The reporting is just catching up with the situation. This is not new, nor is it news. Kandahar is troublesome. The answer is not to redeploy troops to Kandahar from the villages. The answer is another RCT in the Kandahar AO.

Securring the cities is what the Russians did. The roads were controlled by Taliban, logistics was a problem, and the Taliban were left unmolested in the countryside to recruit, train, and raise largesse for their effort. The cities became a prison for the Russians.

The Russians failed, and so will we if we attempt to secure the cities to the detriment of the villages and countryside.

And, um ... we need more troops. Or have I already said this a thousand times?