9, May 2012 Afghanistan
There is little to
cheer with the announcement that US troops are planning to stay in Afghanistan
until 2024. This is bad for the troops who are yearning to return home from a
mission that has been so ill-defined. This is sure to alienate the Afghan
people who are war weary of our presence, night raids and drone attacks. Just
this week, an Afghan mother and her five children were mistakenly killed and
another 14 civilians were killed in another incident in Badghis. A 2011 poll
taken by the International Council on Security and Development revealed over
80% opposed the NATO war efforts and viewed them to be detrimental to the
Afghan people. Contrary to President
Obama’s assertions, the war is going very badly. See Colonel Davis’
unclassified report in Rolling Stone magazine, entitled “Dereliction of Duty
II”, which draws a strong parallel to H.R. Masters’ classic report of Vietnam.
President Obama’s
highly publicized visit to Afghanistan may win a few votes at home but will
have little outcome on the war itself. We should not be subjecting the people
of Afghanistan and US troops as pawns in the high stakes of the US presidential
election. How much more blood will be shed on a war
without purpose and without end?
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