On the eve of September 11, attacks that killed 2,974 people, the battle goes on over lipstick in the national media. One battle that needs to be discussed is the on-going conflict in Afghanistan. In late 2001, a combination of soldiers and secret operators, with waves of air strikes over that harsh and barren landscape, drove the Taliban from power. Today, there are more than 17,900 U.S. troops in Afghanistan (as of July), with a large percentage of soldiers from NATO countries. President Bush said yesterday the United States will bolster its military forces in Afghanistan with about 4,500 new troops by early next year. The struggle has deteriorated the past few months with more casualties than in the Iraqi theater. What frightens me is that Senator Obama wants to send 10,000 more troops to Afghanistan, a country roughly the size of Texas. Senator McCain wants to send three brigades or 15,000 additional troops to the region. Both presidential contenders propose victory in this war-torn country. What is victory in Afghanistan? What is our on-going strategic interest there? Will stability in this Asian country be worth the cost, and worth American lives? How will we resolve the Pakistan issue? If the Russians couldn’t maintain peace there, couldn’t occupy the country long-term, and couldn’t pacify the region, who are we and why do we want to continue the fight there?
This discussion goes above and beyond my rank and position. I am here to point out that congress no longer shows any hesitation about withdrawing the military from Iraq, and they are more vigilant about sending troops to Afghanistan. Is this a prudent decision? Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) said in a brief interview that the Bush administration let the situation worsen by shifting attention onto a protracted conflict in Iraq. “We should have never gone to Iraq, because we would have been out of Afghanistan [by now].” This is hypocritical. Get out of Iraq, but surge in Afghanistan? The Democrats constantly say they don’t want war. An example could be from Hilary Clinton's dedication to the Afghan conflict, to bring democracy to Afghanistan and help the women and children of that country. Isn't our presence in Iraq for the same long-term goal? To bring democracy and free the people who were suffering under Saddam and the terrorist regimes located there? We are in Iraq, but should we be in Afghanistan?
I also wanted to point out that both Senator McCain and Obama have called for achieving victory in Afghanistan. Senator Obama has characterized the conflict there as “the war we need to win” and has called for taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Have we become mercenaries for freedom? In my opinion, victory in this bomb and mine-riddled country would mean for us to leave. This would not be a “cut and run” strategy as some folks contend. It would be a refocusing our strategic goals and interests in more vital regions of the world. Iraq is a vital region in the Middle East. Afghanistan is not. If the new president gives us a surge in Afghanistan, then maybe we need to be in Zimbabwe, Mogadishu, and Darfur too. Should we take this mercenary war on terror to all places where radical fundamentalist Islam can be found? Or should our strategy be focused on the strategic interests and the safety of our country?
What are our strategic interests in Afghanistan? Our strategic interests in Iraq are clear; stabilizing the region, keep Iran and Syria at bay, keep the oil supply of the world safe, maintain a stable route through the Persian Gulf, and be within striking distance of any bad people that intend to provide harm to our allies and to our economic and strategic interests. These strategic interests do not apply to Afghanistan.
Keeping Al Qaeda and the Taliban from attacking Americans in America is a significant interest and is invaluable to us. With exception to foreign fighters hijacking airplanes, the fighters in Afghanistan live in caves and mud huts. They travel in old beat up trucks on roads that we would consider inadequate for farming vehicles. They can stay there! We need to keep them there too! They are not coming to America unless it is illegally across one of our borders, on a plane for a far away land, and or another nefarious means to get into our country. Can you say immigration policy and enforcement? This is not to say that we aren’t keeping the Taliban and Al Qaeda at bay in Afghanistan. We are doing a great job. Furthermore, what about Pakistan? If we can’t go into Pakistan and kill insurgence and fighters there, we have another situation like Laos and Cambodia. If we cannot enter Pakistan, we will not have an objective for victory. Terrorists will just go across the border for protection and security and come back another day to provide a pestering nuisance to our troopers. Mosquitoes come to mind! Pakistan is a far greater danger to American security than Iraq. What are we doing about the problems there?
If the Afghanistan gambit is sincere, I don’t think it is good strategically. Afghanistan is far more un-winnable than Iraq. Since our invasion in 2001 we have successfully overthrown the Taliban and introduced a new government in the country. The government does not have a great deal of influence outside the capital city of Kabul. We have been partially successful at expelling Al Qaeda and the Taliban, but are unable to completely secure the country as long as revolutionary remnants are able to flee across the border into Pakistan. The Pakistani government has either been unable or unwilling to prevent this and is reluctant to allow our forces free rein in their country. Although very successful in Iraq, the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan may work, but at what cost, how long do we propose to be there, and how many lives do we want to put in front of bad people? What is the current strategy and goals for Afghanistan?
Senator Obama has stated that the war in Iraq has distracted us from what he called the central-front in the fight against terrorism. He also contends that the lawless areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where Al Qaeda are regrouping under Taliban protection are of tantamount importance. He also said that the well-organized attack on an American base in Afghanistan last week was a sign that the United States was dangerously outgunned. Senator McCain said the United States should help strengthen civil institutions in Afghanistan and help eradicate the heroin trade. Bring in the red, white and blue ambulance. Help is on the way again! Maybe we need to bring in the red, white and blue aerial sprayer too. We need to eradicate the heroin trade, and a good dose of aerial spraying with concentrated Roundup should do the trick. Should we continue to send our soldiers and troopers to a central-front of a remote beehive?
Hitherto fighting terrorism in remote regions of the world, it is the author’s opinion that we need to concentrate on the Iraq conflict and reorient the fight to places that have strategic interest and value to us. Is Afghanistan one of these regions? Like Vietnam, one will have to pull out eventually, by force or by attrition. Attrition didn’t work for the Russians in their ten-year stay in this remote part of the world. Is it rational for the American people to continue a long, drawn-out operation to counter a foreign countries drug trade, to counter a group of people that love to fight and cause religious strife, and to occupy a country that has a belief system that is foreign and uncivil to ours? Democracy is not coming to Afghanistan, however terrorist fighters are coming to a brick hut near you soon.
Can some one tell me what the fight against terrorism is, why we haven’t gotten Osama or the head of the Taliban, and where we are going with this war against terror? It is time for the administration (past and present) to give the American people an update on the war against terrorism, since the American media are too focused on pre-presidential gaffs. I think the people of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center would be happy to have these people wrapped in a nice package after seven years. What have we accomplished in that time frame and how can we slow down the spread of Fundamentalist Radical Islam without occupying sovereign nations?
Labels: Afghanistan, military, politics
Our tent perched on the edge of the creek
View from our tent (1o points if you can spot the deer hunter...)
It was so cold at night, Sean’s hat was frozen to the table in the morning!
Food tastes better cooked out-of-doors
