More heartfelt thanks from another fellow American, Old Blue. Your service and insights are priceless.

Old Blue: Knowing the Soviet experience in whatever province and district in which you are operating tells you where the ambush sites are. It’s really that simple.

Knowing old Soviet strategy will help us break our ingrained habit of “fighting the last war”. This becomes important when one realizes that—due to limited arms quality and low technology—the Taliban still are “figting the last war”.

The other part is due to a resurgent Taliban training in a safe haven, fueled with support from as far away as Saudi Arabia and individual citizens of many countries, including ours.

This is the One Big Thing™ that’s got to change. Saudi Arabian financing and Islamic zakat both need to be choked off, even if we have to “strangle” some Saudi Princelings in the process.

The hawala (or hundi) financial transfer system also needs to have its spine snapped.

I wonder if bombing out the roads that connect to Ziarat’s white marble quarries (as Doug commented about), might take a little starch out of some Taliban turbans as well.