Afghanistan war in new phase -- with no decisive end in sight

[rug]

The bodies of suicide attack victims are covered in the courtyard of a hospital Friday in northern Afghanistan. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque, killing 41 people, including soldiers and police. / Qawtbuddin Khan/Associated Press

October 28, 2012
By Robert Burns
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A new chapter of the war in Afghanistan is opening with a slimmed-down Western force doing more advising than fighting, a resilient Taliban showing little interest in peace talks, and Americans tempted to pull the plug on a conflict now in its 12th year.

A decisive end seems nowhere in sight.

The allied offensive that just ended, spearheaded by an influx of 30,000 U.S. troops, hammered the Taliban in its southern strongholds. Yet the insurgency persists as the American-led international military coalition hands off security responsibilities to the Afghans before exiting in two years.

"We are probably headed for stalemate in 2014," said Stephen Biddle, a George Washington University political science professor who has advised U.S. commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq.

http://www.freep.com/article/20121028/NEWS07/310280224/Afghanistan-war-in-new-phase-with-no-decisive-end-in-sight

[coalition_unwilling]

1. USA! USA! USA! Hold that thought. Think

Pete Seeger's "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" (1967) instead:

Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a
Tall man'll be over his head, we're
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!


source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/p/peteseegerlyrics/waistdeepinthebigmuddylyrics.html

[rug]

2. We need more of this.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. We lost. Get out. Get over it.

[xchrom]

4. Du rec. Nt

[ladjf]

5. The Russians lost. We lost. And the next Country that tries will lose. nt