WAR: U.S. May Plan A Fresh Offensive in Afghanistan

In a move designed to preempt any attempt to disrupt Afghanistan�s upcoming parliamentary elections, thousands of U.S. troops are preparing for an offensive against Taliban insurgents. The offensive is set to begin in and around the December 7th inauguration of Hamid Karzai as the first directly elected president of the country.




The military denies having any specific threat to the inauguration itself, but seems convinced that the Taliban are preparing for an offensive and aim to preempt it. The Taliban have remain hidden in mountains and continue to use hit and run tactics against Afghan, U.S. and coalition forces. No doubt they need to be put down if the election are to proceed smoothly.

[edit on 11/30/04 by FredT]

Not speaking to the timing of the parlimentary elections, but it's about time...I've read a lot about the mess that Afghanistan is in as a result of our wholehearted efforts to remove the Taliban and our non-existent efforts to remove the local warlords who were the real kingpins of corruption and oppression within that country.

Bout time.

My memory is a little fuzzy on this- I seem to recollect that this (removing the Taliban) was the #2 reason America used to invade Afghanistan in the first place. #1 being Bin Laden. Neither goal achieved-!?

Time magazine
Tuesday, May. 06, 2003
The U.S. has ended "major combat activity" in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced last week, adding "we clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction activities."

18 months AFTER the war was over a new war in the same place?

Originally posted by JoeDoaks
18 months AFTER the war was over a new war in the same place?

There still has been quite an insurgency still going on. They still belive that Bin laden is still there (I think he is in one of the Stan countries or Africa.

Not to mention Mullah Omar is running around as well. This of course assumes that they are not rotting in some caved in bunker in Tora Bora.

[

Originally posted by JoeDoaks
18 months AFTER the war was over a new war in the same place?

well well well, what a lovely surprize 18 months later and the US decide that maybe the war in afghanistan isn't really over and they need to start again.

the last time they invaded the place they forgot to seal the boarders and most of the tailban and osma & friends did a runner up into tora borra mountains or across the broder and off to where ever they go, personally i think obl is still in north west pakistan laughing himself silly at how he is the world most wanted man, has god knows how much money on his head and they still can't find him

if the tailban are still around and planning to start acting up again then hopefully this time america will finish what it starts, if they are going to send special forces up to torra borra, make sure they don't let them slip across a mountain trail to pakistan. also take down these warlords, considering afghanistan herion production has shot up, and these guys r the ones who run the drug trade and profit from it, but no can't do that or how else would the CIA make money LOL, and more than likey they will find mulla omah or osma lving quite cosey in a hut.

so it looks like the dear old US of a will be figthing a war on 3 front, iraq( misson acomplished as bush said), afghanistan, and proberly iran shortly when they tell the world they have nukes, or bush decides that a pre meptive strike is warrented.

there goes the planet

psssst jayjay closing 'quote'

Syria is before Iran. IF the U.S. goes in to Iran they better hope Alexander the Great pops up to help. Iran will be a chew-fest. The numbers of U.S. troops lost there will be like WW II.

I'm asking all memebers of ATS to not support the warlords that rule Afghanistan and boycott heroin.

Originally posted by JoeDoaks
Syria is before Iran. IF the U.S. goes in to Iran they better hope Alexander the Great pops up to help. Iran will be a chew-fest. The numbers of U.S. troops lost there will be like WW II.

Only if we get lucky will the casulties be so bad. Iraq folded because the population by and large had no love for Saddam. However, iranians are fierce in thier nationality and if attacked WILL defend thier land with a ferocity that will make the VietCong look like a bunch on pansies. Don't forget the mass suicide waves in the Iran IRaq war. Not to mention its a much larger population. Look at how hard it was to go into Fallujah? How do you propose we do that in a city as huge as Terahn???

Well there goes our boys again to newly "democratic" Afghanistan. Now they have to deal with drug lords, and perhaps some taliba left behind.

curme, you are so funny.

I agree with you drug lords need to be stop but what else if for Afghanistan to profit from, they have not oil.

I believe that is not going to be that bad in Afghanistan for our boys, the Taliban or Al-qaida has gone away from most of Afghanistan, they have more fish to fry somewhere else.

The difference between Iraq and Iran is that in Iraq people hated Saddam in Iran government has lot of supporters in the population and after they has seen what is going on in Iraq they will fight the US with all they have.

And that is something that I don't want to see, we have enough casualties already. Even when some think is not enough but then again we were liberating a country no fighting the country itself even for a liberation is too many already.

marg,

Afganistan may not have oil, but it does have one important feature is that there are oild reserves in countries like Turkmenistan et al and the easiest way to get it out is going to be a pipeline through Afganistan and Pakistan. It aviods Iran and Russia.

Originally posted by FredT
marg,

Afganistan may not have oil, but it does have one important feature is that there are oild reserves in countries like Turkmenistan et al and the easiest way to get it out is going to be a pipeline through Afganistan and Pakistan. It aviods Iran and Russia.

I forgot that pipe line but you remember, thanks for bringing that back.

We can not forget the plans to unify the oil producing countries.

Under US watchful eye.