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U.S. Campaign In Afghanistan Is Unraveling
15 March 2012
There can be little doubt that the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan is coming undone, after the massacre of 16 civilians, 9 of them children, in a village about 15 miles from Kandahar city early Sunday morning, whatever the truth turns out to be as to how it happened. Sunday’s massacre was only the latest in a string of incidents that have called into question that viability and legitimacy of the U.S.-NATO war in Afghanistan and worsened relations between the U.S. and the Afghan government the U.S. is supposed to be fighting for. The situation has, in fact, been deteriorating for some time. The problems include allegations of abuse at U.S.-run prisons in Afghanistan; friction between the U.S. and the Karzai government over special forces night raids, which are unpopular anyway; the cutting off of NATO supply lines through Pakistan in the wake of the Nov. 24, 2011 border incident in which U.S. forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers; several incidents in which NATO air strikes killed Afghan civilians; and the "accidental" burning of Korans at the U.S. base in Bagram last month, that led to protests and riots all over the country. Dozens of NATO troops have been killed by the Afghans whom they were supposed to be training, including four French soldiers in January and six U.S. soldiers in the wake of the riots that followed the Koran burning incident. According to one senior U.S. retired military source, this massacre could be the turning point in the war. The fact that a 38-year-old E-6 sergeant flipped out and went on this rampage (whether or not this is the true story) could catalyze an agreement between the Karzai government and the Taliban and other insurgents, that time has now arrived for the U.S. and NATO to be driven out of the country, he said. This incident will not go away. This strategic shift was reflected this morning in an interview on TV with retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who said now may be the time for the U.S. to withdraw. According to the source, McCaffrey had earlier been promoting the idea that the U.S. had to stay and complete the mission of training an effective Afghan national army and national police force before withdrawing. McCaffrey told MSNBC yesterday, that Afghanistan is like a tinderbox (especially in the aftermath of the Koran burning incident), and the massacre could be the start of further unraveling of cooperation between the U.S. and Afghanistan. McCaffrey added that it furthers the devolution of the fundamental problem which he identified as growing Afghan corruption on the one hand, and the lack of support for the war in the U.S. on the other. "This could turn into a huge diplomatic and military problem for the U.S.," he said. The source said this was a 180 degree turnabout by McCaffrey, and reflected growing fear that the U.S. Army is in big trouble. The source cited the rapid defeat of the British in Afghanistan in the 19th century as the model for what could very likely happen now. Lyndon LaRouche agreed with the indications that with this, the Afghan war has reached the end of the road, and added that those who want more wars will redouble their efforts as a result. When this sort of career military officer goes berserk, it is an indication that the army as a whole has been destroyed. The personal turmoil shown by McCaffrey in his televised comments underlined the point for LaRouche, who had known him as one of the most level-headed senior officers. |