One has to give credit to Ms Bishop for one thing: she is indefatigable in defending the indefensible. Can I make one suggestion to Ms Bishop before she ventures forth yet again on the topic of Afghanistan? She should read the report of Lt. Col Dan Davis "Dereliction of Duty" (January 2012). It contains more insights in its 83 pages of text than the thousands of pages of nonsense that passes for commentary in this and other media.

I know that Ms Bishop is a busy woman and reading things outside the daily talking points prepared by the Opposition leader's office would probably take more time than she has available. But unless and until she is prepared to acquaint herself with, for example, Afghanistan history (the last 200 years would be good), and some really good academic commentaries on why the US et al are really in Afghanistan (clue: it's noting to do with 9/11 or the Taliban), she might like to give this topic a rest.

One good thing about Ms Bishop’s articles – they are always blissfully short.

Two things stand out here:

<<A tragic consequence has been the killing of international troops, including Australians, by Afghan soldiers and police undergoing training and with whom they are conducting joint operations.>>

As if this is the only tragedy that has occurred throughout this country’s bloody and violent history.

And this:

<<In my conversations with members of the Special Air Service Regiment, some of whom are based in my electorate in Perth, they report enormous gains in their efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. They are committed to the task and understandably express frustration that the positives are rarely reported while the negatives are headline news.>>

And yet here you are, Ms Bishop, reiterating that negative headline news. Way to undermine your own argument.

The writer of this article writes in support of a vested interest, so must be read and treated with some caution.
The initial campaign in Afghanistan was instituted by the USA and its mainly European allies for two objectives: 1): To defeat the Taliban fundimentalist religious movement, who with religious zeal combined with military assistance and finance from certain other like Muslim fundimentalist countries were forcefully taking control of the whole country. and 2): In defeating this Taliban( who were sheltering/aiding the fundimentalist terrorist group known as Al Qaida who had recently committed such terrorist attacks upon the US military forces and civilian targets) they would also defeat Al Qaida.
The first objective was fairly quickly carried out successfully, the second is still ongoing, although a number of telling blows have been effected upon this latter organisation reducing considerably its effectiveness.
Almost all Afghanies are practising Muslims, and the vast majority now believe the occupying infidel forces should leave.
In remaining we possibly encourage these so called "Green on Blue" attacks, resulting in needless deaths to our service men and women.
We should now withdraw all allied forces from Afghanistan, the original task is completed with honour. The superimposed additional very costly task of training, on behalf of a corrupt government, an Afghan police and army, is a hopeless lost cause and must be closed down ASAP.

"We are going to see it through";
This is repeated parrot fashion by both of the Lib Lab leaders. and most of the underlings .
It is a meaningless mantra because what they are going to "see through" is undefined.
If they are trying to fool the proles into thinking that it will only take a bit more time, lives, huge amounts of money and it will all end well, with a stable Afghan government, then they are either fools or taking us for fools.
The ISAF forces are still living in a state of siege after eleven years of occupation. They are mainly hiding behind the walls of forts known as forward bases, patrol bases or whatever you would like to call them but they are a throwback to the medieval castles that were the only safe habitation in those days.
The Taliban constantly attack them. They attack the resupply efforts by road and helicopter. They attack the patrols that are sent out supposedly to maintain control of the area. In fact they are only existing tenuously with the aid of constant support front the air with huge amounts of bombs and firepower.

Continued

The Afghan army and police that they are there to train, are more of a liability than a help and it is obvious that they are never gaping to be able to keep the peace.
Sorry Julie but you will not ever fool all of the people.
The sad thing is that more people are going to me maimed and die, the longer this farce goes on.
We were led into this mess by Howard to hang on to the coat tails of Bush for reasons that are hard to fathom. Bush went to war there to try and control Afghanistan and enable the pipeline to be built, after negotiations with the Taliban had failed.
We should pull out now and stop throwing more away for no reason.

The cat is out of the bag.We all know why the West is in Afghanistan and it has nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden.Afghanistan has at least a $ trillion worth of Lithium needed for the battery industry.

It is also the avenue of Oil/gas piplines from Turkmenistan.It also now supplies 90% of the world's heroin.Remember in 2001 the Taliban had stopped the poppy production and there was a world wide heroin shortage?

Afghanistan is also being strategically used by the Western Oligarchs to contain China.Their Grand Plan for a New World Order has failed and this is why they are looking for an excuse to go war with Russia/China.