Afghanistan
Comments
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Squires is bob on again
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2021/aug/20/david-squires-on-desmond-swaynes-comments-on-afghans-fleeing-the-taliban-cartoon.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Which gets us to about 10,000 and being lucky to secure Kabul airportMattFalle said:
bear in mind that only probably a third of those are combat arms it shows how weak Britain's forces actually are....surrey_commuter said:
no idea what that is a reference to but they used to reckon it takes 7 men to keep one frontline soldier going.rick_chasey said:
This is the equivalent of the "standing army <------> drafted army" slider on Hearts of Iron 2, for anyone who plays strategic war sims.surrey_commuter said:
I read that the Americans used to have 17,000 maintenance guys in Afghanistan which is why they were relaxed about leaving it behind. That and it would have taken them years to do so.TheBigBean said:I read somewhere that all the western stuff requires an absurd amount of maintenance, and really it is foolish for the locals to rely on anything other than an AK.
Life imitates art etc.
Alongside the usual stats that we have ore Admirals than ships here are some to boggle the mind
Total retained personnel in armed forces 2018
Navy - 29,300
RAF - 30,350
Civilians - 56,870
Army - 77,1200 -
Bear in mind that a third of that number will be biffed, some more signed off so won't go, some on courses, some will fail the fitness tests, etc etc.surrey_commuter said:
Which gets us to about 10,000 and being lucky to secure Kabul airportMattFalle said:
bear in mind that only probably a third of those are combat arms it shows how weak Britain's forces actually are....surrey_commuter said:
no idea what that is a reference to but they used to reckon it takes 7 men to keep one frontline soldier going.rick_chasey said:
This is the equivalent of the "standing army <------> drafted army" slider on Hearts of Iron 2, for anyone who plays strategic war sims.surrey_commuter said:
I read that the Americans used to have 17,000 maintenance guys in Afghanistan which is why they were relaxed about leaving it behind. That and it would have taken them years to do so.TheBigBean said:I read somewhere that all the western stuff requires an absurd amount of maintenance, and really it is foolish for the locals to rely on anything other than an AK.
Life imitates art etc.
Alongside the usual stats that we have ore Admirals than ships here are some to boggle the mind
Total retained personnel in armed forces 2018
Navy - 29,300
RAF - 30,350
Civilians - 56,870
Army - 77,120
And apart from the RRF no one will have done PDT so they can't go anyway.
You may be able to secure Costa or Pret, but the whole airport?
.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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We do spend a reasonable amount on defence relative to other European countries.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
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Two aircraft carriers stacked with the world’s most expensive jets does not help when the country is landlocked. And we don’t have enough support ships to use them without US support.DeVlaeminck said:We do spend a reasonable amount on defence relative to other European countries.
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Enough of your reality I am off to listen to MPs whose view of the world is firmly in the 1800sMattFalle said:
Bear in mind that a third of that number will be biffed, some more signed off so won't go, some on courses, some will fail the fitness tests, etc etc.surrey_commuter said:
Which gets us to about 10,000 and being lucky to secure Kabul airportMattFalle said:
bear in mind that only probably a third of those are combat arms it shows how weak Britain's forces actually are....surrey_commuter said:
no idea what that is a reference to but they used to reckon it takes 7 men to keep one frontline soldier going.rick_chasey said:
This is the equivalent of the "standing army <------> drafted army" slider on Hearts of Iron 2, for anyone who plays strategic war sims.surrey_commuter said:
I read that the Americans used to have 17,000 maintenance guys in Afghanistan which is why they were relaxed about leaving it behind. That and it would have taken them years to do so.TheBigBean said:I read somewhere that all the western stuff requires an absurd amount of maintenance, and really it is foolish for the locals to rely on anything other than an AK.
Life imitates art etc.
Alongside the usual stats that we have ore Admirals than ships here are some to boggle the mind
Total retained personnel in armed forces 2018
Navy - 29,300
RAF - 30,350
Civilians - 56,870
Army - 77,120
And apart from the RRF no one will have done PDT so they can't go anyway.
You may be able to secure Costa or Pret, but the whole airport?1 -
Someone else commented that the Commons debate was as much about coming to terms with our place in the world as it was Afghanistan.surrey_commuter said:
Enough of your reality I am off to listen to MPs whose view of the world is firmly in the 1800sMattFalle said:
Bear in mind that a third of that number will be biffed, some more signed off so won't go, some on courses, some will fail the fitness tests, etc etc.surrey_commuter said:
Which gets us to about 10,000 and being lucky to secure Kabul airportMattFalle said:
bear in mind that only probably a third of those are combat arms it shows how weak Britain's forces actually are....surrey_commuter said:
no idea what that is a reference to but they used to reckon it takes 7 men to keep one frontline soldier going.rick_chasey said:
This is the equivalent of the "standing army <------> drafted army" slider on Hearts of Iron 2, for anyone who plays strategic war sims.surrey_commuter said:
I read that the Americans used to have 17,000 maintenance guys in Afghanistan which is why they were relaxed about leaving it behind. That and it would have taken them years to do so.TheBigBean said:I read somewhere that all the western stuff requires an absurd amount of maintenance, and really it is foolish for the locals to rely on anything other than an AK.
Life imitates art etc.
Alongside the usual stats that we have ore Admirals than ships here are some to boggle the mind
Total retained personnel in armed forces 2018
Navy - 29,300
RAF - 30,350
Civilians - 56,870
Army - 77,120
And apart from the RRF no one will have done PDT so they can't go anyway.
You may be able to secure Costa or Pret, but the whole airport?1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
I often wonder if those that think you can secure an airport whilst not controlling any of the ground outside the fence also think that planes levitate into the sky vertically and no conventional weapons fired at the fence can get to them. I would not fancy flying on these flights but hey ho.surrey_commuter said:
Which gets us to about 10,000 and being lucky to secure Kabul airportMattFalle said:
bear in mind that only probably a third of those are combat arms it shows how weak Britain's forces actually are....surrey_commuter said:
no idea what that is a reference to but they used to reckon it takes 7 men to keep one frontline soldier going.rick_chasey said:
This is the equivalent of the "standing army <------> drafted army" slider on Hearts of Iron 2, for anyone who plays strategic war sims.surrey_commuter said:
I read that the Americans used to have 17,000 maintenance guys in Afghanistan which is why they were relaxed about leaving it behind. That and it would have taken them years to do so.TheBigBean said:I read somewhere that all the western stuff requires an absurd amount of maintenance, and really it is foolish for the locals to rely on anything other than an AK.
Life imitates art etc.
Alongside the usual stats that we have ore Admirals than ships here are some to boggle the mind
Total retained personnel in armed forces 2018
Navy - 29,300
RAF - 30,350
Civilians - 56,870
Army - 77,1200 -
The resistance is claiming to have killed 800 Taliban. No doubt exaggerated, and quite possibly not true, but it looks like the fighting continues, and the roles have reversed with the Taliban now out in the open.0
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Hopefully they can establish some kind of territory which can act as a locus for a resistance movement. I dont know how far different ethnic and tribal loyalties would hinder an opposition coming together but you'd hope allegiances could be made in the face of a common enemy.
The Taliban have sime backing from foreign states - if a resistance does emerge the dilemma is do the USA et al back the resistance - the risk that a civil war becomes a proxy war. I dont claim to know enough to have an informed view you just feel sympathy for people living in a state where violent religious zealots hold the whip hand.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
The US assisting a resistance movement against the ruling party in Afghanistan?
Now what could possibly go wrong there......The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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That might depend upon the conditions that the US agreed to in their surrender and withdrawal agreement.DeVlaeminck said:Hopefully they can establish some kind of territory which can act as a locus for a resistance movement. I dont know how far different ethnic and tribal loyalties would hinder an opposition coming together but you'd hope allegiances could be made in the face of a common enemy.
The Taliban have sime backing from foreign states - if a resistance does emerge the dilemma is do the USA et al back the resistance - the risk that a civil war becomes a proxy war. I dont claim to know enough to have an informed view you just feel sympathy for people living in a state where violent religious zealots hold the whip hand.
You might want to reconsider your sympathy as the Pew Research Centre reckons
99% approve of sharia law
85% approve of stoning for adultery
79% believe in execution for apostasy (whatever that is)
All from this fascinating article
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/in-a-land-with-14-tribes-named-in-its-anthem-we-were-played-like-a-violin-z9zqz3n0s0 -
The agreement says "The United States will seek economic cooperation for reconstruction with the new post-settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations, and will not intervene in its internal affairs."
And "The United States and its allies will refrain from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs."
It's only 4 pages, worth a glance to see what Trump agreed to, and why it has been a relatively pain free process for usa forces.0 -
Their base is the Panjshir Valley. It didn't fall to either the Soviets or the Taliban in previous wars. It is a a natural fortress protected by mountains and only accessible by a couple of narrow roads and a tunnel.DeVlaeminck said:Hopefully they can establish some kind of territory which can act as a locus for a resistance movement. I dont know how far different ethnic and tribal loyalties would hinder an opposition coming together but you'd hope allegiances could be made in the face of a common enemy.
The Taliban have sime backing from foreign states - if a resistance does emerge the dilemma is do the USA et al back the resistance - the risk that a civil war becomes a proxy war. I dont claim to know enough to have an informed view you just feel sympathy for people living in a state where violent religious zealots hold the whip hand.
The strategy is to use that as a base and then target key areas.
The problem they have is supplies, so ideally they need to secure the route north. Countries like India will supply them. The US may even subsidise India's supplies. The problem is that India doesn't have access which is why Russian/Chinese support would be helpful, but they seem to be backing the Taliban.
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Apostacy is leaving the religion, in this case Islam obviously.surrey_commuter said:
That might depend upon the conditions that the US agreed to in their surrender and withdrawal agreement.DeVlaeminck said:Hopefully they can establish some kind of territory which can act as a locus for a resistance movement. I dont know how far different ethnic and tribal loyalties would hinder an opposition coming together but you'd hope allegiances could be made in the face of a common enemy.
The Taliban have sime backing from foreign states - if a resistance does emerge the dilemma is do the USA et al back the resistance - the risk that a civil war becomes a proxy war. I dont claim to know enough to have an informed view you just feel sympathy for people living in a state where violent religious zealots hold the whip hand.
You might want to reconsider your sympathy as the Pew Research Centre reckons
99% approve of sharia law
85% approve of stoning for adultery
79% believe in execution for apostasy (whatever that is)
All from this fascinating article
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/in-a-land-with-14-tribes-named-in-its-anthem-we-were-played-like-a-violin-z9zqz3n0s0 -
John80 must have rallied them with a rousing speech about how pathetically cowardly they were being and whipped them into shape.TheBigBean said:The resistance is claiming to have killed 800 Taliban. No doubt exaggerated, and quite possibly not true, but it looks like the fighting continues, and the roles have reversed with the Taliban now out in the open.
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Thanks, I was more making the point that I had no idea until I Googled itelbowloh said:
Apostacy is leaving the religion, in this case Islam obviously.surrey_commuter said:
That might depend upon the conditions that the US agreed to in their surrender and withdrawal agreement.DeVlaeminck said:Hopefully they can establish some kind of territory which can act as a locus for a resistance movement. I dont know how far different ethnic and tribal loyalties would hinder an opposition coming together but you'd hope allegiances could be made in the face of a common enemy.
The Taliban have sime backing from foreign states - if a resistance does emerge the dilemma is do the USA et al back the resistance - the risk that a civil war becomes a proxy war. I dont claim to know enough to have an informed view you just feel sympathy for people living in a state where violent religious zealots hold the whip hand.
You might want to reconsider your sympathy as the Pew Research Centre reckons
99% approve of sharia law
85% approve of stoning for adultery
79% believe in execution for apostasy (whatever that is)
All from this fascinating article
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/in-a-land-with-14-tribes-named-in-its-anthem-we-were-played-like-a-violin-z9zqz3n0s0 -
You have a bit of a hard on for me Pross. If was gay maybe we could be together but alas it was not meant to be. A bit like occupying an nation and imposing on them views that a good percentage of the locals don't share.Pross said:
John80 must have rallied them with a rousing speech about how pathetically cowardly they were being and whipped them into shape.TheBigBean said:The resistance is claiming to have killed 800 Taliban. No doubt exaggerated, and quite possibly not true, but it looks like the fighting continues, and the roles have reversed with the Taliban now out in the open.
Remember the 80s and 90s where we could not control or alter the opinions of a relatively small area of Belfast.0 -
Two suicide bombings at the airport.0
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It seems to be the work of ISIS. A lot dead.0
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UK officials were warning this would exactly happen last night and were saying explicitly people should not go to the airport as the expect an imminent attack.TheBigBean said:Two suicide bombings at the airport.
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Did you dismiss it as PR for the Taliban?rick_chasey said:
UK officials were warning this would exactly happen last night and were saying explicitly people should not go to the airport as the expect an imminent attack.TheBigBean said:Two suicide bombings at the airport.
(That was your response when I mentioned that ISIS and the Taliban had been fighting).
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Over 70 dead and 140+ injured.
Threat expected to continue until US & west leave.0 -
And beyond.Dorset_Boy said:Over 70 dead and 140+ injured.
Threat expected to continue until US & west leave.0 -
It's a grim situation for the boots on the ground, be it ISIS or anyone else with a grudge against western forces they've got a free hit against them for the next few days knowing they'll be on their way for good with no retaliation likely. Must have the biggest balls on the planet to stand on that airport perimeter in uniform right now.Dorset_Boy said:Over 70 dead and 140+ injured.
Threat expected to continue until US & west leave.0 -
nonsense - of course there will be retaliation. you just won't hear about it.
its like when people say "ooh, everyone pulled out years ago" - people have been in there always - its just not released/talked about..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Yes a nephew of a colleague is a para and went in last week apparently.MattFalle said:nonsense - of course there will be retaliation. you just won't hear about it.
its like when people say "ooh, everyone pulled out years ago" - people have been in there always - its just not released/talked about.
They’re supposed to be surrounded, right?0 -
I believe 2 PARA are in as its their RRF rotation with their support teams.
You can't surround above you tbh, but its an airport so yeah, surrounded but by civpop and Terry who, at the moment, aren't aggressive to multinational forces as its still within the negotiated deadline as they know that if they try anything they are dealing with, SF aside, the best the US (Marines and their Airborn div) and British military have.
What happens afterwards though is anyone's guess.
Methinks Terry may take on the latest bunch of Da'esh lunatics in order to try and calm things down.
Either way, some mad SEAL teams will be having a polite word or two in due course..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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even if everyone stayed the threat has always been and always will be there.kingstongraham said:
And beyond.Dorset_Boy said:Over 70 dead and 140+ injured.
Threat expected to continue until US & west leave.
it ain't going away..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Biden said they would retaliate.MattFalle said:nonsense - of course there will be retaliation. you just won't hear about it.
its like when people say "ooh, everyone pulled out years ago" - people have been in there always - its just not released/talked about.0
