This is a NATO mission, one sanctioned and supported by the UN.
I am fully aware of this, and I have even said the exact same words in the past... that is not in dispute.
However, I have also been saying we should be pulling our arses out of NATO, as I see no logic in some group organization of nations dictating what our own nation does, and vice versa.
If there is trouble in the world for a country, then that country can ask us for help and we can help.... but I don't see why we should be in some fancy dancy club that contracts us out to the majority vote of other nations for their best interests.
NATO was supposed to be against the Cold War.... the Cold War is over..... the organization has had talk of falling apart since Afghanistan.... now we have a fresh conflict with Russia again..... what a suprise... and what timing if you ask me.
One can not fight a war if they unilaterally restrict themselves to fight only inside some arbitrary line drawn on a map. If your enemy is operating from somewhere else, you must seek him out and kill him there.
Fine, do it then.... but don't expect that nation you are invading to not attack you back with whatever means they have at their disposal.....
The problem now is that we're fighting the Taliban.... keep this dumb ass plan up and we'll also have Pakistan's military to fight too...... I'm sure that will make things oh so much easier.
There was a solid plan of how to deal with this whole situation, and it was working..... the reason why it is failing is because of the US's cowboy methods of doing things on their own, in secret and without regard for civilian life, which endangers all the other allied nation's and their progress..... and if our own ally is going to screw up their own war, then why the hell should we remain there to get killed for a plan that will never work?
There's "Staying the Course" and then there's "Using your brain" and having the best interests of your own people, not some other nation's revenge.
Don't forget this was all about trying to get Osama..... now it's all about erradicating the Taliban, which will never happen.... it's like the War on Drugs or the War on Terrorism..... they are goals without ends, as it only takes one person to start any of them back up...... and since the majority of drugs are naturally grown on this planet.... this shows you the mentality of the people we're following into battle.
The Americans have done us a favour.......they are (with the Brits) the only ones stepping up to the plate in Afghanistan. They deserve our thanks for this mission, not our derision.
It is our troops they are helping........
You'd think it was our troops they were attacking by the reaction.......
I'm not blaming the British, I am blaming the US..... once I hear reports of the British attacking accross the border, I will begin to blame them directly too.
And yes, by these actions, they are indirectly attacking our troops, by killing more civilians, breaking their own rules and agreements with Pakistan, proving to many in the Middle East that they can not be trusted, more take up arms, more take up arms against us..... more of our troops die.
It's pretty basic and pretty simple.... even our own troops and the government of Pakistan are saying this..... and they're the one's who are a lot closer to the situation then you or I, so I would have to say they know more about the situation then you or I.