If it seems like the Afghanistan War "Operation Enduring Freedom" has been going on forever, it's because it has been. The war officially started in October 2001 and continues on today in March 2012, noticeably longer than the Vietnam War. You wouldn't believe how much has happened in that time; New Orleans was devastated by a storm of the century hurricane, a monster tsunami hits the Indian Ocean killing over 200,000 people, Japan gets struck hard by a huge tsunami, a massive oil spill spreads across the Gulf of Mexico, and the War in Iraq ended. All the while, the U.S. continues to fight a war initially intended to eliminate or at least take the heart of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, which would make the U.S. and world safer.
As the war has been going consistently over 10 years now, its hard to tell if the mission has got cloudy, or there wasn't a true mission and/or plan in the first place, or a realization has appeared that this war is not valid or truly beneficial to anyone if continued. As of late it would seem that patience is wearing hairpin thin on the American and Afghan citizens. Not only have both governments raised questions about the continuance of the war, but some troops on the ground have lost sight of the mission and reality.
Recently, an American soldier went haywire and murdered more than 15 Afghan civilians including children. The way things stand as of now, there is not a definitive reason why this happened or how this act affects the war and everyone around it for the foreseeable future. Arguments can be made that this soldier is mentally ill or that this is a isolated act and won't become a trend. But nobody really knows honestly. The things soldiers deal with on a daily basis in Afghanistan, and not being 100% clear on why they're still there with an uncertain departure timeframe has to have some kind of affect on their mind state.
I'm sure the reasoning and feelings of being in Afghanistan have changed over time, but when you don't know why you're really there that can't be good. Let's see if some concrete plans come of all this unfortunate recent violence, that will provide a sense of relief and competency. The soldiers and their families would definitely appreciate this.
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