38384

38384 t1_j2fs83i wrote

To be fair they did weaken the Taliban considerably in 2001 and had the upper hand for the next few years until the fuck ups started that led to Taliban growing again and eventually winning. If Bush didn't have the "we don't negotiate with terrorists" mindset, they could've made peace with the weakened Taliban in 2001 and potentially prevent the 20 year headache.

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38384 t1_j26jova wrote

They actually did. 3 months of heavy fighting, thousands of fighters killed on both sides, civilians including women even volunteered to defend against Taliban. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Taliban_offensive

The international headline was that Kabul fell in one day without a bullet fired. It's very misleading not to take into account all the events that led to it in the months prior to it. Unless you were closely following the war, you wouldn't know of the lengthy battles fought in the provinces and border crossings.

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38384 t1_iyebcw4 wrote

Interestingly back in '79 when Khomeini founded the Islamic Republic, he let it be known that Muslims on both sides should unite and work together, against Israel. I wouldn't clarify him as being "anti Sunni". Funny enough, since then it has actually turned into Sunni vs Shia because of Saudi Arabia, and they're now siding with Israel.

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