The divide between occupier and occupied (Afghanistan)

[azurnoir]

A week of protests and a week of bloodshed. There appears to be no end to the anger being expressed in Afghanistan over the burning of the Quran by US troops at Bagram Air Base.

Despite repeated apologies from Barack Obama, the US president, and others in his administration, the incident is threatening to rip apart some of the fragile relationships that exist in the country

<snip>

And NATO members are criticising Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, for not speaking out more strongly against the wave of apparent revenge attacks.

But perhaps most significantly, the incident has exposed deeper roots to the anger - a resentment that has grown among many Afghans throughout the more than decade-long occupation of their country.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2012/02/2012229611548731.html

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. I can't imagine how anyone could have thought this would turn out any differently.

The 10 year Russian war ended the same. Vietghanistan.

My impression (and I could be wrong), but we did have the Afghanistan people "with" us at one point, impression being that they didn't want Bin Laden and Company hanging out putting targets all over their country. Yet, rather than go into Tora Bora and END this thing, we backed off and decided to go 'secure' the Iraqi oil fields (oh yeah, and oust Saddam Hussein) and just drug the Afghan war out for another 7 or so years.

I'd be sick and tired of us too.

[azurnoir]

2. I agree what in the world are we doing there any more?

it seems the longer we stay the more we are hated, which is no surprise

historically no one has successfully conquered Afghanistan in at least a millennia do mostly IMO to the topography of the country

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Well, put yer tin foil hat on for a minute

and tighten the strap.

Not saying this is "why", but suffice to say, I don't think it went unnoticed...

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/14/u-s-finds-minerals-in-afghanistan-worth-billions/