U.S. troops’ return to Afghanistan has ominous parallel to recent history in Iraq

[Rochester]

Tucker lays it out, how clueless this all was:

 

 

[Artitech]

2 minutes ago, Rochester said:

Tucker lays it out, how clueless this all was:

 

 

Biden doesn’t know if he is winding his watch or scratching his A$$! He is just a stooge for the subversives who are actually running the country behind the scenes! Biden has lasted longer than I thought he would! I think this is where the DemoRats take him out with the 25th amendment! JMHO 

[jg1]

1 hour ago, Artitech said:

All I seen in the pictures at the airport was all cowardly men trying to be the 1st rat to jump ship! Me personally didn’t see any women are children with this fighting age men trying to load on the Air Force transport jet when it landed! We don’t need anymore cowards in our country. JMHO 

They are running from what they want to turn us into. Invasion is what we have and No good will come of it for us. Thanks again for your tip. Hodling strong.

[shixjr]

Wouldn't it be disheartening to come to the end of your life and realize that you had sold your soul to the devil for a couple of millions bucks and a position that there was no way on the face of the earth you could have ever earned legitimately?  Your family can only call you "the big guy" and your country laughs at you.

We have a group of people here who stand for something.  We stand for what we feel like is the right thing.  We hold out, even when it's frustrating, because we want to be able to do some good for the world in our lifetime.  We want our family and friends to be proud of us.  We strive to learn an honorable life.  I can see it in the comments y'all make and I really appreciate them.  We don't always agree, because we are humans and are all different, but we are always learning from each other, even when we don't always come from the same perspective.  We are iron sharpening iron and we will succeed!

[Half Crazy Runner]

9 hours ago, Artitech said:

Biden has lasted longer than I thought he would! I think this is where the DemoRats take him out with the 25th amendment! JMHO 

It probably depends on just how easy Harris will be able to be manipulated. She might want to run things her way, in which case they may not want to take Biden out yet..

[yota691]

 

The Taliban sets a month for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and NATO considers the situation dangerous

 

 2021-08-17 09:47

 

Shafaq News/ The Taliban movement said on Tuesday that the United States should withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021.

A Taliban spokesman explained that "the movement is not interested in attacking US forces," and stressed that "the movement will not allow al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization to operate in Afghanistan."

For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, "The situation in Afghanistan is dangerous and unexpected and our focus now is on the safe departure of allies, and the Taliban must facilitate and secure the departure of those who wish to do so and keep the airports and borders open."

He explained, "We did not expect the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan so quickly, and lessons must be learned," adding, "We have the ability to confront any terrorist threat from Afghanistan."

"The goal of NATO was to prevent Afghanistan from remaining a safe haven for terrorists," he said, adding, "I am saddened by the state of affairs in Afghanistan."

[nannab]

What a piece of work this one is,  What did you expect toots!!!! 

[shixjr]

22 hours ago, yota691 said:

A Taliban spokesman explained that "the movement is not interested in attacking US forces,

Since when does the Taliban not want to "kill the infidel Americans"?  Is this just a statement to get us out or is something else going on that the news isn't reporting?

[yota691]

Iran: The fate of America in Iraq, Vietnam and Afghanistan is the same for the Zionist entity

political| 01:54 - 18/08/2021

 

 

 

 

Baghdad - Mawazine News
, Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani stressed, on Wednesday, that the fate of America in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq is the inevitable fate of the Zionist entity as well.
Shamkhani wrote in his tweet on the social networking site "Twitter" today, Wednesday: The outcome of every occupation is humiliating expulsion.
He added: The fate that America met in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq is the inevitable fate of the Zionist occupation entity as well.
The Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council wrote in a tweet on Monday about the situation in Afghanistan: In January 2018, during my visit to Kabul, I had a difficult meeting with the President of the Republic of Afghanistan.
He added: The sad statements of the Afghan Defense Minister today reflect the repercussions of the US occupation, which lasted 20 years in Afghanistan, and the extent of Washington's influence and influence on the government there.
Shamkhani said: Like the past four decades, we stand by the Afghan people, their will and their demands. Ended 29/A43

[yota691]

Milley Questioned On Equipment, Weapons Left In Afghanistan And Grabbed By Taliban
54,265 viewsAug 18, 2021

[yota691]

The Taliban, by seizing American weapons, has the most powerful army in the region
Published Date: 19.08.2021 | 12:58 GMT |Press news

The Taliban, by seizing American weapons, has the most powerful army in the region
Reuters

2220

Follow RT onRT
Under the above title, Artemy Sharapov wrote, in "Moskovsky Komsomolets", about the doubling of the Taliban's war potential.

The article stated: The Taliban seized thousands of military equipment brought by the United States to Afghanistan. Extremists have taken over the military bases, ammunition depots and airfields of the defeated Afghan army. They had in their hands a large stock of weapons and ammunition, thanks to which they could, if they wanted, fight without external supplies for many years to come.

But questions arise about the safety of the mechanisms that the radicals inherited, for example: Will they be able to manage maintenance and repairs?

In answering this question, military expert Alexei Valujnich told "Moskovsky Komsomolets" that the Taliban can solve this problem as well. He added:

The same was said when the Islamic State (ISIS) took over Iraqi army depots. A similar arsenal fell into their hands. However, they had enough military technicians, including (Al-Obaid), from the former Iraqi army. Taliban Afghanistan, in such a situation.

Therefore, in general, the Taliban army can now be considered one of the strongest in the region. Even taking into account all their weaknesses. Indeed, it can be said that they took over Afghanistan without any armored vehicles. If they want to fight more, they can resort to the old method: on donkeys or on foot through mountain passes. They have experience. Now, they have such strong reserves. In short, this is a real force now, much stronger than it was before the Americans arrived in the country in 2001.

The article expresses only the opinion of the newspaper or the writer

[yota691]

 

Taliban: We need Turkey more than any other country

 

 2021-08-20 08:38

 

Shafaq News/ Sohail Shaheen, spokesman for the "Taliban" movement, described Turkey and China as the "main partner" in the reconstruction of Afghanistan after the war and the building of an Islamic emirate.

"The  Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan needs friendship, support and cooperation with Turkey more than any other country. Afghanistan has rich natural resources. But we have no possibility to extract them. Our entire infrastructure was destroyed by the occupation and theft of rulers. We want Cooperation with Turkey in the fields of health care, education, economy, construction and energy, as well as in mineral processing.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said earlier today, after Friday prayers in Istanbul, that his country was ready to hold talks with Taliban leaders if necessary.

Erdogan said in this regard: "We can hold talks with the Taliban if necessary, there are facts on the ground, so when he knocks on our door we will open it."

In this context, the Turkish president pointed out that his country has contracted a number of vaccines with the "Taliban" and the communication between them is continuing, noting also that Ankara has provided aid to the infrastructure and superstructure in Afghanistan, and will continue to do more in this direction.

 

[yota691]

The agreement is a year ago and Qatar has a major role in transferring powerMP Abdullah Al-Thawadi: The Taliban’s rule is an American agreement in return for investing its wealth and curtailing the Chinese role

Friday 2021 - 15:00
Representative Dr. Abdullah Al-Thawadi said that what happened in Afghanistan was a previous agreement and coordination for the entry of the Taliban after the withdrawal of US forces after negotiations that lasted more than a year under Qatari sponsorship and hosting, as the Americans signed on February 29, 2020, a peace agreement with the “Taliban” movement, apparently The announced US withdrawal in exchange for its cooperation in combating terrorism, and its pledge to negotiate a permanent ceasefire and power-sharing agreement with the Kabul government in exchange for secret aspects of the agreement.

Al-Thawadi pointed out that Iran is aware of that announced agreement and what is secret from it through its Qatari ally, and it will reconcile greatly with the new Taliban government and some of its provisions correspond to their interests and axis in the region, and this is reflected in the holding of meetings between the Taliban movement and other Afghan parties in Tehran is under Iranian auspices to establish that and secure the Iranian-Afghan border.

Representative Al-Thawadi indicated that the economic aspect is a major influence on the current event in Afghanistan and its great resources and energy of minerals and the richness of minerals and the change of the political scene under the Taliban rule in exchange for America’s right to extract minerals and wealth, and preventing China and Russia from the right to extract minerals and dominating the political and security decision in Afghanistan, and influencing the Chinese and Russian decisions through the Taliban’s control, which achieves American interests without a direct military presence in Afghanistan and without loss of life on Afghan soil, materially and humanly. The Taliban becomes under US control.

Representative Dr. Abdullah Al-Thawadi said that the Afghan file looks very similar to the Iraqi file because the stakeholder is one (America), in Iraq it introduced extremist parties and militias to control Iraq's resources and its political decision. In Afghanistan, the scenario is repeated, but with the Taliban movement.

He added: "The challenges facing China on the Chinese side are that the Taliban support the Uyghur Muslims between the borders, which the Taliban theoretically pledged to China not to happen, and the other matter is that China seeks to extend the Silk Road from China to Europe through Afghanistan and the Pakistani port of Gwadar in the Arabian Sea. And from there to the Arab Gulf states, and this is one of America's concerns as well. 

Al-Thawadi stated that the conflict is "American-Chinese" at the highest levels to gain influence and lead the world. Therefore, as it appears that the (Taliban-America) agreement is in response to the agreement (Iran and China) as well, as for the impact of the Taliban’s rule on the international and regional levels in general and on the Arabs and the Arab Gulf states in particular, the Gulf Cooperation Council states are watching the political scene in Afghanistan, especially since the supporter of this agreement is the State of Qatar, which is an active party in it, and also the presence of the Turkish military forces in the capital, Kabul, so the whole world is watching the developments of the political scene in Afghanistan, and accordingly, its path and political direction will become clear in the future.

[yota691]

FRI, AUG 20, 2021

Iran spent years preparing for a Taliban victory. It may still get stung.

IranSource by Borzou Daragahi

AfghanistanIranMiddle EastPolitics & DiplomacySouth Asia

Two Afghan refugee men wearing protective face masks sit in front of a religious flag at a hussainiyah while attending a religious ceremony to commemorate Ashura in Shahr-e-Rey neighborhood in the south of Tehran amid the COVID-19 delta variant outbreak in Iran, August 19, 2021. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)

The United States and other western nations frantically evacuated their embassies in Kabul for fear of the Taliban’s vengeance. But Iran was sitting pretty and staying put. Iran’s embassy in Kabul, as well as its consulate in Taliban-controlled Herat, remained “fully open and operational,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on August 16. 

Iran’s relatively sanguine stance toward the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan demonstrates, above all, the strides Tehran has made in improving its relations with the armed insurgent network that was once considered a mortal enemy of the Islamic Republic. 

Twenty-three years ago, the Taliban murdered eleven diplomats and a journalist at Tehran’s mission in Mazar-i-Sharaf, nearly sparking a war between the two countries. In the intervening years (especially in the last decade), some security factions in Iran have warmed to the Taliban, even as other voices have strenuously objected to any rapprochement with the group. Iran’s outgoing Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, recently hosted the Taliban in Tehran for a meeting with envoys of the US-backed Kabul government, while the country’s new President Ebrahim Raisi called the US withdrawal “an opportunity to restore life, security, and lasting peace in that country.”

“The Taliban has an overly negative image in Iran,” said Mohammad Javad Mousavizadeh, an analyst and researcher in Tehran. “Even recent talks between Iranian officials and the Taliban have [been] met with an adverse public reaction.”

In recent days, Iranian authorities reportedly advised media outlets to tone down any criticism of the Taliban and avoid using terms like “brutality, crime, atrocity” when referring to the group, which is also widely despised in Iran for its genocidal campaign against mostly Shia Afghan Hazaras during the period of its rise and rule from the mid-1990’s to 2001.  

“The surprising development that we’re seeing is that we’ve heard multiple voices in state media arguing that the Taliban are not seeking genocide against Shia,” said Adnan Tabatabai, an Iran watcher and CEO of the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient. “The Iranian security apparatus realized that there is a powerful force on the ground. Iran sought its relationship to the group and shoved aside any other ideological or religious consideration.”

The controversial recasting of the group has likely been promoted by powerful figures within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The commander of the IRGC’s overseas expeditionary Quds Force, Ismail Qaani, is regarded as a veteran Afghanistan player and a purported recruiter of Hazara fighters to Syria. Both US and Afghan officials have accused Iran of collaborating with the Taliban for years.  

The effort to reshape Iranian views of the Taliban has accelerated since their takeover of the country. The prominent Iranian Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Ismael-Zahi, a supporter of the Iranian regime based in the eastern border city of Zahedan, praised the Taliban’s “great victory” over “the occupiers of the puppet government” in Kabul. 

“I assure the world that the Taliban of today are not the Taliban of twenty years ago,” he was quoted as saying by the news outlet Sunni Online. “They have learned and changed their views. Their faults can be amended. We know the Taliban better than many other people in the world because we are their neighbors.”

Meanwhile, the outspoken former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed in a video that he was urged by authorities to keep his mouth shut after warning of the dangers the Taliban posed to Iran. “What relationship do you have with the Taliban…that when we say something about them you get upset?” Ahmadinejad said in a video. “When I see a grave threat to the country, why should I be quiet?”

But it has not been just Iran reaching out to the Taliban to widen its contacts and influence in Afghanistan. The current version of the Taliban has also sought to accommodate Iran to expand the group’s portfolio of diplomatic support beyond Pakistan. 

Last year, the Taliban made a big show of appointing a Shia cleric from the Hazara community as a district governor in northern Afghanistan. The Taliban have regularly condemned attacks on Shia mosques and districts of Afghanistan, presumably being carried out by the local branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which is hostile to both Iran and the Taliban. Most recently, the Taliban came out forcefully to deny any link to a horrific attack on a girls’ school in a mostly Shia district of western Kabul. The group also allowed Shias to commemorate Ashura, a holy holiday, in Mazar-i-Sharaf.

Many Iranian voices are still skeptical, viewing such conciliatory gestures and maneuvers by the Taliban as ploys to convince Afghans they are inclusive while they sought to erode the legitimacy of the Kabul government and assure hesitant international stakeholders. Now that they are in control and once the evacuations of western personnel from Afghanistan has concluded, the real Taliban will emerge, goes the thinking. 

“There’s a debate inside Iran and some are pushing back against this notion that the Taliban have changed,” said Tabatabai. “There are those who are saying the Taliban leaders are saying one thing while the others are just waiting for their moment.”

However, there are also incentives for the Taliban to be on their best behavior and not risk alienating the Islamic Republic. Tehran’s support for the Northern Alliance of anti-Taliban forces and discreet backing of the 2001 US-led NATO invasion played a key role in the toppling of the Taliban, and the group’s leaders likely know it.

As far as Afghanistan’s new Taliban overlords are concerned, conflict with Iran is bad for business. Iran and Afghanistan share a 570-mile border that includes several lucrative trade routes and is a major transit point for the trafficking of opium—a resource the Taliban has depended on to fund itself. Beyond their sectarian differences, both Iran and the Taliban share an antipathy toward the United States and the west in general.

For Iran, the benefits of good relations with the new Taliban are less obvious. Perhaps Tehran can see a silver lining in an autocratic theocracy overseeing Afghanistan rather than a messy, freewheeling democracy close to Washington. But it also had excellent contacts and significant influence with the Kabul governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani. Iran’s emerging status as a Taliban interlocutor has won it some diplomatic influence, including from India, which has sought to reach out to Tehran as a channel to the Taliban. 

Nevertheless, even a kinder, gentler version of the Taliban poses far more risks to Iran than potential rewards. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans fearful of the Taliban’s harsh, fundamentalist interpretation of Islam are already heading to Iran to escape their country, if only to find a better life for women and girls. That could put pressure on a Tehran government already under heavy US sanctions that have yet to be lifted.

Millions of Afghans living in Iran for decades have already become a more outspoken presence. Afghans in cities like Qom have begun holding protests against the Taliban, chanting “death to the Taliban” and “death to Pakistan.” Iranians across the political spectrum view the Taliban with disgust. 

“It is clear to Iranian officials what the nature of the Taliban is,” said Mousavizadeh. “the nature of the Taliban is no different from that of the 1990’s. However, the Taliban have gained experience over the past two decades that has rationalized their behavior, to not repeat the tragedies and crimes of the past.”

There are a few indications that Iran is hedging its bets on the group despite its superficial welcoming of the Taliban’s victory. Even as Iranian officials boasted that the embassy in Kabul and consulate in Herat would remain open, the foreign ministry revealed on August 15 that it quietly shuttered missions in Jalalabad, Kandahar and, of course, Mazar-e Sharif, where the Taliban murdered Iranian personnel. 

Iran may not want to alienate the Taliban and unnecessarily turn them into a threat, but it surely does not trust them.

Borzou Daragahi is an international correspondent for The Independent. He has covered the Middle East and North Africa since 2002. He is also a Nonresident Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Security Initiative. Follow him on Twitter: @borzou.

[yota691]

Former US soldier: The battles of the Afghan war are "a lie"... The army is "paperless" and the government did not exist

© REUTERS / Finbarr O'Reilly

MILITARY MONITOR

GMT 12:31 22.08.2021

Follow us via

A former US soldier said that the Afghan government, which was overthrown by the "Taliban" movement (banned in Russia), did not exist, noting that the Afghan war was full of myths and misinformation.

 

 

© AFP 2021 / -

After the "Taliban" took control... What is the strength of the armies neighboring Afghanistan?

This was reported by the Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post", noting that the speech of former US soldier Graham Platner came during an interview with the newspaper, in which he revealed the existence of deep corruption, myths and misinformation regarding the US role in Afghanistan.

 

Platner also spoke about the reasons for the fall of Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban within days, adding: "They believed myths because they did not have the ability to change the bad reality."

The former US soldier, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, described what happened in the "Afghan War" as a "disgrace."

"On August 7, the Taliban captured Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz state, in the southwest of the country, and it was the first state capital to be captured," says Graham Plattner.

He continued, "Within days, on August 15, the "Taliban" arrived in Kabul after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country."
The former US soldier pointed out that the US forces left Bagram Air Base last July, a month before the Taliban took control.

What is Graham Plattner's experience with the war in Afghanistan?
Platner went to Afghanistan in 2010, coming from Iraq, after nearly a decade of the Afghan war, and was among the American forces sent by former US President Barack Obama, to enhance efforts to combat and eliminate insurgents in the country, and completely change the course of the war, according to his interview with the Israeli newspaper. .

 

"I saw mistakes in the Iraq war before going to Afghanistan in 2010," says the former US soldier.

He continues: "I used to think that General David Petraeus, the commander of the international forces in Afghanistan and his predecessor, General Stanley McChrystal, was saying correct information about Afghanistan."

Platner recalls General McChrystal saying, at the time:
Now we drive on the road as if we are part of the Afghan people and get out and walk out of the vehicles safely.
And the former US soldier adds: It was a good thing for me.

And he continues: "But when I went there, I discovered the reality, which is that the generals say these statements and the junior officers believe them, but no one wants to do anything.

And he added, "They were all recording their success with numbers of missions and operations on paper to get promotions, without accomplishing anything on the ground."
How do you make Afghans happy?
Graham Blattner answers: “You can achieve this with a set of numbers with the most enemy kills and spending the most money on many operations and patrols, regardless of what is actually achieved.”

 

© AFP 2021 / WAKIL KOHSAR

An American soldier at Kabul airport aims his weapon at an Afghan trying to leave the country following the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan

The Afghan army was an army on paper only

The former US soldier says that while the US military made good statistics on what was happening on the ground and passed it down the chain of command to army commanders, the Afghan army was largely an army on paper.

 

And he continues: "In the beginning, we were trying to show that the security forces and the Afghan army were able to perform their tasks independently, but when they failed, we helped them on the ground and announced that they had carried out the mission."

 

 

 

© AFP 2021 / ARUN SANKAR

Afghan army... Soldiers take part in military exercises

He continued, "Therefore, the basis for the mission of international forces in Afghanistan, which is training and assistance, is nothing but a myth, because they were not able to carry out tasks on their own," adding: "It was a deception."

When did Kabul fall?
The Afghan capital, "Kabul", fell to the Taliban movement (banned in Russia) on August 15, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

After taking control of the government, the movement announced a general amnesty for all , called for bloodshed, and pledged to allow those who want to leave the country a smooth exit.

 

 

The Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan came after the withdrawal of US forces from the country, which began last May, after US President Joe Biden issued a decision to implement the withdrawal and end a war, which he said should have ended a long time ago.

 

 

© SPUTNIK

What are the capabilities of the Afghan army?

[dinarham]

What a mess our leaders made . I am the farthest thing from a military expert , but shouldn't it have gone like this? :  Don't announce the pullout to the world , notify the Taliban of  extreme consequences if they interfere with our withdrawal ,secure our weapons from falling into their hands , evacuate  all US citizens and allies , close the embassy , and then our airbase and troops.

[jg1]

6 minutes ago, dinarham said:

What a mess our leaders made . I am the farthest thing from a military expert , but shouldn't it have gone like this? :  Don't announce the pullout to the world , notify the Taliban of  extreme consequences if they interfere with our withdrawal ,secure our weapons from falling into their hands , evacuate  all US citizens and allies , close the embassy , and then our airbase and troops.

Evena 5 year old would know this. So, the question is why? Everything he does is planned, but not to favor the American people. 

Joes plan!

"AMERICA LAST"

Pay for play!

More of the same.

[Rochester]

33 minutes ago, dinarham said:

What a mess our leaders made . I am the farthest thing from a military expert , but shouldn't it have gone like this? :  Don't announce the pullout to the world , notify the Taliban of  extreme consequences if they interfere with our withdrawal ,secure our weapons from falling into their hands , evacuate  all US citizens and allies , close the embassy , and then our airbase and troops.

You don't need to be an expert. You just need common sense. A few of the top people running it are morons. Everyone suffers when morons get into power. I listened to an interview with Thomas Sowell the other day, he's known Joe for decades. Sowell said Biden was always a dufus, going back decades. You can take that, to the bank. America elected an idiot, then put idiots in charge in Afghanistan. 

 

 

[yota691]

US Ambassador: The government of Iraq requested the survival of our forces, and it should not be compared with Afghanistan

political| 06:49 - 08/22/2021

 

 

 

 

Baghdad - Mawazine News
The US ambassador in Baghdad, Matthew Toler, said that the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq should not be compared to their presence in Afghanistan, noting that the Iraqi government was the one who requested that the US forces remain in Iraq.
The ambassador indicated, in a television interview, that the American forces were present in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government to defeat and eliminate the terrorist organization "ISIS", so that it could not return again, and threaten the Iraqi people or neighboring countries, and the ambassador continued: "We are very happy What progress we've made."
He added: "Today, after defeating ISIS and reclaiming lands from them, we are in the final stage of this international campaign," noting that "the Iraqi forces can complete the mission of the war against ISIS, and we are in the final stages of defeating ISIS completely."
The ambassador continued, "We are working with Iraq to secure energy without relying on its neighbors, and that (Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa) Al-Kazemi was able to restore Iraq's relationship with neighboring countries despite all challenges," stressing that "the United States is aware of the importance of Iraq in the region."
The US ambassador to Baghdad said that "Iraq may be heading towards a worrying path in the event of canceling the elections, and that participation in them is better than boycotting."
He added, "The Iraqis refuse to grant immunity to those responsible for the attacks on the demonstrators, and we hope that justice will prevail in the file of attacks on demonstrators."
He pointed out that "there are groups inside Iraq that work against Iraqis who want to build the nation, and challenge the sovereignty of the state, and that the attack on the American embassy by some groups underestimates the Iraqi state," expressing his concern about the corruption file in Iraq.

[ronscarpa]

Thanks yota691 ... 

[Fimum]

The take away from this for me is that in addition to complete (COMPLETE) overhauls required of our intelligence departments, the Pentagon is in desperate need of a top-down rebuild. This is eerily reminiscent of Prussian bureaucratic incompetence in the early 19th century.