topic by
observer
3/4/2002 (10:38) |
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Now that most of the flag waving and flag pin wearing has died down, the corporate media has begun to measure what was
won in Afghanistan. Few people remember that the Taliban were never considered a terrorist state by the USA until 9-11, and no
Afghans were involved the attacks. Nevertheless, the Bush administration decided to back a group of displaced warlords known
as the 'Northern Alliance' to chase the Taliban and al Qaeda from Afghanistan. Almost all the key al Qaeda leaders and most of
their followers fled Afghanistan when American bombs struck, leaving behind some low-level recruits. The US and Russian
backed warlords quickly reasserted control of their former fiefdoms in Afghanistan, thanked the meddling Westerners, and
suggested they leave.
A controversy arose as to why no attempt was made to block escape routes. The Pakistani military promised to help, but
they were Taliban allies and never went into the remote border areas anyway. While sealing Afghanistan is impossible, many
people were surprised the US military failed to make any effort. Inserting paratroopers or marines via helicopters could have
blocked some major routes and captured a few al Qaeda members. However, it would have resulted in several gunfights with
resulting casualties. A cynic may think that Donald Rumsfeld preferred that bin Laden and most the al Qaeda escaped to
preserve his never-ending war.
Despite the 'victory', the US military doesn't control Afghanistan, just parts of Kabul and Kandahar. The warlords do what
they want and few women have tossed aside their burqas. The major drug traders are back along with widespread banditry.
Bush appointed a good man as interim Prime Minister, then flew him to Washington DC to serve as a prop for his State of the
Union address. Unlike most new leaders, Karzai didn't fear a coup back home since he doesn't rule anything and has no military
forces himself. There is talk of forming a new Afghan army for him, but that would take years of build, then years of bloody
fighting to defeat the warlords.
Hope that allies will fill the peacekeeping void has faded as they refuse to venture outside Kabul. US troops have antagonized
some warlords with a 'shoot first, ask questions later' counter-terrorism campaign. These were curtailed after several raids
resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent Afghans. Many Afghans are angry at the kidnapping of young men and flying them
off to Cuba as 'terrorist suspects'. If you believe the tape of bin Laden bragging about the 9-11 attacks is authentic, bin Laden
states that most of the hijackers didn't know their mission until they boarded their airplanes. As a result, the chances that lowly
Taliban and al Qaeda foot soldiers in Afghanistan knew about the attacks are nil. The International Red Cross declared them
POWs, but Bush shocked the world by announcing he would not recognize international law and abide by the Geneva
Conventions.
American military forces are scattered around Afghanistan with no single commander in charge. Apparently, the war in
Afghanistan is run by various people in Florida and Washington DC via satellite phone. There is no 'Commander, US Forces
Afghanistan', violating the basic military principle of unity of command. Most troops are at Kandahar, conducting snatch
missions using Humvee light trucks and helicopters, a tactic which proved disastrous for army Rangers in Somalia. While Army
Generals celebrated the revised history presented in the new movie 'Blackhawk Down', they are making the same basic
mistakes today in Afghanistan. There are no tanks at Kandahar to chase off troublemakers or to rescue the raiding parties
should they get ambushed. The Army even refuses to fly in Bradley or M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)s, and they still
haven't added gun shields to their Humvee mounted machine guns. The only rational explanation is that Army leaders are
struggling to justify $4 billion for thousands of new Light Armored Vehicles, claiming they need airmobile light armor. This would
be a harder sell if current APCs or M1 tanks are flown into Afghanistan by Air Force transports.
Now the warlords are beginning to fight over turf and Karzai says he needs thousands more peacekeepers. The Bush team
insists that American troops will not get tied down with peacekeeping and will be gone this summer. Meanwhile, someone
decided to send 'advisors' to help keep the peace among the natives. As the US Army pulls out of Afghanistan, the world is
puzzled why the US military continues building 13 new expeditionary airfields in the Muslim world, and by President Bush's
eagerness to find new enemies to strike. Saudi Arabia is the source of most al Qaeda fighters and funding, but they also own
huge parts of major American corporations, so they are ignored. Pakistan's military dictator Pervez Musharraf was the primary
supporter of the Taliban, and most experts think the majority of al Qaeda fighters are hiding in Pakistan. This renegade General,
who overthrew his democratic government, also developed and tested nuclear weapons, but he is deemed an ally by the Bush
team and given a billion dollars in aid.
On the other hand, former Taliban enemies, Iran and Iraq, were labeled 'an axis of evil' by Bush. Iraq has been minding its
own business waiting for worldwide pressure to force the USA to join the world community and allow the lifting of economic
sanctions imposed after it invaded Kuwait. After failing to find any terrorist links, Bush concluded that Iraq has 'weapons of
mass destruction' somewhere, even though there is no hard evidence. Iraq repeated its open offer to allow UN weapons
inspectors to return so long as American and British spies are not included. The inspectors were expelled in 1998 after the
Iraqis caught American and British inspectors violating the neutrality of the UN by intercepting radio traffic in Baghdad and
feeding it to satellites. This was confirmed by former UN inspector Scott Ritter in his book 'Endgame'. You probably never
heard of that fact since spineless American editors refuse to anger their audience by revealing the truth.
Fearing that Saddam Hussein may allow UN inspectors to return, Donald Rumsfeld announced the inspectors wouldn't find
anything, so the USA will invade even if Iraq complies with his earlier ultimatum. The only mainstream television commentator
who objected to this change of focus from al Qaeda to Iraq is Chris Matthews, who asks 'Who Hijacked Our War?' Targeting
Iran has also alarmed world leaders. Iran had been aiding opponents of the Taliban for years, and is the only Muslim nation with
free elections, although their President lacks real power. However, if the USA topples Saddam Hussein, it will need a new major
'threat' to justify its Persian Gulf presence and bloated military budget. As a result, Iran is being promoted as a new threat to
regional stability.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration has already ruled that a 'regime change' must occur in Iraq, which is a very complex
task. Will Bush seek a declaration of war from the US Congress as the US Constitution requires? Will he seek approval from the
UN Security Council as the UN Charter requires? What if Hussein keeps his 100,000 man Republican Guard holed-up and hidden
from airpower in Baghdad? How do you get them out without thousands of US casualties? Will 100,000 GIs then serve as
peacekeepers in Iraq until a 'new regime' is in charge. Pat Buchanan believes Bush doesn't realize he's being manipulated by a
few war hungry imperialists, and that this overseas meddling will prove disastrous. This will be an interesting year, and the
morgue at Dover AFB better get ready for thousands of metal caskets filled with dead GIs.
from MAGAZINE OF FUTURE WARFARE
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