Why are we (U.S. & allies) in Afghanistan? Do you really know?

What reason does your Government give for having troops in Afghanistan?

Do you have a different opinion?

reply to post by Muundoggie


Oil and Drugs are probably the most prominent.

Along with promoting fear and decreasing our freedoms.

Many,many reasons...none of them acceptable.

Al qaeda is their reasoning. Poppy production is mine.

We went to war in Afghanistan after 9/11 to rid the country of the Taliban and look for osama. With our eyes on Iraq, we started to lose grips on Afghanistan and the Taliban was gaining strength. People think it's just for oil, but if that was all we wanted, why didn't we just take over in the first Gulf War? Because we went in to stop Iraq from taking over Kuwait. We will never control the oil in the middle east, that's just dumb!!! First of all the Saudi's would not stand for it or anyone else for that matter. We just want to keep the oil out of the hands of dictators that would raise the cost of oil so high, America would not be able to afford it. This country cannot survive without oil, period!!!!!!!!!!

Drugs is my opinion.
If they conquer that then supposed al-quaida has no more money to arm themselves with.
I do think they also have their hand in the til as well and would like control of that huge money making operation.

Probably the same reason that every superpower in history has been in Afghanistan. Starting with Alexandar the great (he put the capitol of his empire there) The British The French The Russians and now America.
Afghanistan is the gateway from east to west. Its the most strategic point on the globe

heres the reason

sad but true

If you knew history, you would already know that Britain and
the United States have been fighting for control of opium
for the last 150 years. Why don't they teach this stuff in
schools? Poppies......hahha......poppies......

They need a staging area for operations throughout the region. It will be very important to have a strong military presence in that part of the world once it becomes apparent that petroleum is a finite resource. .

OIL = geopolitical survival

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Here in Canada we are SUPPOSED to wear poppies on Veterans Day.
(rememberance day as some call it)
HMMMMMM

Just as the first war with Iraq was started over trying to cover up the indiscretions of the CIA, so is Afghanistan.

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda used to be known by a different name. In the 1980's we called them the "Mujahideen". To Americans they were heroes...even our President (then Ronald Reagan) saluted them as heroes. They were Freedom Fighters that were fighting a guerrilla war against Soviet Occupation, just as we fought British Occupation in our own Revolutionary War. Osama Bin Laden, a wealthy Billionaire, spent his entire fortune and devoted his life to helping the Mujahideen. The U.S. would not "officially" get involved with Afghanistan, so we sent the C.I.A. to help the Mujahideen rebels, coordinating with them through Bin Laden. The C.I.A. trained them, supplied them with weapons, and used them to fight the Soviets.

Then, when Communist Russia collapsed and the Soviets left Afghanistan, the Mujahideen asked the U.S. for help rebuilding their country. Since we got what we wanted out of the deal already, we left them hanging high and dry, used and abused. We abandoned them when they needed us the most.

Is it any wonder that Bin Laden and the rest of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan would get so mad at the U.S.?

However, even after 9/11 they were still hardly a threat to the U.S., but we had to mop-up the mess that the C.I.A. had left behind decades before, so we sent in our "Cleaning Crew" lest Bin Laden and the Mujahideen make our crimes of the past a cause celebre and gain more people to their side.

There are ulterior motives, in addition to sweeping our past indiscretions under the rug. Opium, as has been mentioned, is but a small motive (although a big component of the C.I.A.'s "unofficial" revenue). However, think carefully who Afghanistan borders. They have a border with Iran, Pakistan and China. Considering Pakistan is the world's second largest populated country, a Nuclear armed nation in hostile relations with the world's largest populated country, a Nuclear armed India (our Ally)...it borders the third largest populated country, a Nuclear armed nation that used to be an enemy, and could become an enemy again...and bordering another nation that is an up-and-coming Nuclear armed nation (Iran) in hostile relations with Israel (our Ally), it is in our better Strategic interests to hold this Buffer State between China, Pakistan and Iran...lest one use it as a gateway to the others.

If you doubt any of this, just look at the number of "unofficial" excursions and exercises we've done into Pakistan since the Afghanistan occupation began! Just look at the daily Headlines about Iran! Just look at all the screaching about China! And think long and hard about how demonized the once hero, Bin Laden, praised by Reagan, has become by the MSM and our government in the past 8 years!

reply to post by Muundoggie


We do know.

Google "Afghanistan oil pipeline"
Tons of info.

here's one.

6 June 2002: Central Asia gas deal underscores the real reasons for the Afghan war
www.wsws.org...

The main reason has become that the U.S. is trying to destroy Pakistan. The Afghan war has expanded into northwest Pakistan, even though this is against Pakistani policy - yet the Pakistanis has recently joined in the effort. The goal here, according to Webster G. Tarpley, is to destabilize Pakistan somehow. And with the whole Waldo, er, Bin Laden mythology still existing there and close to being dead here in the States, the U.S. seems to have a valid reason for letting it expand. According to the video below, the U.S. is trying to take down China's allies - such as Russia - and potential allies - such as Pakistan, India, Iran. There were conspiracies flying around that it was CIA who helped start the failed revolution in Iran. Then Michael Jackson was murdered and everyone forgot about Iran.

here is the video.

www.youtube.com...

[edit on 14-9-2009 by DevilJin]

reply to post by warrenb

This is my opinion as well. I also wanted to see what other reasons there might be.

reply to post by Muundoggie


Here is a thread I wrote awhile back ignore the title.
It goes into detail of possibly why we are there and will still be there.

Enjoy.

Iranian revolt Explained - Wake Up!

reply to post by fraterormus


Nope sorry....the mujahideen actually fought against the Taliban after the russians left.

en.wikipedia.org...


The Taliban initially enjoyed enormous good will from Afghans weary of the corruption, brutality, and the incessant fighting of Mujahideen warlords. Two contrasting narratives explain the beginnings of the Taliban.[15] One is that the rape and murder of boys and girls from a family traveling to Kandahar or a similar outrage by Mujahideen bandits sparked Mullah Omar and his students to vow to rid Afghanistan of these criminals.[16] The other is that the Pakistan-based truck shipping mafia known as the "Afghanistan Transit Trade" and their allies in the Pakistan government, trained, armed, and financed the Taliban to clear the southern road across Afghanistan to the Central Asian Republics of extortionate bandit gangs.

i dont care why we are over there.
i also dont care if it works or not, whatever the reason. people who sign up to join the army should care, but i dont.

Originally posted by STFUPPERCUTTER
i dont care why we are over there.
i also dont care if it works or not, whatever the reason. people who sign up to join the army should care, but i dont.

Yikes. That people like you dont care, is the ACTUAL reason we are there, regardless of motive.

A proposed Gas pipeline across Afghanistan...The Taliban were not too keen, apparently.

War profits...always a winner for the arms creeps.

Drugs...of course..

Curtailment of most of our rights and freedoms..

A (another) puppet government in the area.

Reconstruction (Haliburton et al)

All of the above and probably a lot more.