Afghan security forces are fighting Taliban insurgents to a stalemate, a U.S. government watchdog said in a new report. ...
It also said the number of people living under government and insurgent control remained the same over the last quarter despite an intense aerial campaign by U.S. and Afghan forces. [emphasis added]
Sigh. Bombing does not substitute for putting your troops on the ground if the objective is to control the ground.
More bombing is great if your troops can direct and exploit the bombing to take territory (and I argued for it on our way out and during our return), but alone it is just a punitive expedition. It is better than doing nothing, but it is attrition.
It's even fantastic that there is more air support in Afghanistan. But if the strategy is to give up territory, that territorial stalemate will shift to an advantage for the Taliban despite an intense aerial campaign into the future.
