what we have, some using the religion to gain power and mixed with politics. they use the Holly book for their personal gain and easy to be followed.

As the Shia -Sunni violence, I do not think that major today specially in countries like Iraq, Lebanon and other place were openly people predominant “Shia” raises their voices against their religious figures and leaders like Nasrallah and Sistani and other heads in fact they are now humiliated and there lies vey obvious they care about their followers while they causing the problem not just for “Shia” but all of ethnics and religious grope and believers its very clear in Iraq.

As to Qutb’s books. I haven’t read them, but my understanding of the contents from many reports I have read is that they are aimed at rekindling a strict interpretation of the Quran along the lines of Wahhab’s interpretations. Qutb had a loathing for the culture of the West derived from his experience of it while studying at Colorado Teacher’s College in Greeley, Colorado. The strict interpretation of Wahhab’s teaching leads to an intolerance of all things Western. The idea of conducting jihad against all infidels comes from the strict interpretation of the Quran as advocated by Wahhab.

The wars over interpretations of the Bible took place over approximately 300 years. Eventually, the various Christian sects decided to quit fighting over differing interpretations and tolerate one another. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wars_of_religion

I expect the violence over the interpretation of the Quran and the Shia -Sunni split to continue. But we have to call it what it is: Religious war sparked by differing interpretations of a book whose authorship is seemingly known, but may be uncertain. Peace in a multi religious world depends, to a great extent, on tolerance. IMO.

The Muslim Brotherhood (Started by al-Banna and Qutb.), which still exists in many places in the Muslim world, wanted to eject all Westerners from the Muslim Middle East by force. They met with vehement opposition because, at the time, the world was very dependent on the ME for oil. The world still needs ME crude, but the oil sheikdoms have become hooked on oil wealth. (Except Iran. They have beggared their nation for a chance to develop nuclear weapons.)They need to money to flow just as much as the West needs their crude. It’s now a shaky marriage of convenience.

At least that’s my interpretation of the situation. YMMV

The Taliban conquests map graphic in the article is a snapshot of the same dynamic-update map source I cite in comment above this. Article map already noticeably out of date.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-army-collapse-taliban-11628958253

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/pavak.patel/viz/TalibanKnockingontheDoor/geo

Hat Tip: https://www.longwarjournal.org/

I’m waiting for them to raise the Transphobia Threat Level to Orange.

They don’t teach that at Harvard. And it’s not in the NYT Style Guide. So how can it be?

What is the lecture you speak of mister ill windy, one that blows no good?

Could Joe Biden’s humiliation get worse? Yes, it could. If American bombers have to destroy American aircraft on the ground to prevent their being used by the Taliban. I am not sure whether that is happening; take this report for what it is worth:

It seems likely that the planes are at risk of being taken by the Taliban, but less likely they can use them; apparently, they are shooting the pilots trained by the US (see D4x below).

This has Dyer’s usual details on the military deployments, if anyone is interested.

https://libertyunyielding.com/2021/08/12/u-s-to-deploy-troops-to-evacuate-embassy-in-afghanistan-waiting-staff-to-be-relocated-for-security/

One reason we are likely acting so quickly right now is that our ability to move via ground transportation within Afghanistan or through the corridor into Pakistan appears to be all but gone. Basically, Fortress Kabul is rapidly losing secure communication with the territory outside of it.

Social media updates from around Afghanistan indicate the Taliban are moving into villages and executing men, demanding younger men join them, threatening those younger men’s families, and rounding up young women and girls to “force into marriage”; i.e., rape and abuse. The low-cutoff age for this is said to be 12. I saw an estimate this week that Afghan refugees fleeing on foot and seeking asylum are likely to total some 1-3 million.
…
It appears the somewhat garbled reporting earlier was to paper over the Pentagon briefing point that the 1,000 personnel deploying to Qatar are to process visa applications for the Afghans, but spox John Kirby would not commit on whether we are actually evacuating the Afghan allies (interpreters, etc.). This would paint a scenario in which the embassy brings bags of SIV applications to Qatar and a bunch of applications get processed, but there’s no clarity on what happens to the, you know, living, breathing Afghans.

We can hope there’s more to it than this, but it hasn’t been clarified yet that I’ve seen.

In re the discussion to this point, the commenters at LU have quite a bit to say.
I don’t know if any of them are “objectively true” but they appear to have some familiarity with the situation.

D4x (who is always worth reading) gives some background.

This week, comment threads on Afghanistan posts show how One Big Lie graveyard of empires, has stolen Afghanistan’s real history.
Instead, we could all learn what happens when Communists steal a nation, as happened in 1973 -1978 Afghanistan.
…
After the British Great Game’s three Anglo-Afghan Wars, (1839-1842) (1878-1880), and 1919, Afghanistan had peace, increasing prosperity and modernity during the reign of King Zahir Shah, 1933-1973, which ended in a coup by Communists.
…

OldArmyBrat59 (also quite shrewd on military matters, although not himself a veteran)

There is actually no Afghanistan. They are sub tribes within tribes within major ethnicities and linguistic groups. There is really no Afghanistan… it doesn’t exist in their minds. They are Pashtuns of this family and tribe, or Urdus of that family and tribe. They operate in a social political context that most western Liberals do not understand and dismiss out of hand. They will fight for their tribal group as long as they see that fight in their tribal group’s interest.

It’s a non-Western pre 16th century mentality that they both maintain and find to be their chosen mode of operation as dictated by their concept of god.

As I explained below. Rummy had the formula.. leverage the tribal affiliations, form tribal councils and intertribal governing bodies within the bounds of those tribes long relationships, and keep a light western footprint on the situation.

The Democrat Party and Globalist Deep State don’t know anymore about light footprints than the Afghan tribes know about operating as a nation-state.

After Barry heavied up the presence and tried to convert the Afghan tribes into some sort of Westphalian model… BTW… the Afghan war ended in 2002. The remainder was a constabulary action, and the Oboingo regime converted that into a Globalist Liberal model. So we actually spend 19 1/2 years being the Afghan national police force, not an occupying army with a purpose and end goal in sight. In short, it was always doomed to fail.

D4x to OAB59 – these are presumably the planes that may have to be eliminated.

Thanks for your points about the past 20 years, especially about the idiot Rules of Engagement that failed to crush the Taliban and their heroin trade past 20 years. But, Afghans will fight, if they have air support, especially for medevac. The Afghan Air Force was DoD’s best effort: USA trained the pilots and supplied the helos and Brazil’s Embraer A29 Super Tucanos (close air-support, bombers) assembled in Jacksonville for Afghan Air Force.
…
But, USA also made Afghan Air Force dependent on USA contractors for all maintenance and USA for munitions.
Biden’s DoD forgot to insure AAF sustained maintenance and re-supply.
Plus, Taliban has targeted AAF pilots for assassination.
Eight pilots murdered so far.

Afghanistan had peace and prosperity during the last King, Mohammed Zahir Shah, 1933-1973. Our biggest mistake was not installing Hamid Karzai as King, while MZShah was still alive. Until his death in 2007, he lived with Karzai. In 2002, JSOC’s mission was bringing, and protecting, Karzai back – the only person every single tribe said was necessary. That’s because Karzai, chief of the Popalzai Durranis, is the hereditary successor to Afghanistan’s first King, Ahmad Shah Durrani, 1747-1772. It is possible to unite Afghan’s tribes.

There are no ‘Urdus’. Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, a Persianized Hindi adopted by the Mughals.

You also can not lump all Pashtuns together. Never insult a Yousefzai by saying he’s a Waziri. That blood feud is 500 years old. Both those tribes live in Pakistan. I’ve forgotten the Ghilzai jokes that still pop up in British film.

Brits did so much damage after their Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1878-1880, by imposing, in 1893, the Durand Line border that split the Pashtuns between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Biggest border drawing malpractice in history.

Maybe not THE biggest, but among the worst of a very bad lot in the Middle East.

OldArmyBrat59

That deployment is expanded to 3,000 troops, yes, but that’s a brigade sized formation. And they will need logistical support. Is that support in the brigade or is it going to be additional? My guess is that it may well be the latter.

There were no notices of the mix of battalions so the combat capability is unknown (good we really shouldn’t know). But combat units (with the exception of the old Armored Cavalry Regiments) are not self supporting so it’s going to be interesting. Not something the folks wanting to bug out will like much, though.

But it looks like the Taliban goofed up and didn’t wait long enough. Giap had the strategic sense to make sure that the Americans had completely removed themselves and self-destructed before beginning his final offensive.

So… Afghanistan grinds on… The “Temporary” will do what it always does for the DoD… make rock soup… I am seeing the makings of a re-deployment and a short sharp and deadly encounter to chase off the Taliban…

And it’ll be back to constabulary operations in perpetuity.

rbj

20 years and a trillion dollars for an Afghan army that won’t fight.

Triumph of the Will is your style Z. My father was wounded in 1944 by your blood and soil pukes.