The US has an entire division trained specifically for mountain warfare. The problem is, Tora Bora was just a few months after 9/11. We just didn't have enough troops or materiel over there yet, and really had no choice but to let local allies fight the battle.
I'd really like to know the date that doco was made. They talked about "the war in Afghanistan was over and no one was caught". Yet as we know, fighting is still ongoing in Afghanistan, and every now and then another prominent Al Qaeda member is either captured or knocked off.
Perhaps people just expected instant results?
Sorry, I don't meant to deride the excellent 10th Mountain Division.
But the US Military is not geared to fighting a guerilla war. IIRC the 10th Mountain had not seen alpine combat since Korea, which means none of the troops in Afghanistan had alpine combat experience.
What the US really needed was highly skilled alpine trackers - that's why NZSAS were called in so early, and used so extensively - they're widely accepted as the best trackers in the world.
Of course, the Americans learned FAST, which is why they later rapidly proved far more successful. I was reading a USMC newspaper recently that talked about a single USMC infantry platoon that was testing new techniques and tactics for warfare in Afghanistan that were producing exceptional results.
You're also certainly right in that all that early stuff happened too early - it takes time to invade a country! (Kind of discredits CT claims that the US had forces poised to invade as well).
I think it might have been Huntsman who was talking about the enormous number of troops that would be required to secure the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. You practically need a guy every hundred paces!
As a result you guys had to rely on Pakistan to do the deed. Well, we know how big an issue that is. Osama bin Laden is a hero for a good chunk of the country.
-Andrew
