Jimmy shows how it is basically the Democrats who have kept wars going for more than 20 years now, and who prevent Trump from even starting a process of disengagement from Afghanistan.
PEPE ESCOBAR-Since 1996, and up to 9/11, the Taliban incarnated the legitimate return of Pashtuns as the dominant element in Afghanistan. That’s why they instituted an emirate and not a republic, more appropriate for a Muslim community ruled only by religious legislation. The diffidence towards cities, particularly Kabul, also expresses the sentiment of Pashtun superiority over other Afghan ethnic groups. The Taliban do represent a process of overcoming tribal identity and the affirmation of Pashtunistan. The Beltway never understood this powerful dynamic – and that’s one of the key reasons for the American debacle.
MoA—Trump wants a murky peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan to better his chance for a reelection. A seven day long ‘reduction in violence’ phase was supposed to begin this week after which the Taliban and the U.S. would sign a longer term agreement. Only after that would talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban begin. But a conflict over the presidential election in Afghanistan now threatens to blow up the whole process.
MoA—U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan is likely. The U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been negotiating with a Taliban delegation in Qatar for over a year and a deal during an election year would be a great political price for Trump. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told NATO allies that the U.S. and the Taliban have agreed “in principle” on a “seven-day reduction in violence” in Afghanistan as a test for an upcoming deal
MoA—It is not known what new means the Taliban have to take down planes and helicopters. In 2018 a few Stinger anti-air missiles were found during a raid on some Taliban. But those seem to have been old and were probably no longer functioning. Helicopters can be brought down with machine guns or even with anti-tank missiles (RPGs).