The War That Never Ends

I'd describe the war in Afghanistan like wiping yer arse but the toilet paper never wipes clean. I was going to compare it to a little boy with his finger in a dyke but my mind wandered to underage sex and angry man hating weemen wearing bomber jackets.

The truth is you can't beat the Tallyban. If you can't find them you can't beat them. How can westerners go to a foreign land and figure out the bad guys without being able to speak the language or understand the culture?

Your basic soldier has been trained to kill and take orders, they aren't expected to think for themselves until they get promoted or join Special Forces.  Until then your opinion is issued to you.

The US Marines have returned to Helmand province. The place where US and coalition forces fought for years to keep. It's sprawling and wild, you'd look at it and question as to whether it's worth the blood spilled there.
Musa Qala is a town that 23 British soldiers died while defending. In 2007, 2 thousand Talyban swarmed it and failed, not defeated just pushed back. Years of creeping attacks have the Tallyban back in Musa Qala as of 2015. 

A recent car bomb in Kabul that killed 24 or the bomb in Mazar-i-Sharif that killed 135. The Tallyban will target anyone but if they can target government officials, police and soldiers then who is going to want to replace them? It's a good solid tactic.

Then you eventually have to scrape the bottom of the barrel and those in charge are usually less able or more corrupt than those who have gone before.

The Marines left Helmand in 2014. Camp Leatherneck was left to the Afghan army.

The US tactic right now seems to be one of constant troubleshooting and putting band aids over gaping wounds then running to the next casualty.

The odd high level kill or mother of all bombs doesn't really achieve much but to give politicians at home a warm fuzzy feeling that they had a win. Things on the ground don't change.

The 300 Marines go to the Afghan bases, they teach recruits how to solder, they advise on tactics only helping when they have to then they leave.

Corruption, low morale, under fed, under paid, ill equipped and with no air support. The Afghans don't stand a chance.

All the Tallyban have to do is attack an area that doesn't have constant helicopters resupplying the troops. Command will say, 'hey this area is safe lets go somewhere else and help' then the Tallyban can move somewhere else too.

Like musical wars. The Tallyban don't mind killing US troops but if it's so much easier to just avoid them and have them chasing their tails then that's what they would do. Guerrilla warfare isn't warfair.