Comments by "wily wascal" (@wilywascal2024) on "Afghanistan Isn’t the End of America’s Forever Wars | The Couch Report" video.
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Baby Hunn ~ The comment is overly simplistic, but so is your reply. Your reply is also propagating an extremist form of Islam, which is not necessarily embraced by "a large majority" or even a majority of Afghanis. Before the Russian invasion and U.S. backing of jihadists in Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan were generally far more tolerant, and it was not all that unusual to see Afghan women, particularly younger women, in Western dress, sporting the latest fashions, and going to schools. Kabul used to be a vibrant, tolerant, cosmopolitan city.
Your reply reflects and breeds the ignorance of misogyny, ignores the suffering of women under the radical extremist forms of Islam forced upon Afghanis, often against their will, by the Taliban and other groups, and blames others instead of the perpetrators, the Taliban, for exacting retribution upon women and other Afghanis seeking their natural civil and human rights that are deserved by everyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, creed, status, or political ideology. The Islam religion was once renowned for its tolerance and relative progressivism, before being hijacked by religious extremists and those seeking to gain and maintain power like the Saud dynasty. It's true that a majority of Afghanis are Muslim, and as such are more comfortable with Sharia law. But democracy and Islam are compatible, and modern Islamic governments have incorporated Sharia law into governmental law. And while Afghanis are a fiercely independent people, that does not mean they wish to isolate their nation from all other nations, Western or otherwise. It just means that they are opposed to foreign occupations. In that, they are no different than most other peoples and nations.
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Because dropping 2,000lb, 5,000lb, and MOAB's with B-52's from high altitudes is better? Because tank, artillery, and rocket fire is so much more accurate? Because the Taliban made friends by its indiscriminate killing and terrorizing of civilians?
Yes, extraordinary effort needs to be taken to prevent civilian deaths, and not just because it risks alienating the very people we are trying to help or hurts our own efforts, which are only secondary reasons. But this comment is a gross oversimplification displaying little thought. Drones are not robots acting on their own; they are UAV's controlled by humans. Nearly all of our military hardware is automated to some extent. If you're on the battlefield risking your life, would you want the latest military advantages available to help save the lives of you and your fellow soldiers, to help you prevail against the enemy in defense of your country? I'm not a fan of drones, but the ethics and issues involved are much deeper and more complex than what you are attempting to portray.
Beyond that the comment is also a gross oversimplification of the U.S. failure in Afghanistan, because civilian deaths from drone strikes don't even begin to compare with civilian deaths from Taliban terrorist operations. The reasons for the failure are varied and numerous, and can't be blamed on any one single cause, or solely upon the U.S.
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Baby Hunn ~ You seem to be clueless because you have a reading comprehension problem, Doc! You're also being selective in your response, which is dishonest. My reply had already pointed out most Afghanis support Sharia law. In fact, the figure for Afghanistan is 99% support for Sharia law. But why is that? Is it not because they have had little reason to trust their governments? In other more modern Islamic nations with better governments, there are only small minorities supporting Sharia law.
By the same token, why do many Muslims in the Middle East have majorities that favor the death penalty for apostasy? Isn't it because of a long tradition in Islam about leaving the faith? Outside of Islamic culture, one may disagree with the practice and find it a barbaric violation of human rights, but how many Muslims in Afghanistan are abandoning Islam altogether, switching faiths? It's a rare occurrence, and those who do leave the faith or practice different faiths in Muslim nations with extremist views hide their conversions and different faith, so as not to be put to death.
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