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'07 deadliest for U.S. in Afghanistan - Afghanistan - MSNBC.comQuote:
KABUL, Afghanistan - Six U.S. troops were killed when insurgents ambushed their foot patrol in the high mountains of eastern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday. The attack, the most lethal against American forces this year, made this year the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.
for those who may have forgotten about that 'other' war.
so, not only has 2007 been the deadliest year...but the strategic goals aren't even being met.
Quote:
A White House assessment of the war in Afghanistan has concluded that wide-ranging strategic goals that the Bush administration set for 2007 have not been met
Quote:
Intelligence analysts acknowledge the battlefield victories, but they highlight the Taliban's unchallenged expansion into new territory, an increase in opium poppy cultivation and the weakness of the government of President Hamid Karzai as signs that the war effort is deteriorating.
White House Afghanistan report: Goals unmet - Washington Post - MSNBC.comQuote:
"One can point to a lot of indicators that are positive . . . where we go out there and achieve our objectives and kill bad guys," the official said. But the extremists, he added, seem to have little trouble finding replacements. Although growing numbers of foreigners — primarily Pakistanis — are joining the Taliban ranks, several officials said the primary source of new recruits remains disaffected Afghans fearful of opposing the Taliban and increasingly disillusioned with their own government.
Overall, "there doesn't seem to be a lot of progress being made. . . . I would think that from [the Taliban] standpoint, things are looking decent," the intelligence official said.
Senior White House officials privately express pessimism about Afghanistan.
imagine if the US foreign policy had not been hijacked by the neocons and the full force of an international coalition led by the US destroyed the taliban and captured or killed bin laden. instead the US invaded iraq (which had no connection to 9/11), and they're stuck in a mess they can't get out of. obl is presumably alive and well...and using the iraq fiasco as a recruiting tool.