To the Editor:
When will foolish leaders of countries forsake trying to conquer or control Afghanistan? Look at those who have tried and failed.
Alexander the Great and the Greeks, and the Romans who followed later. Not to be forgotten are the Mongols under the Khans who endured at least two failures. Then came the British – no luck there. The Soviets fell flat, only to be followed by the Bushes’ ill-prepared initiative, now being cleaned up.
To take control in that country, the entire population needs to be subdued. Afghanistan is very diverse, with at least five different ethnic groups who, when not fighting foreigners, are fighting each other.
As detailed in the book, “Horse Soldiers,” the U.S. sent small special force units into Afghanistan to root out Al-Qaeda. They carried bags of money to buy up Taliban support and were successful.
In a particularly ironic twist, former Vice President Cheney said this was no way to fight a war – after all the money spent on high-tech weapons that weren’t being used. So, the horse soldiers’ efforts were stopped, and the Taliban were left on their own.
Biden said he doesn’t trust the Taliban. I think it’s a two-way street. Sometimes, you have to know when to fold up. I’m glad we’re getting out.
