Oh my goodness ...

[Velma's Dad]

The 'Talban' are around 75000 strong. They are equipped with essentially light weapons, and have no air power. The Afghan army is around 300000 strong, with modern western provided equipment and an air force. If there was the will to fight the balance of power lies very much with them. The answer lies, as it did in Vietnam, with a succession of corrupt, puppet, western appointed leaders in whom the people have no faith.

Absolutely. Napoleon's most famous quote: "the moral(e) is to the physical as three is to one". Just that his presumed ratio was wrong: an army that, regardless of its size or armament, no longer has faith in its leaders will just melt away when placed under significant threat.

(Although in Afghanistan the arbitrary withdrawal of US air support virtually overnight was probably a specific tipping point.)

 

[willwander]

The Afghan army wasn’t 300,000 ‘strong’ it had 300,000 on the payroll, there-in lies half the problem.

 

[WelshGas]

Even in the UK I would not feel comfortable doing that. I was terribly and openly descriminated against as a student, again as a graduate engineer, and sexually assualted by a colleague when working for a well known international company. None of this occured in countries with different laws / beliefs towards women.
I have struggled to stand up for myself in these situations - even parents can say ‘well why did you do x’…
I think you are being unfair to suggest women in Afghanistan should be at the gate protesting. They are more likely trying to hide to save their lives and that of their children.
Sorry, but this kind of post with so little understanding for how it is to be an abused women makes me so upset.

Fortunately Women have stood up and died for their rights and freedoms in many countries around the world. No one is saying things are perfect but they are improving around the globe.

Unfortunately you make an assumption that is incorrect, but suits your purpose.
I probably have more understanding of life in Afghanistan than many.
The scenes shown on TV news programmes show overwhelming numbers of young men, not people/families who have exit visas, storming the airport fences. Predominately people who are not being threatened by the Taliban unlike the young women/girls or those who have worked for the government or any organisation proscribed by the Taliban.

Whether you like it or not, this is a religious war being waged by an extremist Islamic sect and will only be brought to a conclusion by the forces of Islamic moderation which are short on the ground when you look at Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Lebanon and Pakistan.
No way would any resolution by a Christian/Secular external force ever be accepted, no matter how good the intentions.

 

[pluc99]

Just watching Biden waffling on.

How on earth has the most powerful nation in the world managed to be in a position where they swap Trump for Biden?

It's an embarrassment.

I watched some of the speech; I didn't think it was so bad. Maybe the part I didn't watch was worse but remember that he has a strong stutter and uses a technique to keep it from happening, which makes him sound a bit off at times.

 

[Amarillo]

The Afghan army wasn’t 300,000 ‘strong’ it had 300,000 on the payroll, there-in lies half the problem.

And 1000 generals!

 

[66tim99]

Afghanistan has been a violent country for centuries. Intensely Tribal, they only unite when there is a foreign invader to be ejected. When Britain was the greatest power in the world it tried three times to conquer Afghanistan, with no success. (Before a snowflake storm hits me I'm not justifying these wars). The Russians tried the same thing, as did the Americans. All failed.
The 'Talban' are around 75000 strong. They are equipped with essentially light weapons, and have no air power. The Afghan army is around 300000 strong, with modern western provided equipment and an air force. If there was the will to fight the balance of power lies very much with them. The answer lies, as it did in Vietnam, with a succession of corrupt, puppet, western appointed leaders in whom the people have no faith. If it was the will of the people to resist the Taliban then it would be apparent, as in countries like Roumania. When and if this will emerges, there will be an uprising. I am not claiming that the majority of people want to be ruled by the Taliban, simply pointing out that they clearly don't think the alternative is much better.
Do the Taliban offer a threat to other countries? Possibly to Pakistan, where the border 'Tribal Zones' are almost part of Afghanistan already. To other countries? All the evidence says no.
Should we in the West be in the business of enforcing our values (no matter how enlightened they appear to us) on other sovereign states? That's the subject of another debate, but if the answer is yes then why Afghanistan? Why not China, Saudi Arabia, parts of Africa?
Is it because it appears to be a soft target? Clearly that's not true. Is it because of 9/11? 15 out of 19 hijackers were Saudi. Bin Laden was Saudi. The money was Saudi. Show me the Afghan connection.
There will be a period of abrogation of women's rights in Afghanistan. There will be a period of suppression of many of the rights we (used to) take for granted in the UK. None of this is welcome, but as it stands it has been accepted, or at least not actively resisted, by the population concerned. Perhaps we have inadvertently fostered a culture of dependence on foreign support and protection in a population who for centuries fought tooth and nail for what they believed in. More blood and money is not going to resolve this, indeed it will make it worse.

We are able to fight for the oppressed

 

[GrannyJen]

The Afghan army wasn’t 300,000 ‘strong’ it had 300,000 on the payroll, there-in lies half the problem.

300,000 is another Biden misrepresentation. it included police, border watchers and embedded interpreters.

 

[Peter Bucknell]

Just watching Biden waffling on.

How on earth has the most powerful nation in the world managed to be in a position where they swap Trump for Biden?

It's an embarrassment.

Hopefully he's just the warm up act for Kamala Harris - she is one bright lady and the sooner he retires and hands over to her the better

 

[Bellcrew]

Hopefully he's just the warm up act for Kamala Harris - she is one bright lady and the sooner he retires and hands over to her the better

It was always the plan, gone by Christmas?

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Hopefully he's just the warm up act for Kamala Harris - she is one bright lady and the sooner he retires and hands over to her the better

I hear Trump is planning a comeback !!

 

[WelshGas]

300,000 is another Biden misrepresentation. it included police, border watchers and embedded interpreters.

And with a U.K. Ground Force of 72,000 personnel what would the armchair warriors like the U.K. to do?

Size of the UK Armed Forces​

The total size of the full-time UK Armed Forces (trained and untrained) at 1 April 2021 was just under 159,000. Most personnel were within the Army (56%) with the remainder being equally split between the Royal Navy/Marines and the RAF.

Across all services there were 30,400 officers (19%) and 128,600 personnel with other ranks (81%). The distribution of officers to other ranks varied across each service: a quarter of all RAF personnel were an officer (25%) compared to less than a fifth (16%) in the Army.

At 1 April 2021 the number of trained personnel in the UK Armed Forces (those who have completed both phase 1 and phase 2 of training) were: 77,200 in the army, 29,458 in the Royal Navy/Marines, and 29,941 in the RAF. The size of the trained element of the army was 6% over the new 72,500 target, although the Royal Navy/Marines and RAF were both under the old SDSR targeted size (3% and 6% respectively).

UK defence personnel statistics - House of Commons Library

This note provides details on how UK military service personnel statistics are measured and discusses current and historic strength levels. The Army, Naval and RAF Services are examined, as well as the reserve elements of these services. Statistics on the diversity of the military, inflow and...

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

 

[GrannyJen]

And with a U.K. Ground Force of 72,000 personnel what would the armchair warriors like the U.K. to do?

Size of the UK Armed Forces​

The total size of the full-time UK Armed Forces (trained and untrained) at 1 April 2021 was just under 159,000. Most personnel were within the Army (56%) with the remainder being equally split between the Royal Navy/Marines and the RAF.

Across all services there were 30,400 officers (19%) and 128,600 personnel with other ranks (81%). The distribution of officers to other ranks varied across each service: a quarter of all RAF personnel were an officer (25%) compared to less than a fifth (16%) in the Army.

At 1 April 2021 the number of trained personnel in the UK Armed Forces (those who have completed both phase 1 and phase 2 of training) were: 77,200 in the army, 29,458 in the Royal Navy/Marines, and 29,941 in the RAF. The size of the trained element of the army was 6% over the new 72,500 target, although the Royal Navy/Marines and RAF were both under the old SDSR targeted size (3% and 6% respectively).

UK defence personnel statistics - House of Commons Library

This note provides details on how UK military service personnel statistics are measured and discusses current and historic strength levels. The Army, Naval and RAF Services are examined, as well as the reserve elements of these services. Statistics on the diversity of the military, inflow and...

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Very good, but I have never advocated for a UK ground presence beyond humanitarian relief.

 

[Amarillo]

Very good, but I have never advocated for a UK ground presence beyond humanitarian relief.

Quite right. While the attack on the late World Trade Center [sic] was rightly considered an attack against all NATO countries, it was an attack on American soil, and the invasion of Afghanistan was US led. The responsibility for the current chaos and humiliation lies squarely with the US president. It is not for the UK to fill in the gaps caused by US incompetence.

But following US defeat in Korea, Vietnam and now Afghanistan, other NATO countries urgently need to evaluate how they deal with future military engagements with a unreliable leader.

 

[Wildcamper]

Hopefully he's just the warm up act for Kamala Harris - she is one bright lady and the sooner he retires and hands over to her the better

Careful what you wish for. You could look up her history leading to her election to office in California.

 

[AMH70]

Just watching Biden waffling on.

How on earth has the most powerful nation in the world managed to be in a position where they swap Trump for Biden?

It's an embarrassment.

I could not understand how a country of that size could have those two fighting for the top job ‍

 

[GrannyJen]

I could not understand how a country of that size could have those two fighting for the top job ‍

I was delighted when Trump went,

A little less so now. To make a speech absolving all responsibility for the debacle, to profess to never have supported lengthy nation building, to ignore the facts in front of the worlds eyes and then to step back from the podium, refuse to answer any questions and go back on holiday is mindful of the best Trumpian "MAGA" performances.