agreed, but what about Al Qaeda in Yemen; in the Maghreb? Al Qaeda in Central Asia and in African States such as Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea? It's a de-centralized movement, one which has no credibility or much support in the Arab and Muslim world --as witnessed during Revolution such as that in A.R Egypt.
weaker than what it was in 2001? doubtful...
uh huh
NATO has access to the best weapons -- infantry and air support.....they have had access to the best weapons (infantry and air support) for well over the decade during this conflict
noteworthy of mention
the Afghan police and 'army' have little to no discipline; their desertion rates are high and in fact the number of turncoats we have witnessed should raise some level of alarm
the average American realizes, or is starting to realize that this war (like the Iraq war) are unwinnable and in fact have damaged America's image in the world --especially the Muslim world.
and it's actually sad that many of those young men were sent to die for a cause they dont even know or recognize. I have spoken to a few marines who were deployed; they told me they asked themselves every day what the hell they were doing there. They'd whack a few talebs for a few hours (when shot at), have an M.R.E. then call it a day and head back to base. For every one they killed, 5 more took their place. Many of the villages in which they sought information from -- more often than not there was a taleban (or pro taleb) warlord or two who actually controlled the area.
i think America is best served by addressing its real issues -- the domestic ones. Afghanistan is one country that has never been kind to invaders --- your former soviet friends learned it, the hard way of course, as we all know.
its an armed Kashmiri resistance movement....they have support in iOk as well, though Kashmiri resistance groups are moving more towards the use of media (especially social media) which I think is a sign of maturity and in fact --far more effective than just ammunitions. This is one reason why facebook and other social network sites are banned in iOk -- but we digress.