For nearly eight years America has occupied Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the war is worth fighting and the U.S. may send more troops to Afghanistan after months of publicly resisting an increase. He sounds confused. President Obama campaigned on ending the war but ordered an additional 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan this spring. His actions seem more confusing!
They say we are securing Afghanistan to make sure extremists can no longer hatch terrorist plots against the U.S. and its allies. From the looks of things we are not so sure.
Instead of concentrating on the critical mission of keeping terrorists on the defensive, we are dragging out the process by attempting to “liberate” a society that doesn’t want to be changed. And how are we going to help a country with elections when we can’t run our own effectively. We talk about President Hamid Karzai’s allies stuffing ballot boxes. But America is no stranger to dirty politics.
On a serious note, tell us the truth. Are we “liberating” Afghanistan or securing oil? Something has to give because U.S. casualties are rising, more soldiers are coming home limbless, the U.S. debt is rising, our economy is shot and the terrorists seem to be blowing up more stuff.
Initially, Afghanistan wasn’t a war of choice. We had to destroy al-Qaida, stop the Taliban and strengthen friendlier forces in the country. Now we have a choice so let’s all get on one side and make it quick.
Benjamin Evans, III for the Editorial Board.