Comparisons have always been made between the US military debacle in Vietnam and the ongoingAfghanistan military action. The Afghan operations have gone on for a decade now, and there is no end in sight. Every time the NATO believed it had crippled the head of insurgency, the Taliban has been able to bounce back and deal a heavy blow.
In the deadliest blow to the U.S. military in Afghanistanon a single day, 31 U.S. troops, including 22 from the elite Navy SEAL Team 6 were killed on Saturday as the Taliban launched a daring attack on the Chinook helicopter they were traveling in.
It's quite difficult to deal with insurgency of this kind, which indeed has legs. The adversaries lie low for months or years, and launch crippling strikes at the US and NATO forces. It's impossible, nor is it the strategy, to kill everyone or suspect everyone of Taliban allegiance. Guerilla forces have the ability to recoup manpower losses by recurring larger numbers of zealots, and ramp up operations with the help of a sympathetic general public.
It's quite difficult to deal with insurgency of this kind, which indeed has legs. The adversaries lie low for months or years, and launch crippling strikes at the US and NATO forces. It's impossible, nor is it the strategy, to kill everyone or suspect everyone of Taliban allegiance. Guerilla forces have the ability to recoup manpower losses by recurring larger numbers of zealots, and ramp up operations with the help of a sympathetic general public.
