The Taliban has released yet another video showing their fighters gathering in the open after overrunning a military base without fear of reprisal from NATO or Afghan warplanes. In many remote areas of Afghanistan, the Taliban has demonstrated that it can operate virtually unfettered.
The Taliban should fear reprisal not just by air power, but by ground forces. This is a Goddamned dangerous development that I thought we'd started to address near the end of the Obama administration (with a bonus discussion of "atomizing" the enemy).
And yet here we are despite an increased American commitment to the campaign.
We need a sense of urgency. Trump needs to start firing the top American commander in Afghanistan if, after 6 months, we don't see improvements that end this Taliban confidence in their ability to mass forces without paying a high price.
