US presence in Afghanistan enters eighth year

[Benny B]

It has been seven years since a US-led military coalition invaded Afghanistan in what was labelled "Operation Enduring Freedom."

The mission was to capture Osama bin Laden, destroy al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime.

Al-Jazeera's Zeina Khodr takes a look at the situation in Afghanistan seven years on.

[tu_holmes]

Didn't the Taliban just say that they wanted "peace", and are tired of the fighting?

I'm pretty sure I saw something about a negotiation process being moderated by the Saudi family. (Sad in it's own right... a bunch of crooks they are)

Still, that's a long time to be in a foreign land.

[headhuntersix]

The Afghan government is trying to get them invloved, and has been for several years. The Taliban has said they want all foreign fighters out period.

[Hereford]

The Afghan government is trying to get them invloved, and has been for several years. The Taliban has said they want all foreign fighters out period.

So this would kind of be like if all the gangs in LA said they would become law-abiding citizens, but only if the LAPD was disbanded?

[headhuntersix]

Yeah pretty much.....I read an article talking about having the US buy all the poppies/Opium from the farmers. It sounds like a good idea. Opium/Poppy cultivation is a pain in the ass. I think with more money and time we can ween them off the poppy with a more viable crop. But we're going to have to pain them so pick ur poison, opium/heroin or tax payers dollars.

[Hereford]

Well shiit, put 'em in the next bailout package.

What is this appeasement bullshit that we are always involved in? We send North Korea billions in aid, and in response they half-ass agree toung in cheek to not make nuclear bombs. We send Iran a bunch of stuff, and they say they MIGHT not make nuclear weapons....

HEY GOVERNMENT: Send me a million dollar check, and I MIGHT not speed on the freeway today......

[240 is Back]

Yeah pretty much.....I read an article talking about having the US buy all the poppies/Opium from the farmers. It sounds like a good idea. Opium/Poppy cultivation is a pain in the ass. I think with more money and time we can ween them off the poppy with a more viable crop. But we're going to have to pain them so pick ur poison, opium/heroin or tax payers dollars.

Hitchens went on Hardball yesterday and made a damn compelling case for it.

They're exporting a shitload of opium for heroin already.  Unless the CTers are correct in their 'we allow some drugs in because it helps the economy' theory, why not use Afghan's opium for meds?

[headhuntersix]

I'm sure there is a reason for not doing it. It would appear to me that this would have been the first thing we would have done. We do things like that here, all the time. I am going to get an answer. I'm headed to FT Lweis next week for our next big exercise. I'll ask a US AID guy what the deal is. Its much easier to grow some types of food then go around razor blading hundreds of poppies. Stuff will grow there. Its not great, but if u can grow poppy, u can grow other things uron the same land. Burning the shit is not the answer.