How can Afghanistan and Iraq maintain their own security?

[Olive]

This is sad. Why don't they just let them be.

[KRonn]

I think it's a bit significant that a Special Forces General has been nominated to command in Afghanistan. Special Forces have gained hugely in stature, funding and need since the initial invasion of Afghanistan, and have been given much more prominence among the military. Much different than the way they used to be looked at, I think.

[viper37]

In AFGHANISTAN?  There might have been the odd Taliban Sympathizer, and maybe a few left near the Pakistan Border, but they were wildly unpopular and we did a good job of kicking them out.  The problem was that we kicked them into Pakistan.

in all fairness to Berkut, the Talebans were in Kandahar in 2002, and never really left the area.  Not until the Canadians arrived, with the British and the near 20 000 US Air Force soldiers did the Taleban partially vacate Kandahar due to some military push.

They were less present than now, no doubt about it, but they weren't totally out of Afghanistan and without support.

I do agree with you in retrospect that the US should have kept it's big Eye focused on Afghanistan, but at the time, I'm not really sure if maintaining more troops would have been feasible or would have changed anything.  At some point the US would had left or largely diminished its presence, and then the Taleban could have come back.

[viper37]

Regional superpower?

Iran's role is generally speaking a lot more constructive here than in Iraq; Iran nearly went to war with  the Taliban after they slaughtered some Iranian diplomats, and supported the (Sufi, Tajik/Iranian) Northern Alliance against the batshit Pashto Taliban.

here, I'm with Grumbler.  Yes, Iran did fight the Taleban pre-2001.  Now that Afghanistan is filled to the rim with US&NATO troops however, and now that they have a new [fearless] leader [who hates America just as much as Hugo Chavez], they see the Taleban as a potential ally.