No major signs of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan, so says McChrystal

Source: Yahoo

He says there hasn't been any signs, but they still have close links to insurgents.

Want to talk about it?

Want to talk about it?

[QUOTE="nintendoboy16"]

Want to talk about it?

Maqda7

boo hoo,i used to care but not anymore.the Almighty Qaida that noone can beat just makes me wonder

Why do you people believe everything you read? If I said that California finally broke off because of the San Andreas fault, you would believe me as long as I sounded like I knew what I'm talking about. Al-Queda is in Afganistan and still have strong ties to terrorism (considering they are a terrorist organization). cpo335

I'm thinking that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not one in the same. I'm also thinking that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a bit on the murky side. Last I heard (and my information may be a bit dated as I haven't been following this that closely) the Taliban controls significant parts of both countries. The last thing we want is them to gain control of one of Pakistan's nukes.nocoolnamejim

thats what I heard. and this morning the president gave a short speech about renewing the war on terror. hes wanting to step up and commit alot more troops to afghastan. but there doesnt seem to be any support in congress, and some recent polls show about only 1% of americans are palceing the war on terror above teh other problems in america

I'm thinking that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not one in the same. I'm also thinking that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a bit on the murky side. Last I heard (and my information may be a bit dated as I haven't been following this that closely) the Taliban controls significant parts of both countries. The last thing we want is them to gain control of one of Pakistan's nukes.nocoolnamejim

true

yet at the same time the US military and the British military are not one in the same, and yet they work hand in hand in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Sure, there may not be Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and only Taliban, yet I can see Al-Qaeda financing the Taliban.

Also, for some reason, them getting a nuke really does that bother me that much.While I fear for allied forces or nations in that area, at the same time any large-scale attack like that would only unite the world against what is essentially a small enemy.

thats what I heard. and this morning the president gave a short speech about renewing the war on terror. hes wanting to step up and commit alot more troops to afghastan. but there doesnt seem to be any support in congress, and some recent polls show about only 1% of americans are palceing the war on terror above teh other problems in america

mission accomplishedweezyfb

I LOL'd :D

[QUOTE="nocoolnamejim"]I'm thinking that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not one in the same. I'm also thinking that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a bit on the murky side. Last I heard (and my information may be a bit dated as I haven't been following this that closely) the Taliban controls significant parts of both countries. The last thing we want is them to gain control of one of Pakistan's nukes.mrbojangles25

true

yet at the same time the US military and the British military are not one in the same, and yet they work hand in hand in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Sure, there may not be Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and only Taliban, yet I can see Al-Qaeda financing the Taliban.

Also, for some reason, them getting a nuke really does that bother me that much.While I fear for allied forces or nations in that area, at the same time any large-scale attack like that would only unite the world against what is essentially a small enemy.

[QUOTE="mrbojangles25"]

[QUOTE="nocoolnamejim"]I'm thinking that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not one in the same. I'm also thinking that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a bit on the murky side. Last I heard (and my information may be a bit dated as I haven't been following this that closely) the Taliban controls significant parts of both countries. The last thing we want is them to gain control of one of Pakistan's nukes.nocoolnamejim

true

yet at the same time the US military and the British military are not one in the same, and yet they work hand in hand in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Sure, there may not be Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and only Taliban, yet I can see Al-Qaeda financing the Taliban.

Also, for some reason, them getting a nuke really does that bother me that much.While I fear for allied forces or nations in that area, at the same time any large-scale attack like that would only unite the world against what is essentially a small enemy.

ahh ok, me concur

They said the same thing about the Taliban a few years ago...Also, the problem with Afghanistan isn't really with the level of troops there, the problem is the strategy.

[QUOTE="cpo335"]Why do you people believe everything you read? If I said that California finally broke off because of the San Andreas fault, you would believe me as long as I sounded like I knew what I'm talking about. Al-Queda is in Afganistan and still have strong ties to terrorism (considering they are a terrorist organization). Maqda7

Al Qaeda have outright stated that their focus now is on Pakistan. Aside from maybe some money making operations and some hits here or there I wouldn't be surprised if their work in Afghanistan is limited.

They said the same thing about the Taliban a few years ago...Also, the problem with Afghanistan isn't really with the level of troops there, the problem is the strategy.

-Sun_Tzu-

So he doesn't see any major signs....doesn't mean they aren't there. Just that they are being careful. This is newsworthy?LJS9502_basic

From everything I've read, most major indicators point to a diminution in the presence of Al Qaida in Afghanistan. The Taliban are more of an endemic force, focused on a national agenda within Afghanistan. Al Qaida is primarily concerned with transnational operations and objectives. It's possible that Al Qaida is leaving the fight up to indigenous Taliban forces, who have more of a vested interest in the fight, in order to concentrate on operations elsewhere. As a side, and this is just conjecture, I think the power distribution amongst extremist Islamic cells has been dispersed pretty significantly. Many organizations operate under the "auspices" of Al Qaida but are really just autonomous groups. I don't even know what constitutes Al Qaida anymore. Power seems to be propagating away from Al Qaida and towards other groups.

What do You suggest? You got the name for it :P KungfuKitten

One of the biggest problems in Afghanistan is that their economy is based on opium - that's really their only crop. Right now we are burning their only crop when we could be buying it and using it for pain killers if it wasn't for our "War on Drugs". Right now, all the profits that are made from the Afghan economy are going straight to the Taliban.

If I said that California finally broke off because of the San Andreas fault, you would believe me as long as I sounded like I knew what I'm talking about. cpo335

YES! Finally, we're rid of that pestilent, lecherous hellho--

Oh.

[QUOTE="KungfuKitten"]What do You suggest? You got the name for it :P -Sun_Tzu-

One of the biggest problems in Afghanistan is that there economy is based on opium - that's really their only crop. Right now we are burning their only crop when we could be buying it and using it for pain killers if it wasn't for our "War on Drugs". Right now, all the profits that are made from the Afghan economy are going straight to the Taliban.

One of the key tenets of the new counter-insurgency strategy is to try to transition the economy from drug-based to other crops. Incentives are being offered to induce Afghan farmers to leave Opium farming behind. Burning the Opium crops was wreaking havoc on the economy and alienating even more Afghans. I'm not sure what sort of incentives are being offered (I assume protection, seeds, and money), but I highly doubt it will be successfull either. The crop is so entrenched in the region, and a massive, viable market for it is already in place. I agree, though, it's probably more of a demand side problem than anything. Too much money can be made with the stuff.

I wonder who's putting the bombs there...

I wonder who's putting the bombs there...

bangell99

The Taliban, any one of the dozens of transnational extremist Islamic organizations, Iranian intelligence services....

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"]

[QUOTE="KungfuKitten"]What do You suggest? You got the name for it :P xXBuffJeffXx

One of the biggest problems in Afghanistan is that there economy is based on opium - that's really their only crop. Right now we are burning their only crop when we could be buying it and using it for pain killers if it wasn't for our "War on Drugs". Right now, all the profits that are made from the Afghan economy are going straight to the Taliban.

One of the key tenets of the new counter-insurgency strategy is to try to transition the economy from drug-based to other crops. Incentives are being offered to induce Afghan farmers to leave Opium farming behind. Burning the Opium crops was wreaking havoc on the economy and alienating even more Afghans. I'm not sure what sort of incentives are being offered (I assume protection, seeds, and money), but I highly doubt it will be successfull either. The crop is so entrenched in the region, and a massive, viable market for it is already in place. I agree, though, it's probably more of a demand side problem than anything. Too much money can be made with the stuff.

[QUOTE="xXBuffJeffXx"]

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"] :lol: I suppose my username is relevent.

One of the biggest problems in Afghanistan is that there economy is based on opium - that's really their only crop. Right now we are burning their only crop when we could be buying it and using it for pain killers if it wasn't for our "War on Drugs". Right now, all the profits that are made from the Afghan economy are going straight to the Taliban.

KungfuKitten

One of the key tenets of the new counter-insurgency strategy is to try to transition the economy from drug-based to other crops. Incentives are being offered to induce Afghan farmers to leave Opium farming behind. Burning the Opium crops was wreaking havoc on the economy and alienating even more Afghans. I'm not sure what sort of incentives are being offered (I assume protection, seeds, and money), but I highly doubt it will be successfull either. The crop is so entrenched in the region, and a massive, viable market for it is already in place. I agree, though, it's probably more of a demand side problem than anything. Too much money can be made with the stuff.

No, I meant that the old strategy was apparently just destroying as many crops as possible, but now they're trying to offer incentives for Afghan farmers to just move away from harvesting Opium. Burning down the crops was only alienating people and it was totally ineffective.