I am currently reading a very interesting book about Afghanistan (this thread shares the name of the book). It covers the last 18 years of war and horror they have endured, and it discusses the soviet invasion, the rise and fall of the Mujahadeen, and the rise of the Taliban. It also reveals a lot of interesting truths about some of the people we are working with over there. Truths that my superiors had warned me about but I begged not to be true. Facts like one of the major reasons we have not found Osama bin Laden, is because the people we are PAYING to assist us, are his buddies & cronies. The Northern Alliance were entirely Osama bin Laden sympathizers and supporters. And they are the one we paid to help us fight the Taliban, who were mostly against Osama. The only thing they truly shared with him was a disdain for the west, especially for America, the empire that left Afghanistan to wither and die after the fall of the Soviet Union. It is all very interesting stuff.

I am going to check into this book and read it. Let you know what I thought.

I wish more soldiers were as interested as you in regards to where they are heading. It is a matter of respect and I can only assume it would make a world of difference.

Absolutely, as soon as I got my orders I went out and bought over $100 worth of books about Afghanistan, the Taliban, and Islam. I have also started re-readin the Qu'ran. I think it is very important to know, understand and respect one's enemy.

It bothers the hell out off me when I see soldiers interviewed on T.V. and they all say the same thing "I just don't understand these people"... well what have you done to rectify that?

Life is a continual and gradual process of learning.