The authors write, "U.S. and coalition forces must shift away from directly conducting counterinsurgency operations and move toward a new mission of "security force assistance:" advising and enabling Afghan forces to take the lead in the counterinsurgency fight." They conclude that by continuing to place its forces in the lead in counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan, the United States is ultimately working against its long-term security interests. Because U.S. units can execute counterinsurgency operations better and faster than their Afghan counterparts, they are continuing to do so despite the looming transition. Afghan forces must move more rapidly to take the lead in Afghanistan while the United States and its coalition allies still have significant numbers of troops and enablers in the country. U.S. commanders need to assume greater risk in the near-term if the Afghan forces are to succeed in this task.
Moushumi Biswas on December 7, 2011
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Madness is repeating the actions in the hope of getting different outcome. the US has been carrying out the biggest ever counter insurgency campaign since 01 and has to date achieved almost nothing.
The Taliban are Pushtoon, a tiny..only 30,000.. group of extremists drawn from a handful of tribes that stradde the Durand Line which no Afghan recognizes as a legitimate border. In fact Kabul abrogated it in \'47. The Pushtoon are 45 million nation, one third west of the line and 30 million east who are not Pakistanis. Indiscriminate bombing/drone strikes that kill innocents, especially women and children, enflames all Pushtoon and so increase backing for the Talebs and less for the Government. One is as bad as the other to begin with. Especially when the National police are mostly non Pushtoon bent on settllin scores for Taleb atrocities pre 01.
Pakistan means Punjabis, whose army is battling Talebs from tribes west of the Line. If the US with all its power cannot pacify the Pushtoon west of the Line, how can one expect the Punjabi army to do better ..its already suffered 35,000 dead, 10x more than NATO