It should come as no surprise that President Obama has secretly extended
the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan. Empires do not retreat unless
they are defeated. This is especially true of U.S. imperialism, which,
like no other empire in history, seeks to bring the entire planet under
its control. That’s why the United States maintains 900 military bases
in 130 countries. It’s why Washington is methodically subverting
international law, which it views as an impediment to its goal of global
domination. And, that’s why President Obama never had any intention of
withdrawing from Afghanistan, the longest war in American history.
Barack Obama is no different than any other U.S. imperial leader –
except that he is a more accomplished liar than most. He spoke with
forked tongue back in May, when he promised that, after the end of this
year, U.S. troops would have no combat role in Afghanistan, aside from
hunting down the all but nonexistent forces of Al Qaida in that country
and training Afghan government forces. Actually, all Obama really
planned to do was a paper-change, reclassifying the 10,000 U.S. troops
as “non-combatants” on paper, while continuing to deploy them against
the Taliban.
-- Glen Ford, "War on the Down-Low: Obama’s Afghan Lies" (Black Agenda Report).