Whicker's War over

The sad death of Alan Whicker announced today reminds me of a shameful episode in US history. Whicker was part of the Allied forces liberating Italy via the beaches of Anzio and Sicily. He recalled that after the successful takeover of Sicily, the British were able to establish non-Fascist civil government on the island. For reasons which can only be guessed at, the US insisted that only the Mafia had the ability to organise the post-war island, overruled the British and thus sowed the seeds of trouble for the future of both US and Italian authorities. (It should be remembered that about the only good thing that Mussolini did was to emasculate the Mafia.)

I fear that the same mistake is being made in Afghanistan as the US goes over the head of the elected president to talk to the Taliban and put at risk all the gains which have been made.