War against the Taliban unwinnable, says Joel Fitzgibbon
Mark Dodd; 7/10/08
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has supported comments by the commander of British forces in Afghanistan that the war against the Taliban is unwinnable. Mr Fitzgibbon said yesterday he agreed with comments by Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith that a military victory over the Taliban is “neither feasible nor supportable”. The brigadier, who will this month hand over control of British forces in Afghanistan after a six-month tour of duty in which 32 of his troops have been killed and 170 injured, said there would be no peace unless a political accommodation was reached with the Taliban. In answer to questions from The Australian, Mr Fitzgibbon said hewas not surprised by Brigadier Carleton-Smith’s comments, and agreed with them.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24457642-5013404,00.html
Why are we stuck in Afghanistan?
Daniel Flitton; 7/10/08
The Federal Government is yet to convincingly explain why it opposed an open-ended war in Iraq but is willing to back a seemingly endless commitment in Afghanistan. The two conflicts are linked, at least in heated argument. Along with many opponents of the Iraq venture, Labor argues that the invasion was a strategic distraction, soaking up military resources and allowing the situation in Afghanistan to worsen. But even if the United States had not toppled Saddam Hussein, would Afghanistan be in a better position now? I doubt it. This week marks seven years since the US invasion, which was then widely backed as an effort to hunt down Osama bin Laden and deny al-Qaeda a haven. That aim extended to overthrowing the Taliban. The preference was for a democratic government, but as the new rulers in Kabul struggled to assert any meaningful control over the country, the Western strategy changed, becoming a more ambitious effort to rebuild a nation shattered by decades of fighting.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/why-are-we-stuck-in-afghanistan-20081006-4v0t.html
Tags: Afghanistan, Australia, UK, USA