Author Topic: Kabul in Northern Alliance Hands (Read 572 times)

Toad · « **on:** November 12, 2001, 11:50:00 PM »

B-52's Baby!

Looks like they're going to run to Kandahar.

easymo · « **Reply #1 on:** November 13, 2001, 12:00:00 AM »

I liked the How Bin Laden Eluded Clinton story better. Apparently, he threaten to draft the former President.

Hangtime · « **Reply #2 on:** November 13, 2001, 12:11:00 AM »

They're goin for the hills. In a city; they can be cornered. Rats don't dig being cornered. So; they are gonna fight from the hills and essentialy reverse the roles; ala soviet era.

They know they stand a better chance as small guerrilla units operating along the northern alliances lines of communication, particularly as the alliance pushes south; and they will likely enjoy more support from the rural villages there than they would likely get in a 'city'....

It ain't over; the fat lady ain't even dressed yet.

Toad · « **Reply #3 on:** November 13, 2001, 08:18:00 AM »

Nah, it's certainly not over.

However I'm reminded of ole Al Capone who once said, "You get a lot further with a gun and a kind word than with a kind word alone."

Can we paraphrase and say "You can achieve far more with all-aspect Air Power and a Rag Tag militia than you can with a Rag Tag milita alone"?

The Taliban couldn't put down the Northern Alliance for good despite years of trying. I sort of doubt the NA will put down the Taliban for good but with our Air I bet they do somewhat better at it.

Best news is the common people are shaving beards, tossing the veils, turning up the music and dancing in the streets. Pretty much says it all for now, doesn't it?

Ripsnort · « **Reply #4 on:** November 13, 2001, 08:22:00 AM »

The liberated cities have men lining up to have their beards shaved, women stomping on their total-dresses, walking alone with the required male family member. Sounds like liberation from an oppressive dictatorship to me. Blur? Where you at Blur? Gonna defend the Taliban?

Hope the military takes out every single taliban fighter,keep the press at bay until its over.. and gets Bin Laden. Then rest, and go after the rest of the camps in various countries. Lets do it right or not do it at all!

[ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: Ripsnort ]

Eagler · « **Reply #5 on:** November 13, 2001, 09:21:00 AM »

someone pls explain to me how you can tell a "Taliban fighter" from the average camel herder? Do they wear "I am a Taliban Fighter" T-shirt? Didn't most of them switch sides with the wind?

I see the majority of these "fighters" standing in the center of town pointing to the hills saying "They went thata way". Given the first chance the hard core ones will strike...
Hopefully we don't trust any of them and keep them all a good bomb blast radius away from any of our soldiers...shoot first, ask questions later.

Tac · « **Reply #6 on:** November 13, 2001, 09:32:00 AM »

Hehe, easy. They have beards

Eagler · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2001, 09:50:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Tac:
Hehe, easy. They have beards

Yep, that's what I thought

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011113/ts/attack_afghan_entry_dc_1.html

"Elated young men shaved off the beards mandated by the Taliban. They seemed confident the days of their fundamentalist rule was gone.

``I just want to get rid of it. I wasn't wearing it of my own free will and now I want to exercise my own will,'' said one young man as his barber forecast a sharp rise in razor blade prices.

Music blared from loudspeakers. Radio Kabul resumed broadcasts, playing traditional epic songs.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

``We can listen to music, it's cool,'' said one youth"

Wait til they get the internet

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #8 on:** November 13, 2001, 10:05:00 AM »

So.. I wonder how long it will be before the Northern Alliance is exposed as an evil regime installed by the US government.

I'm personally afraid we're just backing the lesser of two evils in this situation.

AKDejaVu

Ripsnort · « **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2001, 10:11:00 AM »

Well of course Deja. The enemy of my enemy is my allie. Nothing has changed since we carried clubs. The thing is, what is in America's best interest today? Its easy to have hind site once history passes..but what we have to do is predict what will happen in the future, and right now that future does not include the Taliban.

Toad · « **Reply #10 on:** November 13, 2001, 10:16:00 AM »

Deja, we are right now, no doubt about it.

What comes next depends a lot on what the politicians do. The military is relatively far ahead of those guys with respect to "accomplishing the mission".

Politicians to Military: "Get rid of the Taliban and root out al-Qa'eda".

Miltary: "Will Do"

Politicians: "Hey! Slow Down! Not so fast! We're not ready yet"

Military:

Politicians Time To Get Moving

USA Today: "On Monday, foreign ministers from eight key nations (AP) — Afghanistan's six neighbors plus the United States and Russia met and agreed to accelerate efforts "on an urgent basis" to assemble a broad-based government."

Time to start showing everyone what THEY can do now.

batdog · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2001, 10:22:00 AM »

TAC was refering to the fact that the hardcore Talibutts will be wearing all that bellybutton hair on their faces... the others will not.

xBAT

Dowding · « **Reply #12 on:** November 13, 2001, 10:56:00 AM »

Many of these same Northern Alliance people held power over Afghanistan back before the Taliban appeared on the scene. It was total anarchy. Women were raped on sight, murder and violence was everywhere.

The Taliban were actually welcomed by the West for promising to bring law and order to the place. They did that - and then some. Only when that law and order was revealed to be a medieval, draconian horror did the West change its mind. Again. Suddenly, the same bunch of warlords and barbarians who were kicked out back in 1996 are somehow the saviours of Afghanistan.

Until they start to bicker and argue about the spoils of their 'conquest'. Then it will be civil war. Again.

Look at the bigger picture. Afghanistan has no ruling class, just an array of tribal leaders who trust each other rarely, and dispise each other the rest of the time. They've being battling for centuries.

How to break that cycle? Continued international involvement and pressure is one. Let's not abandon the place this time around - even when CNN takes its cameras home and Bin Laden is gone.

Eagler · « **Reply #13 on:** November 13, 2001, 11:22:00 AM »

U.N. Sending Political Staff to Kabul, Wants Meeting
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011113/ts/attack_afghan_un_dc_4.html

Yep, this will go until the new nutcases in charge start shooting the UN. Let's see if they bite the hand that feeds them again ... I don't see the Northern Alliance laying down their new toys and giving up control for the good of "their" country. Hope I'm wrong..

Boroda · « **Reply #14 on:** November 13, 2001, 01:22:00 PM »

The situation is very tence and complicated now.

I see no way how Pustu will share the power with Uzbeks and Tajiks there... And here comes another civil war. That guys are together only when they fight one enemy, like president Najibulla (BTW - democraticaly elected).

Another interesting view: Mazari-Sharif was taken by Uzbek mercenaries, that fight for the side that pays better. They already took M.-S. three times before: two times for Talibs and once for General Dustum. But now I hope Americans will pay as much as that guys will request...

Another good point is that Bagram airfield is in allied hands. It's a good air base for allied aviation, and it will be possible maybe even to use American shturmoviks (A-10s) against Talibs now.

927th IAP together with Afghan air force MiG-21s (light-coloured) at Bagram, spring, 1984:

But it can be dangerous for allied forces.
Four MiG-21bis of the scramble-wing burned down after a rocket attack on a runway. May, 1984.