(AFGHANISTAN) -- Thursday marks nine years since the war in Afghanistan began. U.S. troops invaded the country after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in an effort to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Afghan political analyst Haroon Mir says fighting this war is difficult because Pakistan protects Taliban leaders. He tells ABC News Radio, "It is very difficult to defeat this insurgency just by killing rank and file, low-level Taliban fighters. There's no pressure on Taliban leadership, there's no pressure on their financial network, on their training camps."
Mir adds that the Taliban has lasted in the war because they can easily replace their fighters, saying, "They could sustain this kind of war because recruiting low-level Taliban fighters is not a problem because there are so many madrassas. At these madrassas they could recruit thousands and thousands of new Taliban fighters each year."
26 comments:
I don't understand why this war is still even continuing. Its effected the economy so much already, the lives of US soldiers and their families are being effected along with the fact that the government is using so much money for this useless war that could be used somewhere else where it could be more useful. Nothing feels as though its being accomplished.
The past nine years have certainly been a long and arduous journey but I still find myself asking if we have made any real progress. Is the end near?
I think its pretty sad that there are "thousands" of madrassahs and also that Pakistanis think its ok to kill people.Its their fault that we're at war anyway! If Al Qaeda and the Taliban weren't so caught up in on attacking civilizations and military targets in various countries, then this long 9 year war wouldn't even be an issue. This whole war in general is just so sad ): make love, not war!
I believe Ozzy phrased it best about the way modern wars are fought:
"Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell them they have power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait until that judgment day comes."
The Taliban's long list of misdeeds is bound to bite them in the end. It's just a question of how.
This war reminds me of a bad rerun of Vietnam. Why? Because is the Vietnam America quit because the enemy was able to "outlast" us. We were not prepared for the long run. This makes me feel its "Vietnam All Over Again."
I'll say that i do believe that it is important to actually get the Taliban and Al Qaeda but the fact that this article says that we are basically failing at it is not a pleasant thought. This just points out how much more needs to be done to honestly finish up the wars we are involved in ad fighting.
Its really sad that they have been there for so long and yet the threat is still there. Its really hard to fight these insurgents because they can blend into crowds and strike from any angle in an urban environment. After nine years its really hard to be optimistic about this war.
Though I think this war has a good reason for existing, the way they're going about it doesn't seem to be working. As the article states, the Taliban has nearly unlimited manpower and money. The fighting that has occurred so far, and the many deaths recorded, hasn't changed the status of the terrorists, and therefore hasn't accomplished its goal. Hopefully the results of the surge will start to kick in more soon.
9 years? Geez. Support for the troops and their lives and well being is obvious and unquestionable, but support for a war isn't. Unless something changes or there's a break through in something, the support for this war is going to continue going down. After nine years, the American focus has naturally wavered from the war. This should probably be a sign. Now, I'm not going to pretend I know or understand everything that's going on over there, but it doesn't take a genius to know when a situation seriously needs to be reevaluated.
I can't believe it's been nine years since we started fighting in Afghanistan. And, although we have progressed through this war, I think it's going to be no use. Like it said, the Taliban can replace people very quickly, and have a seemingly endless source of soldiers to dispose.
This country is just in need of a re-think. It is very easy to recruit because people are being easily influenced into this system from an early age. Schools do not teach openly but are rather biased. I think the younger generation needs to be helped so in the long run Taliban begins to lose it's recruitment. We have been there for nine years and seem to be running around in circles. There may be hard work happening in the background and I acknowledge that. However, it is going to become extremely hard to just put military force there forever without solving the problem.
This war has become analogous to the American Revolution in many ways- but this time the Americans are on the "British" side. Afghanistan (and more so the areas hiding the Taliban) are too vast for the American army to occupy. Furthermore, these fighters do not fight with conventional methods but instead use guerrilla tactics, car bombs, and suicide bombs. Yes, the United States does have superior weaponry but that is depreciated when the Taliban are so easily replaceable. There is never an easy answer-if there is an answer at all- but a need was seen and America is embroiled in the longest war in its history. Whether we as citizens think it right or not, there needs to be constructive criticism and support for what the government does. That is our strength as Americans- that we unite once we decide.
If the Taliban can just keep producing low-level fighters like they're some kind of cheap product, America should just stop. All this killing low-level fighters won't get anyone anywhere. If anything, they should just hire someone to assassinate the Taliban leaders or something...
Wow! Nine years already? It's frustrating reading this article because it makes you think about all the people we lost and not have much to show for it when the Talibans just keep coming back with more people like it hasn't affected them much.
Oh wow, nine years is a really long time, and I still don't understand why we're still there, and how there have been any improvements in that situation. This whole process has lasted nine years too long, and especially with how easily the Taliban can recruit their soldiers, I don't see an end coming very soon. Such a disappointment.
Sometimes i wonder if there is a war going on out there. We are living so peacefully, we wake up, we eat, we go to school. Everything seems so normal. No one is dying, no one is having no food. But people are fighting in war, people are dying. Sometimes i think i am living things granted. I take everything i have as i should have. People are losing their families out there. Is it necessary to fight? People might be fighting just because other people tell you to fight. Maybe we should stop this war.
It's hard to believe that it has been nine years since the attack on the Twin Towers. I remember the news always telivising explosions, car boms, and raids in the Middle East, but not lately.......I wonder if things are better now, and Military prescence in Afghanistan is the norm, or if those violent acts i saw in the news 9 years ago are still an every day thing.
It's really hard to believe that it's already been 9 whole years. For me, it's easy to forget that the United States is still abroad fighting a war. I have no family involved so aside from the news, it really has no effect on my daily life. But when I sit down and think about all the time being wasted fighting each other and all the lives being lost, it makes me really sad. Are we really making a difference? Is it really worth it? Why are we still there if they will just keep replacing old fighters with new fighters? I think the thing is we're there because we need to do something about the Taliban. We can't just sit there and watch them continue with their terrorism.
This is crazy. Thats alot of taliban fighters. They actually want to fight unlike some citizens of the untied states. With so many of the fighters it is reasonable why this war has been so long..
I can't believe its been nine years since we first invaded and started this war. There has to be more reasons than that for the war not going anywhere. This war just needs to be over with and solved already or at least head in a different direction.
I am surprised that we have been in Afghanistan for nine years now. I agree with the war in the sense that we could be thwarting the plans of future terrorist attacks by waging war with the Taliban. The only problem is that this war is just like the ones in Japan and Vietnam. They will not stop fighting until every last one of them is dead.
Its extremely scary to think that we are simply fighting a never ending war. Unlike the Taliban we can't recruit fighters day in and day out like they are a renewable resource. Its as if we are fighting a pointless battle which is either going to continue to be never ending.
The 9/11 attack was a pivotal and tragic day in the life of all americans, whether we are from New York or not. The lives that were lost touched the heart and souls of every american. For every life lost it was another broken heart, friends, family, spouses, women, pets, no matter what they were to anyone it was just a big crack through america.
But that was just the beginning, on October Eighteenth, two thousand and one, the americans invaded Afghanistan to defeat the Al Qaeda. They have proven to be a worthy foe because they are like the Hydra in Greek mythology for each head that is cut off two more grow.
This has touched me the most because my cousin is in the army and im afraid he will be sent to afghanistan and may never come back, except in a wooden crate.
Wow. Nine years ago I was in the third grade and had no real idea who or what the taliban was. Now I know that they are the fanatical members of a faith that is supposed to be tolerant. They are the people who are trying to kill my cousin who is over there fighting right now. And the sad thing is is that there is really nothing we can do to stop them while countries like Pakistan harbour their leaders. I think we are barking up the wrong tree in afghanistan. The real snakes are in Pakistan and something needs to be done.
We're so tangled up in Afghanistan that it's hard to even see our way out. We can complain and say that the war never should have been started, which i agree with, but it won't change the fact that we are there now, and our government needs to think of a plan of action to get out, and fast.
Pakistan should be a better ally when it comes to fighting the Taliban, who don't just hope for the failure of NATO's mission in Afghanistan but also the overthrow of the same country that looks the otherway for them, i.e. Pakistan. If Pakistan would comeback to the party instead of worrying about a few Pakistani friendly casulalties, we would not be in the spot we are in now. We provide them an ally that gives them ilitary equipment, they should be more greatful.
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