Thread by @tomiahonen

Afghanistan Thread 1/

Afghanistan government is collapsing and the Taliban is taking over the country as USA pulls out. The Republicans are out in full force trying to hide from the blame & shame

This is ALL their fault

But it is not that simple. It is WORSE than that..

Afghanistan Thread 2/

The Afghanistan War for America has lasted 20 years. Most who are commenting about it today have no history about it. Consider that in your comments. This was my FIRST comment about Afghanistan on Twitter TEN YEARS ago, a retweet:

Afghanistan Thread 3/

Some suggest Biden has committed some 'mistake' now. No. It was the War Criminals Dick Cheney, W and Rumsfeld who took America to this quagmire that is UNWINNABLE

Let us examine BRIEFLY why it was OBVIOUSLY a lost cause

Afghanistan Thread 4/

100 years ago, after the First World War ended, the British Empire had grown to its peak (year 1921) when 23% of the planet's population was governed by the British. It is the largest empire the world has ever seen, before or since. And that was its peak.

Afghanistan Thread 5/

As Britain had just won in the First World War (ended 1918) it was also the MILITARY PEAK of British dominance. UNPRECEDENTED dominance of the world in a military sense. An army now rested, and overflowing with brand new weapons of mechanized war

Afghanistan Thread 6/

India was the "Crown Jewel" of the British Empire. Strategical touch-point to Russia (was Soviet Union) China, & French empire in Indo-China (Vietnam etc). The British army in India was exceptionally powerful

This army fought Afghanistan in 1919

And lost.

Afghanistan Thread 7/

Britain was not 'busy somewhere else'. The First World War had ended a year earlier. There was literally nothing else going on. Yet the biggest empire humankind had ever seen, with the most powerful military OF ALL TIME (up to then) lost. In Afghanistan

Afghanistan Thread 8/

After this loss in Afghanistan, the British Empire started to lose it wars, and the empire fell apart. It is a fair claim by the Afghans that they put an END to the most powerful empire that ever existed. Or, they delivered the first blow to the beatings..

Afghanistan Thread 9/

Move ahead 60 years. Just 42 years ago, in 1979, there still existed the Soviet Union (the remnants of that nation are now Russia, a far smaller and far weaker nation). The Soviets had the world's biggest military back then, by a LARGE MARGIN.

Afghanistan Thread 10/

The Soviet military was FAR LARGER than the COMBINED military power of NATO, including European allies PLUS the USA, plus Canada. Yes. The Soviets were that big. They had 40,000 tanks. ALL OF NATO combined had 24,000 tanks including all American reserves

Afghanistan Thread 11/

I need to underline this point for my American followers. In NATO drills in late 1970s, TOTAL NATO military would have lost a shooting war to a Soviet attack in 72 HOURS. That was CONSENSUS. Look it up. All of Europe trembled, fearing when will they come

Afghanistan Thread 12/

We don't need to count Navy, as Afghanistan is a land-locked country. The Aghan air force was barely more than a club of hang-glider pilots. Afghanistan was going to be a LAND WAR. And the Soviet army of 1979 was BY FAR the most powerful army ever built

Afghanistan Thread 13/

The Soviet Army was the first mechanized military in history, that could place its TOTAL army inside ARMORED vehicles, safe from nuclear radiation or gas or biological weapons. And fight with a MILLION MEN like this, at the same time. Inside steel vehicles

Afghanistan Thread 14/

Having seen America fight in Vietnam, Soviets had studied use of helicopters and identified their weakness. They were too easy to shoot down. So Soviets deployed the Mil 24, the world's first BULLET-PROOF helicopter. Armored like a light tank in the air

Afghanistan Thread 15/

This unprecedented mechanical monster, the most powerful and unstoppable military ever created, riding inside literally bullet-proof armored veichles, rolled into Afghanistan in 1979.

Ten years later in 1989 they had lost and left Afghanistan, defeated

Afghanistan Thread 16/

MOST military experts in 2001 warned, that war in Afghanistan will be long and bloody, and PROBABLY unwinnable. They said it will last AT LEAST as long as US in Vietnam (10 years) or Soviets in Afghanistan (10 years). Many said it is CERTAINLY unwinnable

Afghanistan Thread 17/

It is fair to say that in 2001, when war criminals Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld & W decided to invade Afghanistan, there had been TECHNOLOGICAL advances, which MIGHT change the battlefield. Most obviously smart weapons, and drones. MAYBE victory might be possible

Afghanistan Thread 18/

By 2004, evidence was OVERWHELMING, that there will NEVER be victory in Afghanistan. Most American experts agreed by then. Since 2004 it has been a war of the PSYCHOLOGY of GETTING OUT OF THE WAR

Except to a few in GOP, Afghanistan gamble had been LOST

Afghanistan Thread 19/

In the 2008 Presidential election, Obama wanted out of Iraq and Afghanistan. John McCain wanted to remain in both

Obama won, was able to take USA out of Iraq, but not out of Afghanistan. He reduced US troops there drastically, but did not get out

Afghanistan Thread 20/

In 2012 Presidential election Republican Romney agreed with Obama, that USA needs to get out of Afghanistan.

In 2016 Republican Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton both promised to take USA out of Afghanistan

Trump won. But he BROKE HIS PROMISE

Afghanistan Thread 21/

In 2020 Presidential election Joe Biden promised he will take USA out of Afghanistan & Trump promised the same.

Everybody knew, Afghanistan war was a mistake & the war is lost. It falls to the Taliban. Republicans have promised since 2012 they will leave

Afghanistan Thread 22/

For ANY Republican now to blame Biden for cleaning up a Republican shitstorm, is absurd

It's like the arsonist blames the fireman for putting out the fire. Republicans? Shut. The. Fuck. Up. You served this turd sandwich

Blame THESE ASSHOLES for your loss

PS to all in this thread

I have written a follow-up piece. It explores the Taliban

PS PS

THANK YOU

To all who retweeted this Thread. This series of Tweets has been read by over 340,000 people. That is nearly 4x larger reach than my TOTAL audience of people who follow me. It is because of you, who kindly retweeted this to your followers. THANK YOU

PS PS PS

I have now completed my third and final part in the Trilogy on Afghanistan. Looking forward, what is happening now and into near future: