BBC Talks to a Few Afghanis and What They Said Was Interesting.

 

BBC News - Mixed feelings on extra troops in Afghanistan

Interesting look at a few man in the street POV’s. This small group seems to want American troops there, at least until their country can better police itself.  The important part is in the first post, when Fawad Habib points out that our troops are popular in the cities, but less so in the rural areas. This obvious and simple statement points out the difficulty we are having over there. I would venture that we are popular in cities because we can effectively protect the cities. As our protection wanes, so does our support.

 

With all the uproar and political gamesmanship sure to come out of the planned withdrawal, it is worth considering what our best options actually are.  We can continue until we have made the country completely safe and democratic. I’m positive we would be there forever if this was our goal. We could pull out now. Or we could make a slow withdrawal as the President indicated. Pros and Cons later.