Jack, you need to get your facts straight.
That's pretty laughable, coming from someone who posted this clinker:
...the "we" that beat the Taliban (which did not exist until several years AFTER the Russians were driven out) and AQ consisted largely of other Afghans--
The CIA being on the ground "weeks" before the SF doesn't change the fact that the ragtag Afghani NA forces were impotent against the Taliban until US technology, highly trained warriors and air power cleared the way. The bearded guys on ponies came in afterward to occupy the killing ground. Americans sure as hell beat the Taliban, and we should be proud of the fact, not denying it.
Dodging your own "facts" from your previous post, Jack? Some leopards never change their spots. You had SF teams calling in airstrikes. Here is the ACCURATE chronology:
26 Sept--CIA team "boots on the ground" with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan
7 October--Bombing campaign begins
19 October--First SF Team (OD-555, "Triple Nickel") boots on ground with the Northern Alliance
Clever of those SF guys to call in airstrikes a couple weeks before they got there.
Once more, Jack--air power alone has never won a war, and it sure as heck did not win that one. Yes, we should be proud of what we did in Afghanistan--but we should also recognize the fact that initially, virtually ALL the ground troops (and yes, there was heavy fighting on the ground) were Afghans of the Northern Alliance.
Do your reading assignment; get your facts straight.
