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This is the ultimate proof that America is in decline: at its best they would have anticipated it and evacuated the embassy at least a week ago. If they can't e

by 988747 5y ago

This is the ultimate proof that America is in decline: at its best they would have anticipated it and evacuated the embassy at least a week ago. If they can't even protect the diplomats how are they supposed to protect common citizens?

lttlrck 5y ago
It illustrates more about the Afghan army than anything else. Willingness to fight, quality of training and recruits … I don’t know but it’s very sad on all fronts after 20 years of investment (or call it what you will).
- 988747 5y ago
  I read it somewhere today: over last 20 years Americans trained the Afghan army to fight in the same style as them, which means heavily rely on air support. Now they have withdrawn all air support an expect Afghans to hold their ground.
  - hollerith 5y ago
    Yeah, well I read somewhere yesterday that the Afgan air force has over 200 warplanes and that the US air force is still flying sorties in support of Afgan ground troops (though they might stop).
    - jimmygrapes 5y ago
      This is the primary thing. Their air force could be one of the best in the region, with Saudi Arabia and Israel a distant 2nd and 3rd, but... it's not. I can't really explain why, but my opinion is that the "allied forces" trained the Afghani forces with the intention and assumption of maintenance being taken care of for them. The pilots are fine, the mechanics are fine, the ground crews are fine; the supply chain is not, and Right to Repair issues still exist despite the circumstances.
cft 5y ago
Same thing happened to the Soviet Union 3 years before the break-up. I think the decay is going to be sudden, and fairly rapid: not a decline
creato 5y ago
Evacuating the embassy is probably a last resort, because it's a strong negative signal of the US' faith in the Afghan government. It may be obvious in hindsight, but if the US evacuated the embassy weeks ago, that could have been a deciding factor in the outcome of the conflict (instead of a consequence of it).
- 988747 5y ago
  Deciding factor in the outcome of the conflict was this demented [1] idiot Biden being elected the President of the United States. Everything else is just a logical consequence of that. [1] https://newsthump.com/2020/05/14/joe-biden-forgets-own-name-vows-to-bring-joe-biden-to-justice/ https://newsthump.com/2020/05/14/joe-biden-forgets-own-name-...
  - 988747 5y ago
    And if anyone still needed proof that Biden is indeed an idiot then his today's address should be enough.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the deciding factor in the outcome of this conflict; everything since has been about dragging out the inevitable. And, boy, has there been a lot of dragging out.

by 988747 5y ago

lttlrck 5y ago

It illustrates more about the Afghan army than anything else. Willingness to fight, quality of training and recruits … I don’t know but it’s very sad on all fronts after 20 years of investment (or call it what you will).

988747 5y ago
I read it somewhere today: over last 20 years Americans trained the Afghan army to fight in the same style as them, which means heavily rely on air support. Now they have withdrawn all air support an expect Afghans to hold their ground.
- hollerith 5y ago
  Yeah, well I read somewhere yesterday that the Afgan air force has over 200 warplanes and that the US air force is still flying sorties in support of Afgan ground troops (though they might stop).
  - jimmygrapes 5y ago
    This is the primary thing. Their air force could be one of the best in the region, with Saudi Arabia and Israel a distant 2nd and 3rd, but... it's not. I can't really explain why, but my opinion is that the "allied forces" trained the Afghani forces with the intention and assumption of maintenance being taken care of for them. The pilots are fine, the mechanics are fine, the ground crews are fine; the supply chain is not, and Right to Repair issues still exist despite the circumstances.

cft 5y ago

Same thing happened to the Soviet Union 3 years before the break-up. I think the decay is going to be sudden, and fairly rapid: not a decline

creato 5y ago

Evacuating the embassy is probably a last resort, because it's a strong negative signal of the US' faith in the Afghan government. It may be obvious in hindsight, but if the US evacuated the embassy weeks ago, that could have been a deciding factor in the outcome of the conflict (instead of a consequence of it).

988747 5y ago
Deciding factor in the outcome of the conflict was this demented [1] idiot Biden being elected the President of the United States. Everything else is just a logical consequence of that. [1] https://newsthump.com/2020/05/14/joe-biden-forgets-own-name-vows-to-bring-joe-biden-to-justice/ https://newsthump.com/2020/05/14/joe-biden-forgets-own-name-...
- 988747 5y ago
  And if anyone still needed proof that Biden is indeed an idiot then his today's address should be enough.
dragonwriter 5y ago
The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the deciding factor in the outcome of this conflict; everything since has been about dragging out the inevitable. And, boy, has there been a lot of dragging out.