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Old 07-29-2007, 12:45 PM   #43
octothorp
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Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99 View Post
So the question is....

Is the Taliban a military orginization or are they a legitimate government?

If the goal was to remove then completely from Afghanistan, then there will never be "victory".

If it was to undermine the iron-fist rule they were using, then victory has been achieved, but the war will continue.
I'd classify them as simply a military organization. Even when in power, they were never really much more than a military organization masquerading as a government.

I guess it's a matter of semantics then on how you define victory. If you define victory according to your second definition, then victory was achieved before our troops even went over there. I'd define victory as reaching a point where Afghan citizens can maintain their own safety and democratic government without outside intervention, which is why I see it victory as being attainable but still a long way off.
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