The following is from “The Operators, The wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan” by Michael Hastings.
“In Jalabad, near the Pakistan border, he gets an overview of the war. He learns: Taliban is not a monolithic organization. He learns: U. S. sources are not fighting and dying to combat terrorists, but are fighting and dying in local political disputes….
“Hoh flies over hundreds of valleys; he looks down at one, asks his friend from Special forces, Ever been to that valley? No. Never will go to it, either.
“He learns: Every valley has its own dynamic. “The Taliban” is a catch-all phrase for local people who don’t want foreigners in their valley. Even if we wanted to put troops in every valley, it would require hundreds of thousands – at least four hundred thousand, according to standard estimates.”
Anyone who has ever looked at a relief map (topographical) of Afghanistan will appreciate that it is not a nation but rather a group of communities (tribes) separated by some of the tallest mountains in the world. We should have gotten in, punished Al-Qaida, made our deals with tribal leaders, and then gotten out. Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan …. Madness.
