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Joe Votel was only a few weeks into his new job as commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the US Army’s elite special operations force, when Al Qaeda hijackers attacked New York.
At his base in Fort Benning, in the southern state of Georgia, his secretary came into his office and told him to switch on the TV.
“It was confusion and then shock of what was happening,” the now retired four-star general recalled, speaking to The National from his home in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Then came the “realisation that everything had kind of changed on that day. We knew things were going to be different. We didn't know exactly how.”
We had other options available to us here. I'm sad that we have chosen to go in the direction we have.
General Joe Votel
In the two decades since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Gen Votel’s career followed the arc of America’s military response.
Having retired in 2019, he is now watching aghast as Afghanistan unravels at breakneck speed and is reflecting on some of the missed opportunities from America’s so-called War on Terror.
“We need to be level with the American people in terms of how hard these things are,” Gen Votel said when asked what lessons could be drawn from the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Another thing that ought to be learned out of this is really the limits of the military…. There has been a belief by our policymakers and others that if we just continue to drop enough bombs, provide enough troops … then we can turn this around.
“That's an important part of this, but the military is insufficient, in and of itself, to accomplish strategic objectives like we had in Afghanistan.”
The former commando, who now is a distinguished senior fellow on national security at the Middle East Institute, was one of the first officers to parachute into Afghanistan during the US-led invasion of October 2001.
Years later -- after heading the Special Operations Command -- he ran the Pentagon’s Central Command (Centcom) that oversees US operations across Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Early on in the Afghanistan war, the US and its main ally Britain maintained a “light touch” approach, relying on air power and small numbers of commandos to topple the Taliban.
Special forces troops were quick to achieve this goal, but the Pentagon would not allow them to push their strategic advantage, instead relying on more air strikes and untrained Afghan militias.
“If we'd have been more aggressive ... we could have solidified the situation a bit quicker and brought stability to the country faster, and then move forward on some of the more important governance and other issues that that needed to be addressed,” Gen Votel said.
Vast numbers of Taliban fighters fled to neighbouring Pakistan or rural areas in the south and elsewhere.
Gen Votel recalled the US intelligence community learning of the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden and other senior Al Qaeda leaders, who were hiding out in the Tora Bora mountainous region of Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan.
“We had an opportunity at Bin Laden, and really to strike a very devastating blow against Al Qaeda in December of 2001,” Gen Votel said.
But “for a variety of reasons, we were unable to capitalise on that. And then, I think our campaign wandered a little bit," he added. Bin Laden crossed into Pakistan and melted into the rugged tribal area.
With Bin Laden’s escape, the Afghan mission was only half complete. The consequences of failing to fully vanquish the Taliban and Al Qaeda early on paved the way for the brutal insurgency that followed.
But no sooner than it had invaded Afghanistan, then-president George W. Bush’s administration set its sights on Iraq – even though Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11.
The diversion of resources and attention to a new invasion has been blamed for many of the ensuing failures of the US mission in Afghanistan.
“Where we made a mistake was not pressing harder. On Afghanistan, we really had the opportunity, when the Taliban were really on the outs there … to start looking at how we were going to re-engage with that part of the population and to solidify the security environment and really press hard against Al Qaeda,” Gen Votel said.
“There was a lot of focus back here in the United States on Iraq and that took a sucked a lot of oxygen out of the air.”
Critics have also pointed to negotiations in Bonn in December 2001 as seeding future conflict. The Taliban were denied a seat at the table as western powers picked their successors.
With no stake in a future government, the Taliban asserted that any “puppet” regime would be illegitimate -- messaging they stuck to for 20 years.
“It took us several years before we'd kind of figured out that we needed to put more emphasis on the ground [in Afghanistan]. Again, a lot of a lot of that was because of our some of our distraction with Iraq,” Gen Votel said.
Over the years, western powers have spent billions of dollars training and equipping Afghanistan’s forces, with some 300,000 national police and soldiers filling the ranks.
Countries like the US insisted the Afghan security forces were strong enough to stand alone, pointing to a nascent air force and elite special forces units as particular success stories.
But it is now clear this assessment was staggeringly misguided.
Afghanistan watchers have for years warned of inherent weaknesses in the Afghan military and police forces, which are beset by corruption, but the pace of the collapse has stunned even sceptics.
The Taliban have taken over most of the country, with Kabul next on their list.
A tide of humanity is descending on the capital as people seek to flee the Taliban onslaught amid reports of executions and the kidnapping of young girls for Taliban brides.
Gen Votel said such an outcome was predictable amid a rushed US withdrawal. The relatively small Nato footprint – and US air power – had been enough to keep the Taliban at bay for years, he said.
“We could have left a small sustainable presence on the ground that would have helped preserve our interests,” he said.
He sees little hope for what comes next.
“I'm sad for the people of Afghanistan. The good people of Afghanistan really deserve an opportunity for peace and stability. I'm disappointed that we weren't able to deliver for them,” he said.
“We had other options available to us here. I'm sad that we have chosen to go in the direction we have.”
All of which leads to the inevitable question: was any of it worth it?
“I've been asked this question several times,” Gen Votel said.
“For a variety of reasons, we have not achieved the political, strategic end state that we would have desired in this. ... I don't think it minimises the service of anybody that was that fought there, that served there, or who had loved ones lost there”.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Lewis Hamilton in 2018
Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Company%C2%A0profile
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
