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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that the American, British and others should return to liberate the Afghani people?

216 replies

GreatEelRun · 26/08/2021 18:31

I don’t usually do politics but my God, this situation is unacceptable. The US, the UK and whoever else was previously involved in the past 20- year restructure of Afghanistan need to return there right now, with additional support and get rid of the Taliban and Isis, no matter how long this takes.

I am utterly disgusted with our govt. The way I see it. we can return now and deal with it, or return in a few years after it’s been brought onto our own soil.

Where is the humanity in this crisis?

OP posts:
lllllllllll · 26/08/2021 21:31

in fact the sceptic in me thinks that this is why Biden pulled troops early....they may have intelligence that something was planned for 9/11 anniversary hence getting U.S personnel to safety well in advance

Hmm
anon12345678901 · 26/08/2021 21:33

No they most certainly do not. You are volunteering for more service men/women to loose their lives. Biden pulled US troops out leaving the U.K. to pull ours and rightly so. The U.K. could not do it without the support from the US. They need to come home now and quickly.

JesusIsAnyNameFree · 26/08/2021 21:34

@lllllllllll

You're right, but now everything they fought for was a waste of time. It's all so depressing :-(

Yup - and it wouldn’t have been a waste of time if the US had stayed put.

Anyone who agrees with this evacuation doesn’t give a shit about women and children’s rights.

So the US should have just kept pumping money and lives into it then? Was there any timeline in your opinion that would have been acceptable? Another 20? Another 100?
MadMadMadamMim · 26/08/2021 21:37

Are you going? Because my son did three separate tours in Afghanistan and I really don't want him back there, fighting the Taliban to "liberate" the country, thanks.

Several of his regiment lost life or limbs to IEDs out there. I take it by your we can return now you'll be over there?

gardeninggirl68 · 26/08/2021 21:38

theres always one!! "if you think this then you must think that"

er, no love ...theres a middle ground

KingHiss · 26/08/2021 21:41

Afghanistan didn't exist 150 years ago, it's lines on a map drawn up by the west.
There are many tribal areas that have no allegiance to "Afghanistan" and were separated by arbitrary rules from their families by the west.
It's a shit show which no-one, not the British the Russians or the US will ever be able to suppress.
Even Doctor Watson from Sherlock Holmes got wounded there in the 1870's by a Jezzail bullet.
See also "Carry on up the Khyber"

Kendodd · 26/08/2021 21:44

I wonder if Biden actually has a plan (clutching at straws).
China and Russia are both engaging with Afghanistan and seeking opportunities there (or so I've read). I wonder if Biden hopes that they, particularly China, will become entangled in the quicksand that is Afghanistan.

Kendodd · 26/08/2021 21:45

Whatever happens, it'll be shit for everyone.

twelly · 26/08/2021 21:48

I believe that we have moral obligation to those who worked with the nato forces. I also believe that we have an obligation as humans to those who live in the country - the USA went in 20 years ago and stayed and the UK and other countries agreed to do this. The manner of the withdrawal has been appalling - a small piece keeping force to stabilise the country was needed. I think USA decision was wrong. Returning is difficult but the events of today prove the world is in a more unstable - the human rights abuses will not stop. I don't know how we stop this or whether it is feasible for any military to return. In an ideal word China and Russia would join with the west to ensure peace within the country

pollylocketpickedapocket · 26/08/2021 21:50

@adawong

Are you volunteering to go? No, thought not.
Exactly. Isn’t there just some utter shite spouted on here?
SHKR73 · 26/08/2021 21:51

@PicsInRed

Biden says no, and with the US as lynchpin, and the presidential system as it is, that no is no.

Fuck Biden.

You do understand it was Trump who signed the Feb 2020 Doha Agreement with the Taliban?
ActonSquirrel · 26/08/2021 21:53

20 years didn't get rid of them. The Afghan president scarpered as soon as he could allegedly taking a pile of cash.

I'm not sure how much you can blame the UK/US when that is how much their own people on positions in power care.

It's too late now. They shouldn't have withdrawn now and retaking the country will be when more difficult

Justanotherlurker · 26/08/2021 21:54

Anyone who agrees with this evacuation doesn’t give a shit about women and children’s rights.

Anyone who agrees with staying doesn't give a shit about the women and children rights outside of the green zones who was regularly blown to peices being caught up in a civil war.

It's easy to play the emotional blame game when you just use absolutes.

Kendodd · 26/08/2021 21:54

Does anyone know what's happening to the BBC reporters and their teams on site? When are they getting out? I worry for their safety when I see them on the news.

Kendodd · 26/08/2021 21:57

I do think we have a moral obligation to give sanctuary to anyone who needs it though. There are about 38 million people on Afghanistan, even if 50% of them left, the rich world could accommodate them.

Brighterblighter · 26/08/2021 21:58

Unfortunately I don't see what else we can do.
It's fighting an ideological war agaisnt a repressive culture woven into for women a repressive religion.

I think tyere are many things we the us could have done earlier on too many cultural sensitivity going on.

I don't think we should have pulled out like this, it should have been done in a far more stable way and gradually...

I just wish we could have had every single... Woman's and child out who wanted to leave

PicsInRed · 26/08/2021 21:59

You do understand it was Trump who signed the Feb 2020 Doha Agreement with the Taliban?

Do you understand that this included pre conditions to be met and ability to extend and withdraw?

Biden could have extended or withdrawn from the agreement. He chose this, Biden chose this.

Trump is no longer president. Biden wanted this. Biden did this. The kudos for this belongs entirely to Biden.

WhisperedWords · 26/08/2021 22:00

They have been there for 10 years trying to liberate the country. Billions of dollars, 1000’s of lives lost . Perhaps look at the Afghan army to liberate Afghanistan. Oh wait, they in many cases welcomed the Taliban.
(Which isn’t to say the withdrawal hasn’t been appallingly).

You are being most unreasonable to expect young men (by far) from the US or UK or NZ or Australia or NATO countries to go and lose their lives there.

Brighterblighter · 26/08/2021 22:00

America is going it alone.. We, the eu.. Anyone else are on our own there is anyone huge shift going on and to be honest it's about time.

Flipflopblowout · 26/08/2021 22:01

How many more of our troops have to lose their lives in Afghanistan?
We have been in and out of there since 1839.

ChaneySays · 26/08/2021 22:02

@MadMadMadamMim

Are you going? Because my son did three separate tours in Afghanistan and I really don't want him back there, fighting the Taliban to "liberate" the country, thanks.

Several of his regiment lost life or limbs to IEDs out there. I take it by your we can return now you'll be over there?

Indeed.

And people are often very dismissive of men's military service on here. When we have the regular 'men have it so easy' threads, people often mention the fact that US men have to sign up to the draft to get the same benefits that women get for free. Also that the vast majority of combat personnel are men. The answer is usually "oh, well it's all male violence".

But now look at all the female posters pompously stating that 'we' need to do something about this. Hmm

pollylocketpickedapocket · 26/08/2021 22:03

@PicsInRed

You do understand it was Trump who signed the Feb 2020 Doha Agreement with the Taliban?

Do you understand that this included pre conditions to be met and ability to extend and withdraw?

Biden could have extended or withdrawn from the agreement. He chose this, Biden chose this.

Trump is no longer president. Biden wanted this. Biden did this. The kudos for this belongs entirely to Biden.

Or whoever is pulling his strings. Biden doesn’t seem capable of taking a shit.
Brighterblighter · 26/08/2021 22:04

There is no way id want my dc out there fighting either.. It's all pretty hopeless..

But the withdrawal did not have to go like this!!

Justanotherlurker · 26/08/2021 22:06

You do understand it was Trump who signed the Feb 2020 Doha Agreement with the Taliban?

You do understand that Biden has said he would have withdrawn even without Trumps agreement (which was following Obama's framework)...

People can rightly criticise Biden's handling of the situation without still having to go 'but muh it was really Orange man!11!'

Biden has undone many of Trumps policies, if he wanted to he could have easily done so with this, he didn't and his handling of the situation is a shit show, it has nothing to do with Trump at this point.

It's time to move on Biden has been head of state for 8 months now.

GrandDuchessRomanov · 26/08/2021 22:08

@MrsRobbieHart So true. They are the cockroaches of humanity.