Comment by shevy-java | Hacker News Reader

Comment by shevy-java | Hacker News Reader

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I somewhat agree - not necessarily with your content here, but that the article is written ... strangely.

For instance:

> US forces leave country where 4,500 of them died in worst US war of 21st century

I am not even certain that this war was worse than the Afghanistan war. Perhaps the Iraq war was objectively worse, but since the sudden withdrawal in Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban in charge, I am not so sure which war was worse. I am not even sure how to qualify it, so Reuters stating this was the worst war is ... indeed a strange label to use. Wasn't Reuters indeed more objective in the past? And with that I mean objective at all times, not white-washing or black-washing.

I now finished reading the article and it indeed seems op-ed. The reader now thinks that the war against Iran must continue. I still fail to understand why the USA invaded the area. Other than some making enormous profits, of course. If 911 was used as a rationale, why was not Saudi Arabia attacked?

I also tripped over that line but I think it’s content is very specific and the number of deaths is the clue: in terms of deaths the Iraq war is definitely the worst war of the US in the 21st century. You have to very literally read that line. And in that context that claim makes sense: In terms of deaths the Iraq war was the worst war.

Now, there are certainly other axis along which you can judge a war.

american deaths

The US had a clear reason to be in Afghanistan. It was a brutal quagmire with thousands of deaths (and many more Afghani deaths), but one could at least argue there was purpose in the beginning.

Iraq was 4500 dead for one Texan trying to imitate daddy while listening to his CEO buddies.

United States lost a total of 2,459 military personnel in Afghanistan. It had less military deaths.

> > US forces leave country where 4,500 of them died in worst US war of 21st century

> I am not even certain that this war was worse than the Afghanistan war

The Iraq war from 2003-2011 (8-9 yr) had twice as many US troop deaths (4430) as the Afghanistan war (~20 yr)(2450) in double the amount of time.

*correction/clarity: should say "in half the amount of time."

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