Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Cohesion and disintegration in the Afghan National Army Brian M Downing Afghanistan’s army has excellent equipment, including night-fighting equipment, has been well trained, and has a great deal of combat experience. Nonetheless, it has serious problems most of which predate the Taliban’s ongoing offensive. It’s unlikely to hold the west and it Read More …
Brian M Downing The Afghan war is in its final stages. Districts and border crossings continue to fall to the Taliban and major cities are becoming cut off from one another. Local power holders see the Taliban as inevitable victors and feel pressed to settle with them. The Kabul politicians Read More …
Brian M Downing The Taliban are seizing district after district, border crossing after border crossing. Major cities are increasingly cut off from one another and sieges loom. Government forces are holding up only because of Afghan special forces and American airpower. The former are stretched thin and the latter are Read More …
The Biden administration is pulling out of Afghanistan. It should have been done ten years ago when it was clear the effort was lost. We were hoping for the best and now must prepare for the worst. The question of who lost Afghanistan, like everything in Washington, will be handled Read More …
Brian M Downing The Taliban appear unstoppable and Kabul is in trouble. Districts are falling one after the other and the army may disintegrate into ethnic militias, warlord bands, and roving bands. Kabul will face siege in a few months. That raises worries about the US embassy. It became immense Read More …
Brian M Downing The American war The Taliban’s harboring of al Qaeda of course led to the US intervention in 2001. The campaign to expel the Taliban and AQ went remarkably well but subsequent efforts to stabilize and unify the nation failed. The Taliban reconstituted itself and AQ found refuge Read More …
Brian M Downing The US went into Afghanistan in 2001 with the lofty goals of democratizing and modernizing it. Today, neither has been approximated and the goals seem naive or foolhardy. The effort has failed, though no one in Washington wants to admit it. The political system is hopelessly corrupt, Read More …
Brian M Downing The Obama administration’s review of the war in Afghanistan came and went. A precis of the review and the ensuing agenda had been leaked well beforehand and excited little interest let alone debate – public attention is elsewhere. The military presented scads of data that argued the Read More …