Back To The Future

While many Afghan citizens are excited about the current progress in the country and potential for the future, just as many are also concerned about what the future holds. This is because NATO forces and the U.S. Military announced 2014 would be the end of major military involvement. When the Afghanistan War begin in 2001, constant violence became just as normal as putting shoes on every day. Whether it was sniper attacks, suicide bombings, rocket attacks, kidnappings, poisonings, or executions each day brought the expected unexpected. Civilians across Afghanistan were killed in high numbers weekly, both intentionally and accidentally.

The last couple of year’s significant improvements came about in terms of violence in Afghanistan, when NATO military members successfully trained Afghan men to handle security issues as military personnel and police officers throughout the country. The training provided allowed Afghans to handle various security matters without assistance from NATO. This type of success amongst other things led to the announcement of the 2014 withdrawal date. In addition to the situation on the ground improving, education in Afghanistan also vastly improved. Schools in the country have been rebuilt, renovated, and provided with better curriculum. Some school classrooms have even gained full access to the internet.

Though the overall standing of Afghanistan made a change for the better, the country is still not perfect and continues to have an uncertain future past 2014 once NATO completes a significant troop drawdown. Some Afghans fear that without a strong coalition presence the Taliban will be go back to their old ways and gain control of the country once again. One reason that gives Afghan citizens this type of feeling is because recently 14 Afghan police officers surprisingly joined the Taliban. The period of time from 1996-2001 saw the Taliban run everything from the government to the topics covered inside the classroom. Then once the U.S. and NATO military coalition entered Afghanistan, things in the country changed for the better. After the coalition leaves, will things make a turn for the worse?

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Nobody Is Safe

Looking at current events in Afghanistan, for the people in Afghanistan whether they're Afghan children, women, or men, or a NATO soldier their life can be taken away at anytime, any day. Life on the ground across the country right now is unstable and out of control. The War in Afghanistan is one thing, but there is a lot of random violence happening that is occurring for unexplainable reasons. And even if a reason is given in some shape or form, it doesn't make sense and seems to be pointless violence taking innocent lives or causing serious harm.

Violence has ranged from school children being poisoned, to a woman being executed on video, to a suicide bomber killing 17 people at wedding, to Afghan military personnel and police doing sneak attacks on NATO soldiers. All of these acts are heinous and cowardly. Though, the violence is so random because it can be committed by a single person acting alone, the Taliban, or another terrorist group hanging out in the country.

As a top U.S. Military Commander announced recently that withdrawal of American troops is halfway done, that news still seems to be happening too slow for some people. NATO continues to train the Afghans to handle their own security for the upcoming complete withdrawal of NATO ground forces in 2014. However, five NATO troops were killed, with three of them being American when a person wearing Afghan security force clothing unexpectedly fired upon them. It somewhat seems like NATO is providing training and then being killed with the tactics they taught.

Afghanistan is a hard place to be right now for everyone, especially NATO soldiers. Because they consistently hear that the Afghan people need and want their help, but with certain occurrences it's hard to fully trust them. For now, everyone there has to be cautious while not letting extremists and other terror groups dictate their daily lives. 

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On Deadly Ground

As if the War in Afghanistan, constant suicide bombings, and militant attacks wasn't enough for Afghan people to worry about, now they are dealing with the aftermath of recent earthquakes. Last week two earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.4 and 5.7 occurred in northern Afghanistan. These quakes have taken the lives of an estimated 70 to 100 people. Although, no official death toll has been provided just yet while search efforts continue.

In other current events in Afghanistan citizens and NATO soldiers are still being killed like clockwork intentionally and unintentionally.  Just a couple of weeks ago several civilian women and children were killed by a NATO air strike, which has left many Afghan people upset. Within the same week or so a U.S. military helicopter was shot down by a rocket killing two crew members.

The troubled country continues to be a work in progress in many aspects; education is still up and down across all the provinces, and women live day to day as inferior people compared to their male counterparts. And it seems like if people are not being killed or blown up in Afghanistan, they are threatened, kidnapped, or seriously injured by militants and the Taliban.

What makes Afghanistan's situation so sad is a lot of the Afghan people want a better life and country for themselves and their children. There are just pockets of bad seeds (extremists) spread throughout the country along with Taliban rule that make the whole country struggle to overcome the corruption and mediocrity. The people in Afghanistan who do want a better home must continue to work with the Afghanistan government system and military, NATO, and Film Annex for the long term to keep making progress.

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Red Pill or Blue Pill?

These days it's hard to tell what is really going on with the War in Afghanistan. One day you hear the violence is decreasing, there are negotiation talks with the Taliban, and more and more of the country's 34 provinces are transitioning control from NATO over to Afghan military forces. Then the next day you find out there was an assassination of a peace negotiator. So are relations in the country improving at all or just continuing on the same rotten path? 

The methodology of working-out deals with terrorists (in this case the Taliban) has never been a completely dependable plan to maintain trust and peace. There are some former members of the terrorist group who have left behind the lifestyle, and there are other members who stay active, but pretend to be a regular citizen and cause havoc since they are accepted as being trustworthy. A prime example is the weekly killing of NATO soldiers in Afghanistan by "supposed" Afghan military personnel. 

Earlier this week, former Taliban government member Moulavi Arsala Rahmani, was killed by a silenced single shot in a precise attack that mirrored a secret agent movie scene. Currently, the Taliban is not claiming responsibility for the attack that killed Rahmani, though they are suspected. Just last year the head person (Burhannudin Rabbani) of the Peace Council, established by the Afghanistan Government system was also violently killed coincidentally. 

As the Afghanistan military and police assume more and more control over their country day-to-day, the violence goes up a notch leaving NATO forces, Afghans, and Government officials dead. The chaos in Afghanistan has a negative impact on everyone in the country right now whether they are Afghan citizens or NATO soldiers. Even though much of the country is corrupt, many of the people living there do not condone the violence and want to live normal lives which is difficult when you don't know what the next day will bring. 

It's hard to tell if anything can truly be done to minimize the violence in Afghanistan because it existed before the U.S. and NATO entered and it continues on while they are there. Fighting violence with violence doesn't change people or the way they think. Although, terrorist can't be allowed to do whatever, whenever they want. Those people (Taliban & other terrorists) have to decide for themselves what they want out of life, violence or peace. 

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It's Check-out Time, Almost

This was the underlying message President Obama gave in Afghanistan earlier in the week as he spoke to U.S. Soldiers, the people of Afghanistan, NATO, and the rest of the world. He's fully aware and understands the U.S. Military should not be there any longer, but there are still milestones to be met before exiting the premises. Although, 2014 will be a final deadline for major U.S. Military involvement.

Numerous problems in Afghanistan existed prior to the War in Afghanistan, which are continuing along with new problems that must now be addressed. Unrelenting violence by almost anyone with a gun or bomb is not the only major issue. Education in Afghanistan remains a dire problem for the people living there.

There is an enormous effort right now from NATO, the U.S., and Film Annex to establish, restore, and improve education in Afghanistan. Building schools in Afghanistan is a top priority because of the poor educational system, which still makes it hard for females to attend school. So, besides the barbaric attacks and bombings to worry about, literacy is a primary concern being addressed.

Upon America leaving Afghanistan, there's still going to be troops there for "support" and assistance in specific areas. However, the troop level will only be a fraction of the 90,000 or so there right now. The Afghanistan Government System has a responsibility to itself & citizens, and NATO to successfully handle order in its country by 2014 and after.

The new agreement signed by Presidents Obama and Karzai is a revised contract for a long-term friendship from here on out. It basically says the U.S. is leaving, but not really; continuous assistance and guidance will be provided as long as the Afghan people want and need it.

Let's see how long this extended stay will be before its check-out time.

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How Long Is Too Long To Stay In Afghanistan?

Towards the end of 2011 and this early part of 2012, our government spoke of the U.S.
military adjusting their role & troop levels in Afghanistan. After being at war in this country since the early 2000's, and seeing success with the Iraq War officially ending, it's definitely time to depart Afghanistan. America and its troops can't stay there forever, and they definitely don't want to wear-out their tentative welcome in a hostile region.

Occupying a foreign country too long can get annoying for that country's residents. Both sides may start to get on each others nerves and have communication break down. Then, add in the War on Terrorism happening around you at the same time, and tensions have no choice but to boil over. With all this said, the problems are deeper than a strong and indefinite U.S. military presence amongst Afghan citizens and extremists everyday. But staying past the "best if used by" date doesn't help either.

The 1st quarter of 2012 has saw unnecessary violence in Afghanistan against civilians and American soldiers. Last month a group of Afghan adolescents were inadvertently killed by a airstrike initiated by U.S - NATO forces. February also harnessed violence against U.S. - NATO soldiers who were killed by meaningless sneak attacks from Afghan soldiers who were supposed to be colleagues and allies. In addition, more American soldiers were killed by Afghans in retaliation for an accidental defacing of the Quran by American troops.

While time passes each year until the war is over, U.S military personnel is shifted in and out of Afghanistan to strategize, give needed time away, and complete service terms. The sooner the war is over, the better. This way troops can return to their families and the U.S. economy will be strengthened without having the financial burden of the war, and having a bigger pool of resourceful citizens. Time will tell when this war ends. 

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Is There a Clear Answer to an Unclear Mission?

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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Are We Really That Gullible?

So after several days of our troops being shot out of the sky in Afghanistan, we Americans are supposed to believe that our military has already found and terminated those responsible? Don't get us confused, we have a ton of confidence in our military and their capabilities. However, a less than a week turnaround time to seek & destroy the so called Taliban member(s) who took out our military helicopter is a bit hard to swallow. Why do you ask? Because unless the exact person or persons had foot prints in the sand that lead to their location, or were taped on hidden video, or were questioned in person and openly admitted to the rocket launch then its hard to accept that the actual persons responsible have been killed.

Of course, we want to see those who truly were responsible to pay the price, but we don't want to hear what the government thinks sounds good. Come on, we're smarter than that. We already fell for the "banana in the tail pipe" when George W. took us to war in the first place. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice, shame on us. There probably isn’t an exact science to see who exactly took down the chopper seeing as all the Taliban cowards cover their faces like old western bandits. Let’s just say that our mighty military did make the Taliban individual(s) at fault vanish, there are countless other extremist ready to step right in and fill the void. In other words, its time to bring our troops home and realize this war is not a typical war where the other side will retreat or wave the white flag. It’s time to stop selling the American people wolf tickets, and start investing in our future.