Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 May have been posted befeore, but it's still worth a look: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckdyke Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 If you fight your next war with tactics from your last war you set yourself up to fail. The enemy can read books too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combatintman Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, chuckdyke said: If you fight your next war with tactics from your last war you set yourself up to fail. The enemy can read books too. Well 43% of them of late ... Interview: "Literacy rate in Afghanistan increased to 43 per cent" | UIL (unesco.org) Probably much less forty years ago. Edited February 7, 2021 by Combatintman 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckdyke Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 3 hours ago, Combatintman said: Well 43% of them of late ... Interview: "Literacy rate in Afghanistan increased to 43 per cent" | UIL (unesco.org) Probably much less forty years ago. I look at the skepticism when they saw the first prototype tanks. Tactics really change slowly till there comes a shock. Like the introduction of the ATGM, the Sagger made the Centurion, M48, M60 obsolete overnight. For 27 years the West relied on armour which were basically WW2 tanks. The Milan and TOW also were introduced at the time. They knew there was technology which could deal with weapons. Nowadays the invasion of Afghanistan with a code of conduct which is also 19th century and embraced by the lawmakers and politicians. I am not here to discuss my political views, put to quote Shakespear in modern terms 'The PC is mightier than an MBT.' 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Combatintman said: Probably much less forty years ago. But probably much more fifty tears ago? https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127914602&t=1612748818936 Let's not kid ourselves that we did the Afghans any favours by 'freeing them from the yoke of communism'. It was the west that brought radical Islam to Afghanistan, the country that had previously lain at the end of 'The Hippy Trail'. It came with the Saudi money & madrassas, the CIA & ISI's helpful advice and full western support. We might choose not to remember this, but you can be bloody certain that the Afghans do. PS - @Combatintman Any idea if we're going to do anything for this guy: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/son-of-famed-afghan-commander-massoud-steps-into-spotlight If we'd listened to his father (pbuh) a little bit more closely, Afghanistan (and the world) would be a much better (and safer) place right now. Edited February 8, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combatintman Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: But probably much more fifty tears ago? Let's not kid ourselves that we did the Afghans any favours by 'freeing them from the yoke of communism'. No ... less, like what I said .... Literacy rate in 1979 was 18.158%. Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - Afghanistan | Data (worldbank.org) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckdyke Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Lived in a moderate Muslim country. They made my presbyterian aunt look like an atheistic freethinker. Friendly people just don't discuss religion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 (edited) On 2/8/2021 at 6:14 AM, Combatintman said: No ... less, like what I said .... Literacy rate in 1979 was 18.158%. Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - Afghanistan | Data (worldbank.org) Can't get the link to open for some reason, but I won't dispute the numbers (I'd be interested to know what the literacy rate amongst the urban population was, then & now). Edited February 9, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckdyke Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 They don't need spies; their sons will enter Sandhurst become model students and we are none the wiser. Children in 3rd world countries I found speak very conversational English. Our politics were based on Soviet expansion in the 20th century. We actually need to visit the place. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 1 minute ago, chuckdyke said: We actually need to visit the place. I'm not sure how welcome we'd be these days. Afganistan needs western politial help like it needs a hole in the head.....What they need is no strings** external backing for a local strongman (or better several) who can actually counterbalance the Taliban and force them to accept a traditional Shura. Massoud senior should have been one of those men, but we let him down. ** It's the 'strings' that got us into this mess in the first place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckdyke Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 1 minute ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: I'm not sure how welcome we'd be these days. Afganistan needs western politial help like it needs a hole in the head.....What they need is no strings** external backing for a local strongman (or better several) who can actually counterbalance the Taliban and force them to accept a traditional Shura. Massoud senior should have been one of those men, but we let him down. ** It's the 'strings' that got us into this mess in the first place. Taliban means students of Islam and they were supported by the Democratic senator Charley Wilson. He used his influence to supply the high tech weapons. So the ones in Kabul now are as weary of the west as anybody else. The moment Osama Bin Laden was dealt with it should have been mission accomplished. The Taliban being devout Muslims were anti-communist, and at the time natural allies. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 Erm.....No. The Mujahideen and The Taliban are not the same thing.....Massoud was a Mujahideen (IMHO he was THE Mujahideen). But he sure as s**t wasn't Taliban. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 (edited) On 2/8/2021 at 6:14 AM, Combatintman said: No ... less, like what I said .... Literacy rate in 1979 was 18.158%. Finally got the links to open.....Looks like 1979 is the earliest data point (and to say the data's patchy would be a massive understatement), but I'm genuinely surprised by a lot of those numbers. I don't know the demographics of the country but I was expecting to find more obvious evidence of an urban educated elite, along the lines of 1970s Iran. PS - Doesn't change my position re: 'the benefits of western assistance' one bit. Edited February 9, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combatintman Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 4 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Finally got the links to open.....Looks like 1979 is the earliest data point (and to say the data's patchy would be a massive understatement), but I'm genuinely surprised by a lot of those numbers. I don't know the demographics of the country but I was expecting to find more obvious evidence of an urban educated elite, along the lines of 1970s Iran. PS - Doesn't change my position re: 'the benefits of western assistance' one bit. Neither does its National Statistics Agency. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 5 minutes ago, Combatintman said: Neither does its National Statistics Agency. I'm not terribly surprised to hear that TBH. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckdyke Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 14 hours ago, Combatintman said: Neither does its National Statistics Agency. Literacy in a Muslim society means citing the Al Quran in Arabic for them we are the illiterates. You don't find many military manuals in Muslim countries it is all written down in their Holy Book. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combatintman Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 10 hours ago, chuckdyke said: Literacy in a Muslim society means citing the Al Quran in Arabic for them we are the illiterates. You don't find many military manuals in Muslim countries it is all written down in their Holy Book. Winner of 'sweeping statement of the decade.' 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn2002 Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 On 2/8/2021 at 2:48 AM, Sgt.Squarehead said: But probably much more fifty tears ago? https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127914602&t=1612748818936 Let's not kid ourselves that we did the Afghans any favours by 'freeing them from the yoke of communism'. It was the west that brought radical Islam to Afghanistan, the country that had previously lain at the end of 'The Hippy Trail'. It came with the Saudi money & madrassas, the CIA & ISI's helpful advice and full western support. We might choose not to remember this, but you can be bloody certain that the Afghans do. PS - @Combatintman Any idea if we're going to do anything for this guy: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/son-of-famed-afghan-commander-massoud-steps-into-spotlight If we'd listened to his father (pbuh) a little bit more closely, Afghanistan (and the world) would be a much better (and safer) place right now. My wife FULLY agrees with you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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