Open Thread - 24 October 2017

  pl

Comments

[b]

Two senior officials tell the NYT that the CIA will start a Phoenix like program in Afghanistan.

A Newly Assertive C.I.A. Expands Its Taliban Hunt in Afghanistan
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/world/asia/cia-expanding-taliban-fight-afghanistan.html

They call it counter-terrorism but the text describes the military part of a counterinsurgency campaign. There is no economic or political program accompanying it. CIA SpecOps and contractors leading local militia in raids and targeted killings on a large scale. It borders on idiocy to try something like this after 16 years in Afghanistan.

The only result will be a big scandal when in a few years the truth about the interrogations and the number of killed civilians comes out.

[John]

Any comment on what happened in Niger, or the fallout from the tragic loss of four servicemen?

[turcopolier]

John

dunford's briefing sad it all yeasterday. I await the DoD investigation result before commenting further except to say that in war s--t happens. pl

[jsn]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article180111646.html
That which is for sale is certainly being bought, where it leads in the context of the Islamdom Policy Miasma is anyone's guess.

[J]

And we're to assume that the locals will trust the CIA and their hired Mercs? Oh I forgot, have to use the NYTimes PC term hired contractors.

[Jonathan House]

Question:
Southfront published a piece headlined: SAUDI CROWN PRINCE VOWS TO RETURN ‘MODERATE ISLAM’ AND TO ‘END EXTREMISM', does what he said have any importance?
.
Here's the link to the Southfront piece
https://southfront.org/saudi-crown-prince-vows-to-return-moderate-islam-and-to-end-extremism/

[optimax]

Did anybody see Jeff Flakes speech on the senate floor today? A quote about Trump: "Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as "telling it like it is," when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified.
And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else: It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength -- because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit, and weakness."

Transcript of speech.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/24/politics/jeff-flake-retirement-speech-full-text/index.html

[walrus]

Re: Niger, we were always taught never to retrace the same route. I wonder if that is what happened?

[elaine]

"Brutal outlook for healthy wild horses and burros"

https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-horses-burros-blm-2499116836.html

[Kooshy]

Colonel, I have no experience on this but IMO the media is spinning the aftermath of this loss too
much. Shamefully they are more interested in blaming and putting it on Trump Than care for the lost soldier family. Is this is as low as these guys can go, or we are going to visit lower mudy grounds.

[Babak Makkinejad]

No.

[orindajones]

Per b's post - I watched the Colonel's Intelligence_Squared debate on 'coin' in Afghanistan - he was absolutely right then and still right today. Delusion persists ...

[Nate D.]

How about former President Jimmy Carter’s recent comments regarding Trump? Kind of amazing that the most respectful and positive comments about President Trump have come from a Democrat. The same week Trump was trashed by the Bushes.

[Keith Harbaugh]

Here is a video of General Kelly's remarkable 20-minute speech before the White House press corps on 2017-10-19, in which he addressed the remarks of Congresswoman Wilson.
Well worth watching.
https://youtu.be/Xt-s41Y-wgA?t=1m58s

[Haralambos]

I recall the post. Can you send me the link?

[turcopolier]

ALL

The IQ2 debate on Afghanistan in 2009. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113735039 pl

[different clue]

J,

More than that, we're supposed to assume that not one local will ever, ever lie-finger the person he hates for personal reasons as a Talib in order to get that person killed by the CIA and its people?

[different clue]

Jonathan House,

What tradition of moderate Islam would Saudi/Nejdi history and culture even offer the crown prince to even allow him to ever even imagine what moderate Islam even is?

[eakens]

Sounds like their PR folks decided to show up for work. That said, I'll await their halting of hostilities in Yemen.

[Muzaffar Ali]

Their definition of "Moderate Islam" is "Wahabi Islam".....am not being cynical....that's how they define true Islam.

[Serge]

Video of ISIS taking out a big SAA ammo dump in a Deir Ezzor stadium with two drone shots. Bomblets trigger fire and explosion of the entire dump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0bwoZZ5wVc

Lower res if the YT link goes down:
https://twitter.com/vincebeshara/status/922881633266667520

[Jonathan House]

Babak,

Thank you. I'm not surprised and glad for the informed opinion.

Jonathan

[Eric Newhill]

optimax,

A shorter Flake, "blah blah blah. I suck. I quit and I hate Trump".

Like reckless bellicose outbursts and policy are unique to Trump.

Maybe Flake would have preferred Senator "bomb bomb bomb Iran" as POTUS?

You know how I know that any of these people are lying to me? They're talking. Why anyone pays attention to them is beyond me.

Meanwhile it is being revealed that the so called Steele dossier" what made to order for and by the democrats. Clintons are going down for Uranium One. The Obama admin is going down for "unmasking" and leaking intelligence. Comey is going down. Hollyweird is going down.

Looks to me like Flake is just another swamp critter that doesn't like his swamp being drained. Boo hoo. Trump is doing what he promised he'd do; quite well at that.

[ked]

Flake & Corker have no place in a Trump - Bannon GOP. There’s not much room for reasonable centrists, so they are checking out. The primaries will generate crazies (like Moore in AL) who in any kind of two-party state could get schlacked by a decent Dem candidate (‘course, running a decent Dem is always an open question). We are seeing the steady self-destruction of political parties past their shelf life. Personalities, policies & party mechanisms are a side-show to a longer, broader trend. Trumpism confirms it.
The question is how long & painful will be the re-allignment & restructuring. The instability during transition is especially risky if big, dynamic externalities (like war in Korea) flash in the middle of our self-absorbing soap opera.

[Serge]

John,

The whole thing is very shady in my view, I read this today
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/africa/u-s-soldiers-niger-were-pursuing-isis-recruiter-when-ambushed-n813746

claiming that they were on the track of an "IS recruiter",whatever that means(boko haram or ISIS ISIS?). If this is indeed the case, why have ISIS kept silent on the event? They would jump on the opportunity to claim 4 special forces US killed