The latest in Afghanistan and a story of intrigue and sacrifice
Discover more from The View from the Front. By Stan R. Mitchell.
The latest in Afghanistan and a story of intrigue and sacrifice
Afghanistan plunged into further chaos as the Taliban seized 5 provincial capitals in the past 72 hours. Not only did they gain headlines and ground, they increased their own combat power in the operations.
“The gains they’ve made have allowed them to capture equipment and free prisoners, which is having an effect on expanding their military power,” a U.S. official told VOA on the condition of anonymity.
Four Star US Army General Barry R McCaffrey talked about how the Afghan army is collapsing and failing to come together, allowing some cities to fall to even as few as a dozen or so Taliban fighters.
The only upside to this growing collapse is its finally getting Afghanistan in the news again. And the U.S. has been increasing the support it is providing through air strikes.
My view remains that we miscalculated the Taliban's strength. As such, we should re-calibrate our assistance and strategy.
I think we could send a small force back, which would help strengthen the morale of the Afghanistan army and police forces. But they have to do more to resist the Taliban. The lack of fight in so many is doing little for their cause.
In other matters, I came across the remarkable story of Sterling Hayden, a Hollywood Star back in the early ’40s, who gave up his career to become a spy.
You can read the full story at the link, and it’s a really short article, but the story is inspiring and reminds us of how much the World War II generation gave up in their fight.
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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.
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Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
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