Taliban moving towards peace talks with US over war in Afghanistan

[Stealhead]

I find it funny that they talk about this now. Back in 2004 and 2005 many US commanders in Afghanistan wanted to talk with the Taliban back then and come to some sort of deal and at the time it would have been possible to talk but I guess the US government wanted to spend 10 more years and achieve nothing long term.Go figure.

Here is an article from 2011 though some US commanders have wanted to talk to the Taliban for nearly ten years.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-at-night.html

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

I find it funny that they talk about this now. Back in 2004 and 2005 many US commanders in Afghanistan wanted to talk with the Taliban back then and come to some sort of deal and at the time it would have been possible to talk but I guess the US government wanted to spend 10 more years and achieve nothing long term.Go figure.

Eh...I guess we're becoming too much of an annoyance to the Taliban.

We don't actually do anything anymore... Yeah we kill them here and there but I'd like to know what we're actually doing over there right now.

We killed bin Laden. Boom. That's it. That's why we went there if I'm properly understanding it.

We don't have to reconstruct the entire world in Democracy even though that seems to be what we're good at.

We're having tons of problems with our own Democracy. What makes the Government think that these Middle Eastern Countries will actually listen to the "Western Hypocrites" who "can't even control their own government."

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

I find it funny that they talk about this now. Back in 2004 and 2005 many US commanders in Afghanistan wanted to talk with the Taliban back then and come to some sort of deal and at the time it would have been possible to talk but I guess the US government wanted to spend 10 more years and achieve nothing long term.Go figure.

Here is an article from 2011 though some US commanders have wanted to talk to the Taliban for nearly ten years.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-at-night.html

We deal with Saudi Arabia, Taliban not much worse.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Eh...I guess we're becoming too much of an annoyance to the Taliban.

It is the other way round actually this war has cost us billions upon billions not to mention how many Americans have been killed or permanently injured.The whole thing has cost us much more and really for nothing as Bin Laden was in Pakistan and had likely been there since 2002.

We should have closed up shop in 2003 or 2004 when it was obvious that Bin Laden was no longer there.And the war in Iraq sure did not help as things where actually calming down in 2003/04 in Afghanistan then things picked up again and there is no doubt the crap happening in Iraq caused it.For example prior to 2006 the Taliban rarely used IEDs that they learned directly from how effective it was in Iraq.

It costs them less than $100.00 to make an IED it costs us several million dollars in material and manpower to deal with one IED.One of those MRAP vehicles cost anywhere from 1.5-4 million dollars.Then all the fuel all the cost in manpower.

@Armistead sometimes it is better to deal with someone you dislike than have to fight them.I would say that the Taliban is a lot worse than Saudi Arabia at least SA has a government that does a pretty good job maintaining strict control and they hate Iran.The Taliban I think have figured out that if they leave us be we will leave them be that could be worked out.Afghans spend as much time fighting each other as they do outsiders if not more so.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

It is the other way round actually this war has cost us billions upon billions not to mention how many Americans have been killed or permanently injured.The whole thing has cost us much more and really for nothing as Bin Laden was in Pakistan and had likely been there since 2002.

We should have closed up shop in 2003 or 2004 when it was obvious that Bin Laden was no longer there.And the war in Iraq sure did not help as things where actually calming down in 2003/04 in Afghanistan then things picked up again and there is no doubt the crap happening in Iraq caused it.For example prior to 2006 the Taliban rarely used IEDs that they learned directly from how effective it was in Iraq.

It costs them less than $100.00 to make an IED it costs us several million dollars in material and manpower to deal with one IED.One of those MRAP vehicles cost anywhere from 1.5-4 million dollars.Then all the fuel all the cost in manpower.

We use a 3 million dollar bomb to blow up a 10$ tent. The logic behind this stuff....

But for the Taliban to want peace talks?

If they truly want peace, they want this to end as much as we do. You would think.

I think Iraq should've been better dealt with in 1991 instead of now. If we had gotten Saddam out of there in '91 I think things would have gone differently in 2002-05.

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

12 years later and we're back to exactly where we started.

GO AMERICA! WOO!

Unfortunately no, we're back to a worse position than when it started.

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Eh...I guess we're becoming too much of an annoyance to the Taliban.

Errrrr.....No, they hold the winning cards and they know it.

Originally Posted by Red October1984

But for the Taliban to want peace talks?

If they truly want peace, they want this to end as much as we do. You would think.

Errrrr....No.
They want talks, but with the "puppet master" not just the "puppet".
They just got it.
They want talks but without the preconditions on al-qaida.
They just got it.
They want something they didn't have before the invasion.
This office is their first step in getting the international diplomatic recognition they never had.

I think Iraq should've been better dealt with in 1991 instead of now. If we had gotten Saddam out of there in '91 I think things would have gone differently in 2002-05.

Iraq would be the same result if it was done in '91.
What was really dumb was the sheer stupidity getting the same obvious result at a time when they should have been working full out in Afghanistan.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

Talkin' better than shootin'

Words I don't think the Taliban utter.

Oh dear, the fallout begins.
The Afghan government has now suspended talks on security with America.
Apparently Karzai is a little upset with the US entering direct formal negotiations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as it means they are recognising the Taliban as a government in exile.
Which puts him in a position rather akin to Vichy, Bohemia-moravia or Manchuko.

[Oberon]

Bless, he's upset that he's being treated as the incompetent temporary US puppet that he is. He must know that his days are very much numbered. Fully expect to see either a Karzai in exile, or a Karzai from a lamp-post about two months after our forces leave.

[TarJak]

Wow that long? I give him 2 weeks.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Wow that long? I give him 2 weeks.

I don't know, two weeks would be too quick, and the US would just quickly come back and reinstall another puppet, two months gives time for the public to be used to not being in Afghanistan and get angrier if the US makes any motions to go back.

Then again, finesse was never the Talibans strongest point... But they are very good at playing the long game, better than we are.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Wow that long? I give him 2 weeks.

Be it weeks or months the outcome is inevitable.

[STEED]

Peace like Ice-cream melts ways.

[BossMark]

These sort of people never seem to want peace, I wouldn't bet on it happening in near future anyway

Originally Posted by BossMark

These sort of people never seem to want peace, I wouldn't bet on it happening in near future anyway

Don't talk about the military-industrial complex like that