Winning the War in Afghanistan

[Steve the Planner]

jmm:

As long as the Afghan troops/police sent are going to fit the area---to many stories about the potential conflict of sending urban Uzbek troops to rural Pashtun areas.

S-2:

Something tells me that our move to "safe" cities might not go un-noticed by the Taliban, so what was safe before might be a little more challenging than before. How much easier it is to blend into and destabilize an urban area than a rural one.

Steve

[S-2]

How much easier it is to blend into and destabilize an urban area than a rural one.

Impossible...

...with an invisible but inpenetrable force field.

Here's one nice lil' read about the Tupamaro movement.

Here's a better movie-State Of Siege.

Battle of Algiers, also, obviously makes for worthy viewing for those disinclined towards lengthy and scholarly written works.

Honestly though, I don't think that urban versus rural will present any particular difficulties for the taliban until our allies leave and we can begin to replicate our "surge" tactics of COPs inside urban zones ala Iraq. I understand that Kandahar City is effectively "indian country" after dark and not much better in the day.

That model worked as it seemed to optimize our troop-population ratios in a meaningful 24/7 manner. Short of that, shabnamah will continue ruling the evening.

Comes down to training the afghans to make this work, it seems, and that seems damned discouraging when we can't even seem to train their president.

[Steve the Planner]

S-2:

Good read.

Steve