The Taliban has compared the failures and withdrawal plans of the US-led occupation of Afghanistan to the US retreat in Vietnam, and called 2012 "the beginning of the invaders' scamper."

The group's "Quick Glance at 2012" released Wednesday highlighted what it portrayed as "advancements and achievements" including insider attacks, and declared, "We can unmistakably state that 2012 in Afghanistan for the current occupation was exactly as 1986 was for the former [Soviet] occupation."

The statement reads in part:

In reality, they want to flee from Afghanistan just as they turned tail and ran from Vietnam. When America faced utter destruction in Vietnam, they came up with the formula 'declare victory and run' and want to utilize the formula of 'transfer security and run' here in Afghanistan. It must be stated that the fleeing of invaders is a positive step for our countrymen because as the invasion is rolled up, the vast swaths of the country will automatically be liberated and the shadow of occupation will be lifted from the nation.

The US combat mission is set to officially end in 2014, but its occupying forces are nowhere near ending.

The grassroots group Afghan Peace Volunteers recently wrote:

The majority of U.S. citizens who want the war in Afghanistan to end will be disappointed that there won’t be a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2014 after all.

There will not be a complete U.S. troop withdrawal in 2014. [...]

There were never plans to withdraw all U.S. troops in 2014.

"Withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2014" is Obama’s "war of perceptions."

Journalist Dave Lindorff also sees what is portrayed as the 2014 withdrawal as a part of an empire marketing strategy:

So how then, can Obama, Biden and the generals be promising that the war will be ended in 2014?

The answer is that they are not calling what will be happening after 2014 a "war." They will be changing the definition of the word "war."

It is totally predictable that the unfortunate soldiers who are ordered over as part of that 10,000-member force of "trainers" after 2014 will be subjected to attacks by Taliban fighters, by suicide bombers, and by IED mines. Their bases will be hit by mortars and rockets. When they travel, their vehicles will be the targets of RPGs. They will also be subject to attack by members of the Afghan military whom they are ostensibly training, since the Taliban have already learned that infiltration of the country’s army is a great way to get close to the American forces, the better to hit them when their guard is down or their backs are turned.

Inevitably, the US forces will be forced to fight back, and to take the offensive too. There will certainly continue to be US airstrikes, and we can be sure that armed attack drones will be widely employed also, guaranteeing the creation of plenty of new enemy forces sworn to punish and drive out the US.

None of this will, of course, be described as "war" by the US, or by the compliant corporate media in America.

* * *

The full Taliban statement can be seen here.

_________________________