Why are we really in afghanistan ?

wichitaor1

The Taliban were never friends of the United States and we did not support them against the Soviet Union.

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, there were mujaheddin resistance groups already involved with fighting the communist government of Afghanistan. Afghan opposition to the communist government spurred the Soviet invasion. After the Soviet withdrawal, a civil war began in Afghanistan. By 1995, the Taliban had gained control of the capital city of Kabul; the civil war continued as former mujaheddin groups fought the Taliban until the US-led invasion overthrew the theocratic government.

Contrary to popular belief, the Taliban never had American support. And the weapons that the Taliban use are not American or British, most are of Russian/Chinese manufacture.

>The RPG-7, a common terrorist weapon, is not British made, it is Russian. An "ex-British soldier" would have known that.

Heather M

Because the taliban are still terrorist, kill innocent people.

its the fight against terror. They may have weapon power, but we have technology on our side
watch the military channel :)

surgical extraction.

We armed and trained the Afghans to fight the Soviets in the cold war, since then the Afghans (taliban) have turned to fundimentalism. That is why they had the training camps for al-qaeda in their country, if they want to export terrorism then the west will import retribution.

Eric S

You are bonkers, you think it was an oil conspircacy?! Incredible! That pipeling project was killed decades ago due to cost, it is not cost effective to go into a country like that and do what we are doing. What your doing is parroting the Michael Moore brand of paranoia and conspiracy theory. Go read up like you asked others to do and do not just go to "911 Turth Out" or other groups whose theories have been proven wrong and by objective people. If you really think our Gov't is that good to pull something like that off AND keep it a secret, I have to assume you have never been in the military or seen our Intel in action. Go take the tin foil off your head, read something that makes sense and really, look at the conspiracy ideas in an objective way and ask yourself if it makes sense to do that just to go get a pipeline. Really, you crackpots with your paranoid theories are so retarded that I am starting to think your right to vote should be taken away due mental incompetence.
Also, British Made RPG's? You mean British Supplied, since the UK does not make them. Also, you have not been to that country obviously, most of the supplies the Taliban and AQ get are over the Mountains and taken in by Donkey or Horse, you ignorance astounds me. You know what, sometimes when I read statements like yours, makes me wish we would turn isolationist again, let China deal with you idiots and see how great you have it then ;-)

Dude, if your an ex-Birt soldier then I stil doubt you have been to Afghanistan, I have and most of your brothers know why-911. What were we supposed to do? Let them continue the bases from that nation? Also, you hardly sorted me, since your oil conspiracy is nonsense and the fact that we did not get outraged about the IRA is pure BS as well, the UK got all the info it needed from us but we would hardly invade Ireland over it, the IRA never hit the US but they did lose a lot of the support they had here among Americans of Irish Heritage when they took money from Libya and were found to be training other hard Marxist groups that were against the US. Your very question is more of a statement, your looking for someone to agree with you, not really looking for an answer since a bunch have been given to you and it is obvious you only want to hear things that are a sounding board for you ideas. You go on reading the "Guardian" and thinking that the left wing fruitcakes have a solid point with the conspiracy theories they have, it just proves you to be the ignorant kid you are and I refuse to believe that you were a squady, no way you road anything but a desk in the UK Armed Forces, they are a bit to good to let people with tinfoil as a hat in.

To those who honestly think that we are in Afghanistan for Oil and Gas, please take the tin foil off, stop going to your International ANSWER Protests, read something other than Mother Jones and if you cannot do that, please, for the sake of the gene pool, DO NOT BREED.

Ray N

Well let me help y'all out boy You see we yanks are fair minded people i e; Two buildings= Two countries 3000= Who knows nor cares Now do you understand boy?

Alion

They sheltered and supported Bin Laden as he planned,
executed 9/11. Also,the Taliban regime was one of the most brutal and repressive on Earth. They continue to kill anyone,including young girls who want to go to school,who
defies their idea of conformity.

I'm not saying Western troops should stay in Afghanistan. It's
not our part of the world,and ultimately the Afghans have to
solve their own problems. I still think going over there in the
first place was understandable-the Taliban and al-Quaida
had to be punished for their part in 9/11. It's a far cry from
the invasion of Iraq.

Arkansas hunter

Nice spin, when you grow up you can verify the following

1. AQ was given sanctuary in Afghanistan

2. After 9/11 we told them to give up the AQ bigs or we would come in to get them, Taliban refused.

3. We went in and ruined their day.

4. Actually we mostly supplied the Northern Alliance against the Soviets. Do try and learn something, okay

Get it yet?

bob67cam

remember the "war on terrorism"?
if u need the meaning, its a war, against terrorists

RekonDog

Taliban were sanctioning Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda. But the Taliban were in violation with the Pact that was made with UN by killing and destroying the citizens of Afghanistan. They were a militant government that were imposing harsh laws. We were deployed to Afghanistan in November 2001 because there were many sources that led to the whereabouts of bin Laden. There has been a civil war between the freedom fighters and the Taliban long before US and Coalition Forces entered.

Osama bin Laden used to be on our side during the time we were enemies with the USSR. The Soviets were invading Afghanistan while the US was backing up Osama and his militants. He became bitter hearted towards the US later in years in believing the 'fatwa', the killing of people who do are infidels (non-believers of Allah). However, the real Islam or Muslim are against any acts of violence since it is abhorrific to their abrahamic beliefs.

Snowy

Ok, the question has ben asked many times and answered many times, and I can see from your responses to some of the answers you are quite wound up, so I will be brief.

1) Afghanistan was the training ground for terrorists. That is not in dispute and well understood.
2) The government of SOME OF Afghanistan, the Taliban, were harbouring them.
3) George Bush was not the first to attack the Taliban. Clinton fired cruise missiles at them after the African Embassy bombings in the late ninties.
4) Failure to take decisive action and to understand the situation has been rightly laid at the door of the U.S intelligence agencies and they have accepted that.
5) Afghanistan was not ruled by the Taliban. There was a civil war continuning which had been going since the end of the communist government some years before, and that itself was years after the Russians left. The Taliban just happened to hold Kabul and Kandahar the two biggest cities.
6) We DID NOT arm or train the Taliban. We armed and trained the various muhjahedin groups who fought the soviets. The Taliban was not formed until well after the Soviet withdrawal and is a predominantly Pashtun religious organisation which was born in the Maddrassers of Pakistan. They continued to fight against the Muj of the northern and southern alliances who we had armed. The Taliban became popular when the communist government had collapsed and there was anarchy. Afghans saw them as a force for law and order. This was years after our money and advisors had disapeared.
7) Not sure which British RPG's you refer to a we dont use RPG's. We did supply the Muj in the 80's with Blowpipes but they managed to miss everything and anything with them so thats when the yanks got them some stingers.

So from my perspective having been involved in 7/7 and narrowly missing 9/11 by one day and both Bali bombs by a matter of weeks, we are in afghanistan so that our well trained troops and those of our allies can fight the people who would blow me and my family up at work or on a train on their turf instead of central London or New York.

shadedwite

It's a pretty stale question now. Question is what is destination X? And X marks THE SPOT!

leatherneck

looking for bin laden

CLIVE H

The original purpose of going into Afghanistan was to kill or capture the al Qaida leadership.

The real reason is more to do with building a railroad and an oil pipeline across Afghanistan to link PK and India with Turkie and getting oil to warm water ports of the med. etc.

What the British have in Afghanistan is some unfinished business dating from the 19thC when we lost two major wars in Afghanistan against a bunch of guys in rag gowns, wearing head rags and carrying home-made muskets and enough ammo for one day.

The entire might of the once invindible Red Army was brought to it's knees by this same bunch of guys with rags on their heads, wearing cheap plastic sandals and carrying assault rifles and enough ammo for the day.

A famous former British Royal Marine commando with considerable front line experience, Lord Ashdown [Paddy Ashdown], has said that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable. The politicians do not want to hear the truth from a man who knows what he is talking about.

SAS and other Special Forces in action in Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VktQBj1Dm4
The above is old footages - 4/5 years ago I think - saw it on TV way back. . . . .

woody

Oil pipeline, poppy fields

Blazing Pen Avenger.

Same as 'we' are in Mesopotamia, 'slicing', and, getting 'sliced up.' Petroleum! God help us.

Adam S

It all started over oil, and escalated from there.

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