Talks end on Bergdahl’s release
The Associated Press reports that the Taliban has ceased negotiations with the US to release Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl who they’ve been holding since 2009;
In a terse Pashto language statement emailed to The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid blamed the “current complex political situation in the country” for the suspension.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the talks said the cause of the suspension was not the result of any issue between the United States and Taliban. He declined to elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.
Yeah, the Taliban can smell the fear, that’s the problem when you’ve put yourself in a position of weakness and try negotiate from that position. This Administration unilaterally declared an end to the war in Afghanistan, but didn’t bother to get the Taliban to agree. The US readily agreed to release 5 Guantanamo graduates, but the Taliban figures they can get a better deal. Got news for the smart diplomacy crowd; if we pull the troops out this year and Bergdahl is still being held by the Taliban or the Haqqani Network, or al Qaeda, or whoever the Hell is holding him, we’re not out. Americans won’t stand for this shit anymore. Grow a pair and get this done.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Terror War
Bottom line, the US (and this administration) is negotiating with terrorists, ending a policy which had, to this point, worked pretty darned well.
The Taliban, now knowing they had the upper hand, wants more. The US balks, the Taliban walks away, and their main enabler Karzai kissing their asses the whole while pushing for whatever he can get.
Didn’t the leftists claim that Bush was a cowboy who had alienated us, and when Obama was elected, the world would love and respect us again?
How’s that been working over the last five years, assholes?
Sorry for the off topic post.
Lest we forget, today is the 69th anniversary of the Battle for Iwo Jima and the raising of the flag.
Here’s to all those Marines and all you Marines today. Here-Here!
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/Camp-Pendleton-Honors-Iwo-Jima-Anniversary-246617341.html
In my humble opinion, that ‘negotiation’ was a test to see what the USeless idiots would agree to. Now they know they can get more, but no one in the Land of F@$@ksticks, Inc., has the intestinal fortitude to issue an ultimatum to them.
And Bergdahl, meanwhile, is probably dying of pneumonia or something equally awful.
This has got to be pretty hard on his family.
Here’s a thought. How about our State Dept convey “in a terse Pashto language statement” to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid that his family, friends, and distant relatives will be killed every few days until Bergdahl is safely delivered to a US embassy. The message can include the information that he (Zabihullah Mujahid) will be saved for last so that he can witness that we kept our side of the deal.
I’m sure that a special place in hell has been reserved for everyone that is dilly dallying and dragging their feet in obtaining his release.
AirCav–we have rules. They don’t. And because of that, they pull shit like this, knowing our “leadership” doesn’t have the balls to rain down steel and fire like they used to.
It used to be, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Now, it’s more like, “Whimper and apologize.” And to those of you who claim that civilized nations don’t behave with vengeance in mind, also remember that nations who don’t knock the shit out of their enemies aren’t nations for very long.
@5, where is the Like button???
@5 I read a Tom Clancy novel a while back that had Jack Ryan making a statement to somebody in a similar tone and telling the State Department to “print it on asbestos paper and sign it in blood.”
I’d say just make sure they know the blood came from a hog.
@7 “Let them hate, so long as they fear…”
Wow why am I not surprised….
@5: Yeah, Jonn mentions that this administration doesn’t have the cajones to handle the situation as it is, so I doubt that your idea, which is a damn good one, would be considered without a lot of hand wringing and bed wetting going on.
Negotiate from a point of weakness, and you will be seen as such. The Taliban know they have already defeated this President, why should they give him anything when they already know they have won?
In Oct 1985, four USSR diplomats were captured by terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon. The USSR reputedly dispatched Spetsgruppa Alfa to Beirut. One diplomat was killed before Alfa arrived.
Alfa IDed those responsible for capturing their diplomats. They reputedly did much what 2/17 Air Cav suggested, with a twist – body parts from the captured relatives were sent to the terrorists (presumably after their demise).
The tactic worked. The USSR and Russia had no further problems with diplomats being taken hostage for over 20 years.
“Americans won’t stand for this shit anymore. Grow a pair and get this done.”
Sorry to say it, Jonn, but yes, Americans will stand for this. Most are only dimly aware of it and only a small fraction of those even care.
However, this farce shows the futility of “negotiation” with the Taliban. “Negotiation” in such situations requires both a carrot and stick. We may have the carrot (the prisoners in Gitmo) but we have no credible “stick.” If we knew where Mullah Omar was we would probably have annihilated him already.
AFAIK we’re still drone-striking both Afghanistan and Pakistan, so what can we threaten to do that we aren’t already doing?
Final question: Is there any credible information that Bergdahl is actually still alive?
If we where some base camps are located? a B-1 with a load of cluster bombs, repeat as needed. Yeah I know Marines want to break everything. Joe