boys, mistreat people, etc...

America looks the other way.

During taliban rule as ruthless as they were, opium trade was almost negligble compared to what it is now.

This is often blamed on taliban alone as a means to fund their insurgency. Which may be true.

But what they dont tell you is its the americans which let this flourish. There have been reports of american soldiers gaurding the poppy fields. Then its the afghan military that smuggles it out and exports it.

So its a very complicated issue.

Most people just want the violence to stop.

 

[Yossarian]

Why is there so much support for Talibans among Afghans ? Don't people want more freedom? Or they want strict Sharia Law?

Throughout history, foreign occupying forces have always been resisted. Even if it means supporting those you don't like as long as they're also trying to remove the said foreign occupying forces.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend".

In Afghans eyes, they've been fighting foreign occupiers throughout their history. The Afghans fought a long bloody war to get rid of the Russians. In the eyes of the average Afghan, the Americans have simply replaced the Russians. And the Taliban are trying to get them to leave.

 

[shaaik]

Does it mean they support Taliban? Totally messed up.

They do and that's their choice .. it would probably interest you to know that the most peaceful time that Afghans saw in last 50 yrs was under Taliban..