Steven Harrell

Afghanistan and Pakistan-Time to Get Out

Sep 2, 2011 Updates

We have had military forces in Afghanistan since 2001, when al Qaeda bases were found there after the 911 attacks here in the U.S.  We overthrew the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2001, and U.S. forces have been fighting al Qaeda and Taliban forces inside various sectors of the country ever since.  Most of the U.S. activity in Afghanistan has been directed at building and defending air bases in the southern region of the country.  From these air bases, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has flown drone strike missions into Pakistan using Predator drone aircraft.  These attacks have been largely successful, as many officers and important Taliban and al Qaeda leaders have been killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan with attacks from U.S. controlled drone aircraft.

Shortly after the Obama Administration took office, a so called surge of troops was sent to Afghanistan, in an effort to pacify the country by covering the country with over 100,000 U.S. troops.  A concerted effort was made to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people by having U.S. forces build schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure there.

However, the government of Afghanistan under President Karzai has been notoriously corrupt.  Much of the U.S. aid monies in the country have been embezzled and wasted.  President Karzai’s own brother was one of the largest drug dealers and drug distributors in Afghanistan, until he was murdered by the Taliban this year.  The level of corruption in the country is amazing, and the corruption is so bad there that any decent amount of funds spent on aid to the people probably never trickles down to the regions where the funds were earmarked.

I understand the reason or reasons for continuing to occupy Afghanistan while Osama bin Laden was at large in Pakistan.  The Navy Seal Team Six raid into Pakistan earlier this year that killed Osama bin Laden originated from an airbase in southern Afghanistan.  Now that bin Laden and much of his al Qaeda leadership have been killed, it just makes no sense to continue to spend U.S. tax dollars on a military occupation of Afghanistan.  Afghanistan has been occupied by foreign powers off and on since 1839.  We are not going to make card carrying democrats out of the Afghan people.  We are not going to win their hearts and minds, either.  What we are doing, and what we have been doing is spending millions upon millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars while trying to engage in nation building in this God-forsaken country.  Nation building did not work in Vietnam, and it will not work either in Afghanistan.  It is high time we got out.

Speaking of nation building, the U.S. State Department has pushed a project which would have the U.S. build and pay for a hydroelectric power dam in Pakistan.  Keep in mind that Osama bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan earlier this year, after that country was supposed to be one of our friendly partners in the war on terror.  I say that with “friends” such as Pakistan, we have little need of enemies.  Pakistan contains many people that are friendly to militant Muslims and to al Qaeda operatives.  Many of the 9/11/2001 bombers were Pakistani citizens.  It was clear at the time of the raid against Osama bin Laden that he was hiding in the bosom of friendly Pakistani nationals, as these people hate the U.S. and western culture just as badly as al Qaeda.  The American people have no business funding anything in this fickle, terrorist filled nation of Pakistan.  We should look to our founding father, George Washington for advice in matters such as these.  He advised our Congress to avoid foreign entanglements in the affairs of other nations.  We are having a tough time with our own infrastructure.  We need to get out of the Middle East in general, and focus our efforts on developing a workable hydrogen fuel cell technology here in the U.S.    The Middle East has sucked in our young people in unnecessary wars for far too long.  It is time to declare victory in Afghanistan and bring the troops home.  It costs millions upon millions of U.S. dollars per day to house, victual, supply, and move the large numbers of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.  There are at present no real military or tactical reasons to continue to maintain high numbers of U.S. troops in Afghanistan at this time.  The military budget should be cut, and it cannot be cut if we continue to maintain a very large military presence in that part of the world.