Comments on: Rage, Boredom, Misplaced Offensives

By: Joel Hafvenstein

Joel Hafvenstein — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:41:19 +0000

Josh – last time I checked in December, the US had given up on fixing Kajaki:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8412602.stm

While I agree with you that Helmand shouldn’t soak as much of our effort as it does, Kajaki was legitimately important. Reliable electricity is key to supporting economic growth in the South, and the lack of it is (as Nathan says) a significant source of discontent. Since 2003, we’ve been promising to provide it from Kajaki, and have highlighted repeatedly how many resources we’ve put into the effort (notably “the British army’s largest route-clearance operation since World War II”).

The fact that we’ve apparently given up on Kajaki after so many wasted lives (not just foreign soldiers; accurately or not, Helmandis speak of 200 Afghan civilian lives lost in the big British operation to get the turbine in there) and hundreds of millions of dollars is a huge propaganda victory for the Taliban across the South. I can’t think of another single project that has failed so spectacularly.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:58:11 +0000

I wish Joshua would tell us what areas he considers vital and why.

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:42:57 +0000

@Jeff – that’s just one of the many perks of being a snarky sharpshooter spouting vitriol from half a world away – you never have to give any right answers, you just have to explain (of course in as hip and sarcastic a way as possible) how wrong the other guy is based on your own manufactured sense of authority.

By: Capt. Monkey

Capt. Monkey — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:45:29 +0000

Maybe I’m not the guy to chime in since I think of Southern Nuristan and central Kunar (considered to be hinterland terrority, not populated densly enough to warrant any effort) as being strategically important. I also think that in the valleys, where the people are concentrated as densly as anywhere else in Afghanistan, warrant an effort by our forces… but hey, I’m just a dumb nug…

By: M Shannon

M Shannon — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:48:23 +0000

Nothing in Afghanistan is vital to us. Kabul and Jalalabad are vital to the Afghan gov. Mazar, Kunduz and Herat are very important. Kandahar is a nice to have which is why our Afghan allies have put so little effort into pacifying it. Helmand is not important at all which makes our pouring troops into it such a tactical success for the Taliban as they move north to attack the important targets of Herat, Mazar and Kunduz.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:10:32 +0000

What’s odd about this piece is that you don’t tell us what area(s) in Afghanistan ARE vital…

If not Helmand, then where?

By: Joshua Foust

Joshua Foust — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:21:51 +0000

Well, and I’d look at it from a higher strategic perspective. The Brits devoted resources from dealing with the Musa Qala disaster to protect Kajaki. Thanks to our inability to really control the roads for so long, the Taliban were in essence taxing any power it generated… which kind of defeated the purpose anyway. And for a couple of years, we needed a full battalion just to keep it from being overrun.

While Kajakai is important in the long run, I just don’t see how the resources it has eaten up can be considered well spent.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:18:54 +0000

Agreed. The most common complaint I heard was that ISAF/UN/US/USAID, etc. had not done enough to bring the dam up to full operating capacity. Although most of them don’t understand the complexities of hydro-electric power (neither do I), they knew that the third turbine was not in place. The locals couldn’t understand why the international forces (which they consider to be all-powerful and surpassingly rich) were not able to accomplish this feat of engineering.

By: Joshua Foust

Joshua Foust — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:37:32 +0000

I actually don’t dispute that the dam is important. I’m just saying I don’t know anyone who considers our efforts there to be a success. Starting with when we bombed it in 2001.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:35:38 +0000

Having just returned from a quick mission to the area around the Kajaki Dam, I can say that the locals there think that the security of the dam itself is key to the area’s future. Not sayint they’re right, but that’s what they think.