USA's war on terror (2001- 2014) <https://www.chetansindiaspaceflight.com/2019/02/military-history-usas-war-on-terror.html> Hello friends, I have been collecting military & space related newspaper clippings since 2001. Yes, I was a pre-internet era kid. The image below is for representational purpose only. I will soon replace above pic with my actual notebook photo. The following images are related to USA's war on terror (2001- 2014) selected from my collection book. The newspaper language is Marathi. I feel very good that a complete war history has been partially documented inside my notebook. 1. year 2001- prelude to war in Afghanistan (translation: photograph of aircraft carrier Carl Vinson of the american navy. A force of 5000 sailors and 70 aircrafts on this warship are ready for war) 2. year 2003- prelude to war in Iraq (partial translation: american troops preparing for the invasion of Iraq at Kuwaiti desert) 3. 30 DEC 2014- End (?) of war (translation of titles: 1. secession of struggle in Afghanistan, 2. american defeat in Afghanistan- Taliban declares its resolution to re-establish control)
Title should be restated as “America’s FAILED war in Afghanistan” The sissy American/Western/NATO soldiers were a complete flop amongst Pathans in ground incursions and direct combat. Canadian soldiers even used to remark in some of the local newspapers here about how the Gurkhas used to scare the sht out of the Afghans and force them to flee their posts, so much so that the mere mention of their name would instil fear in the minds of Afghans. The Westerners were practically in veneration of the Gurkhas for being able to achieve what they couldn’t. And now, even Americans are accepting that Afghanistan is a military failure. LOL!
America won the war but lost the peace. There's no winning against people that don't want to develop their country. How long should america keep bombing rubble and caves?
America never won the war. They bombed and bombed further but the Taliban continuously regrouped and attacked American/NATO forces via insurgent guerilla warfare. By the time of the American withdrawal announcements, the Taliban controlled more territory than they did at the time of the 2001 invasion. Saying that America won the war in Afghanistan is the equivalent of saying that Aurangzeb won the war against the Marathas post-Shivaji (the 27 year rebellion). Wars are won when the enemy is defeated and objectives are met. America failed in both regards and pulled out in humiliating fashion.
Canada's treatment of the Gurkhas is appalling. When they were killed in a suicide bombing guarding the embassy the government wouldn't offer the families a single dime. They treated them like they didn't exist. In retaliation the Nepalese government slapped a foreign employment ban to keep anyone from working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or Libya. If the governments the Gurkhas serve won't even treat them with human dignity then they will not serve them at all.
What else do you expect from cowardly, limp-wrists like Trudeau and his ilk? It's hard to value military sacrifices when you don't even know the meaning of such words. I can't wait til October when we can vote this buffoon out. Even the UK government was apprehensive about Gurkha demands leading up to actress Joanna Lumley championing their causes at the House of Commons a decade ago. But every Brit and their mother knows how screwed their armed forces would be if the Gurkhas stop fighting for them. They have the good fortune of having the world's premier infantry soldiers defending their nation, if they want to lose that absolute advantage then they should suffer the consequences.
What good is having the bravest soldiers when the commanders won't use them? The British were tasked with restoring order to Helmand and they wouldn't even come out of their bases. The US Marines had to come in and take it over because they failed to do the job. No one would go on patrol and it was the wild west as soon as you stepped out of the compound.
Interesting- I could've sworn that Gurkha Dipprasad Pun's heroic actions of taking out an entire 30-man Taliban offensive single-handed, result of which he earned a Victoria Cross- happened in Helmand.
Perfect example of how little control the British had over the province. To leave him there with no force protection or support and have to fight off all of that by himself to defend his unit's compound. Their mission was to hunt the Taliban down but the British were the ones being hunted.
