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I hope that the above link works because the journalist Christina Lamb has spent more time in Afghanistan than the like of Hitchens, Kaplan, Applebaum and all the other Fray columnists rolled together and she's got plenty to say.

The bottom line is that without a political solution (i.e. somebody else other than Karzi) then we're going nowhere. A self evident point but one that is only sinking in with our own leaders.

As the article also points out the cost of the armaments being expended in Afghanistan far outweighs the money being spent on improving the quality of life in Afghanistan. which surely must be one of the reasons that we are there.

And the fact that to many ordinary Afghans, the taliban are prefereable to the Afghan police also speaks volumes.

Without progress on the political front, so that ordinary Afghans can see a tangible improvement to their daily life, shipping more troops into Afghanistan simply creates a target rich environment for the taliban.