Twenty years on, what are we leaving behind in Afghanistan? A people not one iota better off. In fact, Afghanistan is worse off than the day Australia arrived. What were we doing there, what did we expect to achieve? Over 300,000 dead civilians, several million made homeless. Australians have been shown to be guilty of war crimes against the Afghan people, the latest the murder of 11 peasant farmers in a field. The war has cost Australia 42 dead, hundreds injured and millions of dollars.

Another case of Australia being dragged into a phony war by the Americans, did we learn nothing from Korea or Vietnam? The devil will lead you to hell! Like our overseer we should be prepared to make reparations for the wrongs we perpetrated against an innocent people.

Dear Paul,

In Australia, the price is still being paid for
an incomplete strategy with ongoing trauma and
lives being lost.

cont'd ...

Our poor veterans.

cont'd ...

And their families.

Ongoing trauma.

Well Paul04

AUS HELPING US UNDER ANZUS

The US began the War in Afghanistan in late 2001 as REVENGE FOR 9/11 against Islamist Terrorists (the "War on Terror") including the Taliban, for harboring Bin Laden and more broadly sheltering al Qaida in Afgh.

As always Australia, the loyal ally, followed the US (under the ANZUS "the US attacked, Twin Towers and Pentagon" trigger, would you believe?) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZUS#2001_invasion_of_Afghanistan

into Afgh - starting with the Australian SAS in late 2001.
______________________

ASIS

Also there's a WHAT IF? element. The Five Eyes, NATO and other Western armed forces and their intel agencies all came in.

eg. the Director General of ASIS, Nick Warner, said in a public speech in 2016:

"Starting with the Iraq war, support for the Australian Defence Force in military combat operations has become an important task for ASIS. We have a major commitment in Afghanistan, and this will remain as long as the ADF is deployed there."

Unfortunately Warner's 2016 speech has been deleted from http://www.asis.gov.au/About-Us/Media/Public-Statements/

However a record exists, for the curious, at restricted viewing paysite
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2016/11/intelligence-process-speech-from-middle.html . Those interested could write to pete74730@hotmail.com

____________________

COUNTER-TERRORISM FLY PAPER EFFECT

The whole Western (including Aust) military/counter-terrorism effort in Afgh is to practice the FLY PAPER EFFECT:

ie. better to "kill or capture" Islamist terrorists in Afgh, rather than kill/arrest them in Western countries AFTER these terrorists have committed bombings, shortings, car-plows and stabbings in Western countries.

Put another way - better to keep such terrorists busy (and holed up) in Afgh rather than allowing these terrorists to attack the West.

Paul,

What we learned from Korea was that a small Asian nation, unlawfully invaded by the Greens’ Communist mates, could, given the chance, become an industrial success and take its place in the modern world.

Compare. South Korea with North Korea, what a vast difference..

Tell us all about North Korea’s exports of cars, industrial machinery, fridges, tv sets etc.