Thanks for the information people.
My favourite Afghan story is about the Brits converting from biplanes to Hawker Hurricanes (policy, RAF, 'punish' the border tribes from the air).

The Westland Wapitis, etc., had an air gunner in a rearward facing gunmount with empty cartridge cases being ejected into a collection bag. These sturdy aircraft could circle on a wingtip a safe distance above 'those being punished' and deliver fire until out of ammunition. (And of course took all their empty cases home.)
A fair number of aircrew used these flight characteristics to ensure they were engaging legit targets, not shooting up women and kids.

Then along came war weary Hawker Hurricanes, eight 303 machine guns in the wings and a whopping great radiator under the wing for its liquid cooled engine.
Being able to engage point ground targets only by diving at a relatively low speed, the Hurricanes usually managed to receive more groundfire damage than the air cooled engined biplanes ever did.

What really made the tribesmen happy though was the eight streams of ejected cartridge brass left after each strafing.
303 British was the favourite chambering back then and many Afghanis being into reloading/remanufacturing ammo (as any target shooter would know is 'a satisfying and rewarding hobby').
The lesson is that a quantum technology leap does not necessarily result in increased capability or effectiveness, especially when force delivery results in providing the opposition themselves an capability asset.

So people, what I meant about Alexander's curtailed sojourn in the region wasn't so much about that worthy - rather that Afghanis appear to have extremely good memories and an incredible ability to leverage advantage from their circumstance.
Admirable attributes we should note carefully; since if the 'Great Game', that has caused those people so much grief for so long, continues - it could cause a destiny for the US similar to that of the USSR.

If that happens and we want to survive it might pay us to teach the next generation of Aussie kids frugality and to be good at finding cartridge brass amongst the weeds.

Only blind people could not see the GREAT plan for Afghanistan:
1. We will lose the war in Afghanistan
2. We will convert the Pakistan to a new Afghanistan and we will invade to Pakistan.
There are so many patriots and so good taxpayers who could give their life for the oil and military companies!

> embarrass the more ignorant or flippant commenters on OLO.

OLO just reflects what is written in the mainstream media and spoken by politicians and even military officers on TV.

The ignorance is far too common. From Alexander to Lord Curzon in one sentence. As if almost 2000 years of history did not occur. No mention about the Mauryans, the Kushans, the Guptas, the Shahis, the Moghals, the Marathas, the Sikhs.

None of this. After Alexander, nothing. Perhaps they should read Plutarch to find out who ruled Afghanistan after Alexander's satrap Selucius Nicator:

"But this last combat with Porus took off the edge of the Macedonians' courage, and stayed their further progress into India. For having found it hard enough to defeat an enemy who brought but twenty thousand foot and two thousand horse into the field, they thought they had reason to oppose Alexander's design of leading them on to pass the Ganges, too, which they were told was thirty-two furlongs broad and a fathoms deep, and the banks on the further side covered with multitudes of enemies. For they were told the kings of the Gandaritans and Praesians expected them there with eighty thousand horse, two hundred thousand foot, eight thousand armed chariots, and six thousand fighting elephants. Nor was this a mere vain report, spread to discourage them. For Androcottus, who not long after reigned in those parts, made a present of five hundred elephants at once to Seleucus, and with an army of six hundred thousand men subdued all India. "

Britain should not expect a "decisive military victory" in Afghanistan
"The UK's commander in Helmand has said Britain should not expect a "decisive military victory" in Afghanistan"
He said: "If the Taleban were prepared to sit on the other side of the table and talk about a political settlement, then that's precisely the sort of progress that concludes insurgencies like this.
"That shouldn't make people uncomfortable."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7653116.stm

I know, I know... ask the Russians or the British to tell their experiences from former wars!

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Some interesting comments. I would like to attempt to broaden the "view" a little, by adding something of my experiences from spending some time amongst people who profess to be followers of the book in the hope that those more knowledgeable about the specifics of the situation in Afghanistan may enrich our knowledge still further.

Ashadu anlla ilaha ill ALLOH
Wa as hadu anna muhamadar rosulullosh

An opening prayer, common to Muslims all over the world
AND
I would suggest to look at this issue as one not pertaining to Muslims everywhere would be to "miss the point," so to speak.

The people here in Jawa speak a mix of the national & a lokal dialect and also are taught Arabic from pre-school.

I have not spoken to a one who does not consider themselves part of the greater family of Islam. What is done to any one member, is considered by the collective.

Islam here is generally a calmative, a pacifier for the poor, 40+ million of which leave on less than $5 per day. Of course, wages are centrally controlled as are all the costs of the basics of life, from rice to you name it. When they fall below the poverty line, it is to the mosque that they go. A Cleric may be dispatched to a land owner, for example, and will issue directives for Billy Blogs to be provided with a coconut, that he may make a curry etc.

And herein lies part of the core of the loyalty of the "common" folk

2 times recently the police where called over corruption allegations and the head of the village, 2 times they refused to act. The 3rd time, following an edict from the cleric, the police took the head of the village away and locked him up. He is currently been prosecuted and his assets liquidated. Have no illusions about it, the village head would have been strung up had he not been taken away. So, there appears to be an interesting nexus in the locus of control within Indonesia between the civilian authority and the religious authority. In more than 2 yrs, it is the only time I have personally witnessed the religious authority exercise their authority and countermand the local police and government officials.

Now to warp to a current issue with a view from the past .. the dutch are alleged to have committed great attrocities here and for right or for wrong, better or worse, they still teach this. Part of the mechanism of oppression as the antique people call it, was and still is to a certain extent, racial profiling and discriminatory laws. They say, we Australians also have one rule for those within Australia and another rule for others who are not.

I would suggest that if as a collective here you do not want the death penalty, then do not ask for it to be imposed upon others. Whilst there were approx 15,000 troops guarding the coast during the gw conference, nothing like that exists for the benefit of the substantial ex pat community.

They are a collective and everyone knows everybodies businness. They assume generally, that we are the same and of course we are not any more. If our military makes war on one part of their family, they assume it is with the full knowledge and consent of the australian collective, which of course is also not true.