Remember Afghanistan, Osama been hiding, the Taliban. Remember we went there because of 911. Wasn’t it called “operation enduring freedom”? Didn’t we go there to crush the Taliban and destroy Al Queda? Isn’t everyone happy and prospering in Afghanistan? Uh…. no. Do we still have troops there? Uh…yes. What’s going on there? The media, network or cable don’t seem to cover it. Why has this war fallen off of our radar?
In a March 2003, Time article Rumsfeld reported “The U.S. has ended “major combat activity” in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced last week, adding “we clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction activities.” Well we know how Rummy turned out, but the statements made led us to believe all is well. Or was it?
I started surfing and much to my surprise coverage is from overseas news outlets. The progress in Afghanistan is not what we have been told. The web edition of the Daily Star, reported on April 21, 2007, a pro-Pakistan leader would shelter bin Laden. “”Bin Laden has never come to this area but if he comes here and seeks our protection then according to tribal laws and customs we will protect him,” the 32-year-old former Taliban commander said.
The Taliban managed to evaded U.S. forces through 2002, until they could regrouped. In 2003, they began attacks once again and in 2006, opium production in Afghanistan increased by 50%, which provided a major source of funding for the Taliban.
Scotland’s newspaper Sunday Herald reporting on April 22, 2007, that “Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has urged his followers to step up their suicide attacks on foreign and Afghan troops and remain united, according to a Taliban commander.” In another article in the Guardian Unlimited, March 2, 2007, edition states that “A new spring offensive has begun by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan”. They also reported that NATO needed more troops.
I know the U.S. turned command over to NATO in October 2006, because everything was under control and progress was moving forward. However, the reality of Afghanistan is far from that. In December 2006, the U.N. Security Council report states “Afghanistan faces its deadliest phase of violence since 2001, a UN Security Council mission report warns that growing insurgency, corruption, impunity, increased opium trade and weak governance cause “despondency and disillusionment” among Afghans.” This report came out only two months after NATO took over, so Bush lied to us about the progress.
The Taliban who we never crushed, is calling for more violence. Osama who Bush has forgotten about is still missing. The U.N. Security Council has called Afghanistan a failed state. So we really accomplished nothing by going to Afghanistan.
U.S. troops are still there, yet the American press hardly if ever reports about it. Afghanistan should be of interest to someone, since the reason for going there was 911. And in our quest for justice we ended up in Iraq. Hecuva job Dubya.
