U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Frank A. Grippe, command senior enlisted leader for U.S. Central Command, looks on as soldiers conduct atmospherics with Afghans while on a foot patrol in the Panjwai district of southern Afghanistan, Sept. 22, 2012. The soldiers are assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matt Young
Is The U.S. Admitting Defeat In Afghanistan? -- Tony Karon, Time
The law of diminishing returns - and rising costs - appears likely to bring Western troops home from Afghanistan even as the Taliban insurgency rages
Don’t expect to hear about it in the presidential campaign debates, but the U.S. will leave Afghanistan locked in an escalating civil war when it observes the 2014 deadline for withdrawing combat troops set by the Obama Administration — and supported by Gov. Mitt Romney. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the U.S. military has had to give up on hopes of inflicting enough pain on the Taliban to set favorable terms for a political settlement. Instead, it will be left up to the Afghan combatants to find their own political solution once the U.S. and its allies take themselves out of the fight.
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My Comment: We are leaving and letting the Afghans sort out their future .... that is not defeat .... it is the realization that after the death of Bin Laden and most of Al Qaeda's leadership .... our reasons for staying in Afghanistan are no longer valid.