Why are we in Afganistan Again?
Call it Alzheimers, call it short term memory loss, call it what you want to. I seem to have forgotten why the United States is at war with Afganistan. I remember something about seeking out terrorists after the 911 attacks on the World Trade Centers. I remember President George W. Bush stating that the United States is out to find Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice.
Don't get me wrong, I am in full agreement. The 911 attacks on the World Trade Centers were horrific. But we are not "finding" Bin Laden. It has been 8 years. This guy is a pro at "hide and go seek". This is starting to feel to much like Vietnam.
When this "war on terror" started, my only son was just 13, playing with his G.I. Joes and video games. He is now in the United States Navy, of which I am so proud. But I cannot see him going to fight in a war that we have lost sight of what it is about. I am saddened by the terrorism, but according to George W. Bush, our troops went to Iraq and then Afganistan (next stop is Pakistan, as Bush stated in 2008 that Bin Laden is in a cave on the Afganistan/Pakistan border) to protect the United States. So let's pull our troops back to the United States borders and truly protect the United States of America. And another thing, if Bush knew in 2008 where Bin Laden was, why didn't we send troops directly there to find him?
This week (11/12/09) finds the US Embassador in Kabul opposing sending more troops to Afganistan. Karl Eikenberry(a former top US Army commander in Afgahnistan for two years), stated in a cable that President Karzi's government should prove first it would tackle corruption. He said it would not be a good idea to send a substanstial amount of troops. A statement made by the White House, based upon a strategy meeting on November 11, 2009, reflected some of the concerns of Karl Eikenberry. "The president believes we need to make clear to the Afgahn government that our commitment is not open ended." "After years of substantial commitments by the American people, governance must improve in a reasonable amount of time." According to a report by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the Afgahn people are skeptical about the prospect of more troops being sent into the country, as they believe security has worsened with the addition of more troops in the past.
We lost 18 americans in Afganistan this week alone(Oct. 2009). Since 2001, the United States alone has lost 908 (www.icasulaties.org/oef/) in Operation Enduring Freedom. The problem is, the United States loss' for 2001 were 12, 2006 were 98 and 2009 were 278, with 2009 still having over 60 days left to completion. This looks like we are going in the wrong direction. Our losses are going up, not down.
The numbers are increasing each year, a total of 797 of the 908 U.S. Soldiers lost was from Afganistan.
This week, Matthew Hoh, a former Marine, who fought in Iraq and became a diplomat in the State Department to Afganistan, has resigned in protest of the Afganistan war. He stated that he feels the war is fueling the insurgency. (www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/matthew-hoh-resigns-state_n_334840.html)
In his letter of resignation, Matthew Hoh states "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afganistan. I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is not based upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
President Obama is considering sending approximatley 40,000 more troops to Afganistan by 2010. I am in agreement with Matthew Hoh, "why and to what end?"
Don't get me wrong, I am in full agreement. The 911 attacks on the World Trade Centers were horrific. But we are not "finding" Bin Laden. It has been 8 years. This guy is a pro at "hide and go seek". This is starting to feel to much like Vietnam.
When this "war on terror" started, my only son was just 13, playing with his G.I. Joes and video games. He is now in the United States Navy, of which I am so proud. But I cannot see him going to fight in a war that we have lost sight of what it is about. I am saddened by the terrorism, but according to George W. Bush, our troops went to Iraq and then Afganistan (next stop is Pakistan, as Bush stated in 2008 that Bin Laden is in a cave on the Afganistan/Pakistan border) to protect the United States. So let's pull our troops back to the United States borders and truly protect the United States of America. And another thing, if Bush knew in 2008 where Bin Laden was, why didn't we send troops directly there to find him?
This week (11/12/09) finds the US Embassador in Kabul opposing sending more troops to Afganistan. Karl Eikenberry(a former top US Army commander in Afgahnistan for two years), stated in a cable that President Karzi's government should prove first it would tackle corruption. He said it would not be a good idea to send a substanstial amount of troops. A statement made by the White House, based upon a strategy meeting on November 11, 2009, reflected some of the concerns of Karl Eikenberry. "The president believes we need to make clear to the Afgahn government that our commitment is not open ended." "After years of substantial commitments by the American people, governance must improve in a reasonable amount of time." According to a report by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the Afgahn people are skeptical about the prospect of more troops being sent into the country, as they believe security has worsened with the addition of more troops in the past.
We lost 18 americans in Afganistan this week alone(Oct. 2009). Since 2001, the United States alone has lost 908 (www.icasulaties.org/oef/) in Operation Enduring Freedom. The problem is, the United States loss' for 2001 were 12, 2006 were 98 and 2009 were 278, with 2009 still having over 60 days left to completion. This looks like we are going in the wrong direction. Our losses are going up, not down.
The numbers are increasing each year, a total of 797 of the 908 U.S. Soldiers lost was from Afganistan.
This week, Matthew Hoh, a former Marine, who fought in Iraq and became a diplomat in the State Department to Afganistan, has resigned in protest of the Afganistan war. He stated that he feels the war is fueling the insurgency. (www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/matthew-hoh-resigns-state_n_334840.html)
In his letter of resignation, Matthew Hoh states "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afganistan. I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is not based upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
President Obama is considering sending approximatley 40,000 more troops to Afganistan by 2010. I am in agreement with Matthew Hoh, "why and to what end?"
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