Soldiers from the 8th Commando Kandak clear a room during a training exercise in Tarin Kowt district, Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. The 8th Commando Kandak partners with coalition Special Operations Forces to conduct operations throughout Uruzgan and Zabul provinces. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob L. Dillon)More Afghan Cuts, More War -- Max Boot, L.A. Times
Leaving 120,000 demobilized Afghan troops and cops without a paycheck and with few legitimate job options in an anemic economy would be a recipe for disaster.
What is the logic behind the Obama administration's policy toward Afghanistan? On its face, it makes no sense.
In 2009, President Obama ordered a major buildup of forces to counter alarming gains by the Taliban and the Haqqani network. The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan increased from 34,000 when he took office to nearly 100,000 in 2010. To oversee the buildup he sent two top Army generals,Stanley A. McChrystal and thenDavid H. Petraeus, to design and implement a comprehensive counterinsurgency plan that the president signed off on.
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My Comment: One of the biggest mistakes in the Iraq war was the decision by Paul Bremer .... the top U.S. civilian administrator at the time .... to dissolve the Iraqi army as well as the Defense and Information ministries. By throwing hundreds of thousands of men with military expertise onto the streets with no paycheck and no prospect of work was not only criminal .... but it was to me an action that all but guaranteed the disaster that then unfolded.
Is throwing 120,000 Afghan men with military training onto the streets with no paycheck and no prospects for work an act that is repeating the same history that happened in Iraq ....you tell me.