What is the US mission in Afghanistan?

[branders seine]

Has anyone in an even semi-official position articulated this recently?

Even if it's just a shallow jingoistic lie.

[Taverner]

1. At first I thought it was "Get Bin Laden"

But that doesn't work, because he's in Pakistan (if alive)

Then it was "Get the Taliban" but we got them, and now they're back

So hellifiknow...

[indypaul]

27. It reminds me of the saying:

"When you are up to your ass in alligators.
It's hard to remember the objective was to drain the swamp."

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Good question

What do we expect to get out of it?

What do we expect anyone to get out of it?

[Echo In Light]

3. War Machine

[branders seine]

22. They can't make that the "official" policy though,

no matter that it's the truth.

[niyad]

4. to make the defense contractors, and private military contractors, richer than croesus

[timeforpeace]

5. It's always been "The Right War" as opposed to Iraq.

[Mari333]

6. everything you need to know about why we are really there

http://www.alternet.org/world/139983/pipeline-istan:_everything_you_need_to_know_about_oil

[branders seine]

13. Thank you for the link! I know many of the REAL reasons.

I'm just wondering if anyone official has committed to an "official" mission. Sounds like not.

[endarkenment]

7. blow shit up, kill people, act tough.

All under the cover of 'nine-elemen'.

[Cleita]

8. Looking for Alexander the Great? The reason keeps changing and

this is as plausible as any of them.

[librechik]

9. Look busy!

damn all war to hell.

[TxRider]

10. As far as I can tell...

The mission is to prop up a military there that might be able to keep Taliban from seizing power and get the hell out...

[el_bryanto]

11. I suppose it's to keep the Taliban from regaining control and in theory help them create a stable

government. Not terrible goals, mind you. The Taliban returning to power would be lousy for a lot of people in Afghanistan, particularly women.

Bryant

[branders seine]

14. Afghanistan has never had a stable government, have they?

It's a tribal society, from all I've read about it, with no tradition of central authority.

[TxRider]

17. They did under the last King

From what I understand, he married a woman from each tribe.

Then his brother or cousin staged a coup, brought Russia in, which brought the U.S. in, and well you know the rest....

[Festivito]

12. Give UNOCAL a pipeline. Now, ... to redistribute wealth to rich folk.

...and not look too embarrassed as we leave it.

Oh, upon starting it was to make it look as though we were doing something about 9/11.

The bonus was putting them back to work as heroin suppliers, after it had been stopped and rewarded for having been stopped. Isn't that a pisser. CIA loves it.

[RedCloud]

15. grow opium for the CIA clandestine funding ops.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. At this point, it's a CYA attempt to avoid bad PR about another lost war.

Unfortunately, to avoid embarrassment a lot more people will have to die.

[Echo In Light]

18. Bump

[gratuitous]

19. To win!

USA number 1, baby! Win, win, win! Fuck yeah!

* * *

Sorry, Bob Boudelang posting on my computer again. I have no idea what our mission in Afghanistan is, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be a mission that the military is capable of carrying out. Maybe it's time to let someone else take a crack at it?

[branders seine]

21. I remember Bob Boudelang!

[NightWatcher]

20. from the people who brought us Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL)?

I think they are still going with the reason that we are after the people behind the 18 Saudis with boxcutters who defeated NORAD (even though they are getting more support and prob hanging out in Pakistan anywho).

My guess as to the real reason...OIL PIPELINE

[area51]

23. Our mission?

It's to waste the taxpayer money, kill off our young soldiers and give the govt. an excuse to cut back on social programs because "we can't afford them".

[Dulcinea]

24. To protect corporate interests.

And make a lot of money for defense contractors.

[leftstreet]

25. Poppies, Pipelines, Petroleum, Presence, Power, Profits

something like that

[Subdivisions]

26. Pipelines and poppies. n/t

[datasuspect]

28. war profiteering, human rights abuses, maintaining a perilous security situation

in a place where no one can be held accountable.

[wuushew]

29. The real reason can never be stated officially

The U.S. needs a country adjacent to Pakistan from which to lanuch an invasion should the government(and nukes) there ever fall to fundamentalist Islam.


Because for diplomatic reasons this can never be stated, we are forced to hem and haw in a vain attempt to explain ourselves and look busy.

[DailyGrind51]

30. To placate the "The Right"!