The Liberation of Kabul

Yesterday, the Northern Alliance rolled into Kabul right behind the fleeing forces of the Taliban. Within a month, half of the nation of Afghanistan has been liberated from Taliban rule. The Washington Post argues that now is the time to eliminate the retreating Taliban. While it’s usually considered poor form to attack a retreating enemy, it’s also wise to prevent them from going to ground in the southern mountains of Afghanistan. There could be nothing more demoralizing to the Taliban than to have to cut a hasty retreat while being fired upon by the guns of an AC-130 gunship overhead.

Of course, the peace protestors are the ones who really have egg on their faces. The fact that these major cities are under Alliance control means that it will be that much easier to deliver humanitarian supplies to the refugees. It was only due to the massive US bombing of Taliban positions that the Alliance could press forward, opening the routes to Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul for aid. Had we waited for negotiations, it’s likely the the winter would have caused millions to starve. It’s just another example of why the use of swift, judicious, and massive military force is the best way of dealing with the problems in Afghanistan.

Now, onwards to Baghdad to finish the job we started ten years ago…