This is an article from The New York Times in the year 2002. The American forces sent to Afghanistan was a paltry number compared to what should have been sent. The venue of war was never to be Afghanistan, there is no oil there. There are a lot of mountains and primarily peaceful tribes impoverished and Muslim.
March 29, 2002
Left Behind (click here)
An interview with RAWA’s Sahar Saba.
By Kristie Reilly
The American media and the Pentagon have trumpeted the collapse of the Taliban and the “liberation” of Afghanistan, but for the Afghan people, conditions have not changed. Indeed, they may be getting worse.
Left Behind (click here)
An interview with RAWA’s Sahar Saba.
By Kristie Reilly
The American media and the Pentagon have trumpeted the collapse of the Taliban and the “liberation” of Afghanistan, but for the Afghan people, conditions have not changed. Indeed, they may be getting worse.
The Afghan refugee and humanitarian crisis continues: Billions have been promised in foreign aid, but little of it has reached Afghanistan. An official from the U.N. Population Fund says the relief effort, to succeed, must be conducted on an unprecedented scale. “It is larger than Kosovo,” he says. “In Kosovo, there were 1.5 million people, and in Afghanistan there are 20 million.” In a country that has one doctor for every 50,000 people, the overall mortality rate has doubled since August.
International peacekeeping troops, stationed in Kabul, have been able to maintain a measure of security in the city’s streets. But outside Kabul, there are no peacekeeping forces, and regional warlords still rule. Infighting between rival warlords and vicious attacks on civilians have continued throughout the U.S. bombing campaign. In short, Afghanistan is on the verge of civil war....
This venue of investigation is not unusual for The New York Times. The journalists working for that newsprint frequently seek interviews with people 'in the know' in areas of the world very removed from media influence/presence. So, when this article was written there was already musings about continued and increased conflict in the days to come. It speaks profoundly of the abandonment of the USA into Iraq leaving Afghanistan to the efforts of the Brits and NATO. Should they go it alone or should the USA reenter the conflict in Afghanistan and further stabilize the region from Afghanistan as is best rather than from a distant cousin nation called Iraq?
It seems obvious to me where any American efforts belong and that is where Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network resides enjoying their view from a top a Pakistan tribal area.
In all honesty, if the 'regular' forces in Iraq were redeployed into Afghanistan and the Reserve units and National Guard units were sent home forever, it would be a relief for Afghanistan to finally have a military presence to end the suffering while delivering humanitarian aid, reconstructing the country where the people are ready for it and desire it, ridding the countryside one halmet at a time of warlords and poppies and replacing it with Afghanistan culture and perhaps a rebuilt Mosque or two for the people to find a home rather than estrangement of their cultural values.
I strongly believe a redeployment of American forces into Afghanistan will bring the Taliban infiltration to an end while rebuilding will return the 'hearts and minds' to the government of Hamid Karzai. With Afghanistan stabilized there is little doubt much of the regions turbulence would end. I do mean end and not just a transitory peace. The Afghans have priorities. They are sophisticated in ways the Iraqis are yet to grow into, they are literally ready for roads, cities, schools and a cultural economy.
It is the right way to stop terrorist aggression. With Osama bin Laden in prison or dead, the terrorist networks could no longer admire the tenacity of the network that brought The West to 'it's knees;' so much as a network finally ended when corruption was removed from the USA government and the priorities of a Western nation was returned.
There has to come a day when The West has defeated terrorist networks and not just protect from them. Defeating al Qaeda where they make their plans and hide their leaders will be a huge victory for The West. Afghanistan as a stabile nation with hope and quality of life for it's people as a reality, whereby, the stability of Iraq is yet to be written. Literally. We need to leave Iraq to Iraqis and we need to give back Afghanistan to the people there.
We need to fight terrorism with economies that people are willing to sustain and not with perpetual gun battles and bombings. It has to come to pass The West has defeated al Qaeda otherwise the impetus for terrorist network proliferation will never end. I sincerely want Afghanistan to be free and autonomous and a good partner in the region. I believe they are capable of all that with an America clearly on a path to victory. I doubt sincerely any return to Afghanistan will be a bloody war or a long lived war. It wasn't when we first entered Afghanistan and the only way that will be different is if coupe elements from Pakistan bring a greater war due to it's political instability, but, here again: The USA returns with vigorous diplomatic efforts along side it's military.
