Spare a Moment?

[Jeff Young]

Why delete? It's an interesting bit of history. Probably one of the few -- maybe the only one -- countries that Marxism "improved" and that was because they needed a strong centrally directed economy to progress at all.

Kabul in the 70s was supposedly fairly Western and modern. Women wore dresses/western clothes and actively participated in the government (the is the Saur government, post the monarchy period).

The divide in the Marxist party there (PPDA or something) resulted in the pro-Soviet leader being killed and a faction of the PPDA that the Soviets didn't like taking power...hence the invasion.

This destroyed any progress towards a modern secular society, and opened the door for the Mujahedeen and the Taliban, who of course we supported against the Soviets in the 80s as "freedom fighters."

Interesting times.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Jeff,I deleted my reply because I thought it was inappropriate . I was being a smart arse, hard to believe I know.

 

[Al Jones]

Pete -- Thanks for keeping their memory and their deeds in the forefront. It seems we don't learn from history, do we? Time to bring our boys home. As a combat veteran of another conflict, I remember the bravery of the Aussie troops. I counted myself among the lucky to have made it home, albeit with a couple of miscellaneous punctures, but the real tragedy is that of the families who have lost their loved ones forever. These men (and women) deseve better than to have their scarifice overshadowed by shallow, trivial treatment by the media and self-serving politicians.

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Beautiful country I'm told.

You couldn't prove it by any of the pictures I have seen. Only looks like rocks and dirt in every photo/video. I talked with a guy who there when we were doing the heavy bombing in Tora Bora where we were SURE Osama was. He said all we did was make big rocks into smaller rocks...........

 

[Olivier S]

Not that I'm OK with any killed young peoples, nor peoples risking their lifes there, especially with what hapenned a few days ago, but nybody is wondering what would happen if we are leaving right now?

For sure, Talibans would get out their caves and would restart all their mess, maybe harder than before. Could be a new paradize for any islamists scumbags!

I havn't got the solution as I'm not really comfortable with erasing a whole country from earth face...

Maybe the solution would be to "clean" Pakistan from all that islamic shit before doing anything else, but Pakistan has the nuke, so it's not that easy.
How did Osama for leaving in peace for so much years just next to a military academy?

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the reason for the invasion of Afghanistan
To capture Bin laden? Well if so that mission has been accomplished and we should get out.

 

[Keith]

I expect there's oil there..... :shifty:

 

[Mark]

see post 18.

I just cannot understand why 'we' can't be honest about 'our' true motives. Governments are slow to catch on that their BS is spotted form a 1000 yards.

Take Pastiegate for example. Tax hot pies, then align yourself as a pastie fan, as if to mitigate the BS that is taxing food!

Invading a country that just happens to have oil reserves is for one reason only.

 

[clive]

Spent a bit of time in Afghanistan during the seventies. Please believe that miniskirts and very westernised culture were on the streets of Kabul at this time.

The Afghanis were, and I'll bet still are, a magnificent race. They make their neighbors to their immediate east look pretty dim, and the next further east absolute dimwits.

Australia's contribution via the Columbo Plan to educate various Government officials worked a treat, and my glowing experience with Afghan border authorities at Herat will remain in my mind forever. I was trying to find a missing Aus guy, and the Afghans bent over backwards to help.

I cry that religion has now totally dominated this country.

And they have never been beaten!

Clive