The War in Afghanistan

1. The War in Afghanistan Twelve years and counting… Information courtesy of the Choices Program: Afghanistan

2. The Invasion President Bush decided that since the Taliban would not hand over bin Laden and would protect Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Taliban had to go. With the sympathy and blessing of most of the world, in October 2001 the US and its allies (including many Anti-Taliban Afghanis) launched “Operation Enduring Freedom”—the invasion of Afghanistan to remove the Taliban from power. Most Taliban quickly deserted, and within four weeks the rest fled Kabul leaving the US Army in charge.

3. The Ordinary Afghanis War is Hell, and the initial US-led bombing of cities killed roughly 3,000 Afghani civilians (those not in combat). Food supplies were disrupted, about three million have permanently fled, and thousands of Afghanis were arrested, imprisoned, and sometimes tortured—often without a trial. Today’s best estimates are that over 2,000 Americans have been killed thus far, and 10,000-20,000 Afghani civilians have died since the initial invasion.

4. Tora Bora A month into the war, the US learned that Osama bin Laden and Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders were hiding out in caves in the mountainous region of Tora Bora along the Pakistani border. Not wanting to commit more troops, the US tasked Afghani militias with capturing them. Over 200 were caught, but the most important leaders including bin Laden escaped, presumably into Pakistan. These cave fortresses had been constructed by US US engineers to help the Mujahideen.

5. And Now The Hard Part: Reconstruction The US tried, and has spent billions to rebuild Afghanistan, which lacked roads, schools, electricity and basic infrastructure. But with a lack of qualified people and a lot of the aid stolen, creating a civil society for the modern age has proven difficult.

6. Feeling Insecure Perhaps the hardest part of reconstruction has been to create an Afghani army and police force that is not corrupt, will serve the entire country and not only one ethnicity, and will not cooperate with the Taliban. Still, the majority of Afghanis feel their lives have improved since the efforts at reconstruction began.

7. Pakistan: Friend? After 9/11, Pakistan vowed to help the USA in its pursuit of Al Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban, and crack down on the most radical of the madrassas. To sweeten the deal, the US promised a lot of military and financial aid to Pakistan. Officially, Pakistan supports the US.

8. Pakistan: Foe? However, Pakistan is not a trusted ally in the War of Terror for a few reasons: • The Pakistani government has little control over the Pashtun areas bordering Afghanistan, so crackdowns are all but impossible, • The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is wide open, so people (including the Taliban and its supporters) can travel freely between the two, • Pakistan’s military and secret police (the ISI) are filled with anti-American and pro-Taliban extremists, and the official government may not be able to control them. • Fearful of angering the Taliban-supporting extremists, Pakistan has not made very serious efforts to close the madrassas and restore order in border regions. • American military strikes (to kill the Taliban and terrorists) in Pakistan’s territory has angered many Pakistanis causing the government to lose support. Its government is in danger of collapsing.

9. Return of the Taliban Many Taliban escaped to northwest Pakistan, where they have recruited new members among poor Pakistanis and Afghani refugees. In Afghanistan, they are still strong and continue to burn down schools, attack US soldiers, and terrorize the population. Some Afghanis have become resentful at the “foreign occupation” of their land and realize they may have been better off when the Taliban—brutal as they were—provided law and order and protection from greedy, powerful people. By framing the debate as “Afghanis against foreign non-Islamic imperialists, the Taliban has been fairly successful recruiting new members just like the Mujahideen a generation before.

10. The Taliban’s Tactics Unable, of course, to compete against the US military, the Taliban’s main weapons have been sneak attacks, suicide bombings, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which are detonated when soldiers approach a booby-trapped object.

11. The Ordinary Afghanis (Again) The deaths of civilians by the US trying to destroy the Taliban and Al Qaeda has hurt the Americans in their efforts to win over the hearts and minds of the people. It is said that every time a US bomb kills an innocent man, woman, or child, two new terrorists are created. Corruption in the new Afghani government and its inability to maintain law and order is not helping matters.

12. Problem: Democracy President Hamid Karzai The USA’s choice to lead Afghanistan was Hamid Karzai, who led Afghanistan under the watch of the US until 2004, when he was elected President. He was re-elected in 2009, but there are widespread allegations that the election was rigged. How much power Karzai actually has is questionable. Unable to provide much security or fight corruption, many Afghanis count more on local leaders. Karzai’s ability to lead the country without US support is not assured.

13. Problem: Economy Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world with a life expectancy of 45 years and a 28% literacy rate with 70% unemployment. The economy is almost entirely dependent on international aid and service jobs to foreign aid workers. Afghanistan’s only significant and profitable export is the poppy, used to make illegal street drugs.

14. Problem: Drones What may anger Afghanis and Pakistanis the most is the US military’s use of unmanned aircraft (drones) which have killed between 1,300 and 2,100 enemy combatants including high-level Taliban and Al Qaeda officials—mostly in Pakistan. However, an unknown number (possibly over a thousand) of innocent civilians and misidentified targets have been killed. Use of these unmanned killing machines has helped turn public opinion in both Afghanistan and Pakistan against the US.

15. Problem: Corruption A last problem is that the Karzai government is hopelessly corrupt, which does not endear it to the Afghani people or allow them to experience the benefits of democracy. Inflated salaries for government workers, bribes and payoffs are common, and the newly-created police force often acts not unlike a mafia. In 2010, the government could not account for where 80% of its collected taxes went. All of this, of course, is souring Afghanis on “democracy” and plays into the hands of the “non-corrupt” Taliban.