Afghan capital in Herat holds, after major Taliban push
Afghan capital in Herat holds, after major Taliban push
Today’s post will mostly be dominated by news from Afghanistan, but for those who are tiring of that, I’ll have a few other important stories further down. So, just be patient and keep scrolling.
In Afghanistan, not only is a lot happening, but it’s also a country that I’m — frankly — obsessed with. In fact, I re-entered the Marine Corps voluntarily after 9/11, simply for the chance to deploy there, thinking my limited time in harm’s way (having previously earned a Combat Action Ribbon in Albania in ’97) would prove beneficial for a military that hadn’t seen major action in ten years (since Desert Shield/Desert Storm).
But all I did was play hurry up and wait for two years in the Marine Corps Reserve, while other members of the military overthrew the Taliban and searched for Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks.
Besides watching helplessly (and constantly) from the States the past 20 years, I’ve also written two books about Afghanistan (Hill 406 and Afghan Storm), so it’s safe to say my interest in the country is fairly high.
Most of the fighting the past few days since my last post on Friday has been centered around Herat, the provincial capital of Herat Province, where roughly half a million people live.
Herat is in the western part of Afghanistan, and it’s a huge city, as this image shows.
And while the Taliban made serious thrusts into the city, the Afghanistan government deployed a large assembly of Special Forces, who joined by local militia, managed to push the Taliban back.
And you can hear just how defiant the people are in Herat in this clip, which followed the heaviest day of fighting.
It appears as though Herat will hold. And I’m reminded of what President Abraham Lincoln once said, more than 100 years ago: “In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed.”
There is other Afghanistan news, such as U.S. planes now bombing the Taliban again, Taliban attempts to free thousands of Taliban prisoners, Lashkar Gah (another provincial capital) in the fight of its life, etc, but I worry I have pushed my luck with how much we’ve already talked about the country in this post. More to come in the future, for sure, but for now, I just hope the good people of Afghanistan can hold out against the terrible Taliban, who have already been executing some males and doing public hangings. (I’m not linking the latter item because it’s too horrific, but you can find photos on Twitter, and they’re real, unfortunately.)
I still say we should arm Afghan women.
Before I get to the other news, thanks so much for all the new subscribers of late!! Your support means the world to me. And for those who have signed up to pay, thank you for that, too. These newsletters take time, and with more support, I’ll continue to improve them!
There were three small bits of news that related to our ability to counter China that I wanted to point out today.
First, I wondered if this is an early glimpse of the future of warfare? A rapid deployment of drones?
Similarly, U.S. Army airborne soldiers packed up, rode for 20 hours in planes, and dropped in on an airfield, just to prove they could do it. (I’ll pass on the 20-hour flight; or the parachuting in.)
Finally, Japan showed off a re-designed ship that can work as a sort of mini-carrier with F-35s. (Reminder for those who missed it: Japan has already agreed to help defend Taiwan.)
All of this is just a reminder that China is encountering a new reality.
Moving on, I came across this incredible story about a soldier receiving the Medal of Honor for the last bayonet charge of the Korean War. If you have a moment, it’s worth the read for sure.
Last but not least, in case you haven’t been keeping up, a lot has been happening in South Africa of late. Here’s a great video put out by the Economist that talks about what’s behind the riots there, which have left more than 300 people dead.
That’s it for this post. Please share this post if you enjoyed it.
And if you haven’t already, please subscribe for email notifications. (It’s FREE. Unless you choose to subscribe and support what I’m doing. You can cancel at any time.) Every Tuesday and Friday, I write about conflicts and military matters that are happening throughout the world. Such as what’s happening in Afghanistan or Iraq. How we’re aligning ourselves to counter China’s growing influence. Updates on new military technology that we’re fielding.
I also post veteran interviews every Sunday.
And I do all of this from a moderate perspective that focuses on unity in our country. I also don’t believe in clickbait, over-the-top headlines, or other tactics to drive web traffic. You will always get the sober, mature view, with a slight bit of my optimism peering through.
Feel free to leave a comment below. I love having conversations on here! (Please be kind in the comments. I’m a proud moderate, who wants to unite the country. So if you attack someone or say something out of line, I will delete your comment.)
Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please consider becoming a paying subscriber. It’s only $5 per month and you can cancel at any time. Another way to help support the channel is to share or tell a friend about it. Finally, don’t forget to check out my books. I write really fast-paced military and mystery thrillers. I’ve had thousands of reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and all of my books average 4+ stars on Amazon. You can find all ten books here: amazon.com.