BY ROBERT FISK
THE news from Afghanistan is very bad. No one says that, of course. President Ashraf Ghani has a “national unity government” that “supports a strong partnership with the United States”, according to President Barack Obama.
Sure, Kunduz was captured by the Taliban – but then the Afghans got it back (though minus one American-bombed hospital, along with most of its patients and doctors). Sure, Sangin was captured by the Taliban – but now the Afghan army is fighting to get it back.
But didn’t more than a hundred British soldiers die to hold Sangin? Sure, but American troops in Iraq died to hold and keep Mosul – and Mosul is now the home of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who heads the militant Islamic State (IS) group.
And US troops in Iraq died to capture Fallujah, then lost it, and died all over again to recapture it – and Fallujah is now in the hands of IS.
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