The Forgotten War in Afghanistan
by Shannon Geis
Ever since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush Administration has put a heavy focus on the importance of the war in Iraq. With the 2008 presidential campaign already beginning to take prominence, Congress has put focus on the successes and failures of the Iraq occupation, writing legislation to try to withdraw troops. But in all of the buzz surrounding the Iraq situation over the last four years, another U.S. invasion and occupation has slipped into the background, just like Grenada. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, which was and is still largely backed by NATO forces and the United Nations, has dropped out of the picture. One might think that this military operation is over; that is far from the case.
Ever since the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2002, the Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders have been rebuilding and regrouping along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to U.S. News and World Report, although the Afghans have become increasingly more able to govern themselves and the NATO peacekeeping force has continued to expand, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and their affiliates are poising to strike down the small progress that the Afghans have made in the last few years.
It is suspected that al-Qaeda and Taliban forces have built up across the border in Pakistan despite President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan declaring a crackdown on the two militant groups. The region between Afghanistan and Pakistan provides a fertile environment for al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders to regroup and gather their forces. This border mostly consists of high mountains, which create many hiding places from U.S. and NATO troops. Also, both sides of this border have low literacy rates and high refugee populations. These conditions have allowed the al Qaeda and Taliban leaders to strengthen their forces, creating a continuing threat of violence. Suicide attacks in the area have increased significantly in recent months, and Afghani residents near the border to Pakistan report that Taliban forces have been moving much more freely in Afghanistan. Also, the death toll of American soldiers in Afghanistan has been rising.
On the bright side, the Afghanistan government is continually taking more control of the country's affairs and the Afghan economy is steadily progressing. A large majority of Afghans are also still in favor of the American troops stationed there. Although these seem to be good signs regarding the condition of the Afghan state, it might not be enough to keep the country stable since the surge on the part of the two militant groups may be enough to overwhelm the Afghan government. Some in the area believe that there has not been enough funding for the training of Afghan police, creating an incompetent force.
Overall, the Afghan government is still not strong enough to capably handle the possible attacks from Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. In fact, in November 2006, the UN Security Council warned that Afghanistan may become a failed state due to the increase in Taliban violence. Considering the perennially increasing threat of terrorist violence in Afghanistan, it seems unsettling that this issue has not taken a more prominent place in recent U.S. politics. But there is an even more disturbing fact: Many of the attacks occurring in Afghanistan in recent months are similar to insurgent attacks happening in Iraq, which are much different than the attacks that forces originally faced in the area. This raises the question about whether terrorist groups in Afghanistan have been watching the situation in Iraq and changing their techniques, or not. Whatever the case, the rise in violence in both Iraq and Afghanistan raise inquiries about whether U.S. military tactics are perhaps beginning to grow ineffective in the new global struggles.
Sources:
1. Allard, Tom. "War on Terrorism Going Badly, US Admits." Posted: May 2nd, 2007. <www.smh.com.au>.
2. Smucker, Philip. "Afghanistan's Eastern Front." U.S. News & World Report. April 9th, 2007.
