The Newsleaders
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
The Newsleaders
No Result
View All Result

PineCone Pet Hospital MillerCarlin Serving all of central Minnesota locations!

Albany: 320-845-2035
Holdingford: 320-746-9994
St. Cloud: 320-252-7004
Upsala: 320-573-6234
Toll-free: 1-800-644-4058
Collegeville Stearns Bank
Home Opinion Column

It’s time to pull out of Afghanistan

September 20, 2012
in Column, Opinion, Sartell – St. Stephen
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

It’s about time the United States pulls out of Afghanistan lock, stock and barrel. Carrying on a “holding-action” war there, after all these years (nearly 12 to be exact) is becoming as absurd as our long involvement in Vietnam. At this point, the Afghan war is America’s longest war.

The final straw is the fact so many in Afghan “security units” have been murdering American military personnel. It has become an accelerating outrage just in recent months. In this year alone, more than 50 Americans have been killed cold bloodedly in the most treacherous, cowardly attacks. These vicious sneak attacks are comparable to what occurred in Vietnam, when American soldiers could never be sure just who the enemy was, when some apparently friendly city people and villagers would turn into assassins or suicide bombers at the drop of a hat.

America’s involvement in Afghanistan was not a waste of time. Our presence there helped decimate many al Qaeda terrorists in nearby Pakistan; it also helped keep the Taliban at bay – the extremist Taliban who had provided training camps to al Qaeda and who had cruelly oppressed their fellow Afghans.

With help from the British, the American military drove the Taliban from the country’s capital, Kabul, in the first weeks of the war. Now being harbored in Pakistan (like members of the al Qaeda network), the Taliban continues its insurgency into Afghanistan with no end in sight. The United States and other forces from the National Atlantic Treaty Organization attempt to train the Afghan military so it can prevent further Taliban inroads and, hopefully someday, render those extremists powerless.

But along with Taliban aggression, there are further dilemmas, such age-old tribal conflicts in some areas of Afghanistan and instability caused by crooked war lords. The rugged terrain makes for an infinite number of hideouts for insurgents. The country’s leader, Hamid Karzai, has always been tainted with corruption and two-faced dealings with America, as has Pakistan.

Because of all those complicated reasons – and more – Afghanistan is a treacherous place to conduct a war. Pres. Barack Obama and NATO forces do have an exit strategy in which our direct involvement is supposed to cease by the end of 2014. After that time, training and equipping the Afghan army will continue.

That may be a noble goal, but will it work? Will Afghan military members and security forces continue to kill those who are trying to help them?

More than 2,000 American men and women have died in Afghanistan, and many more have been seriously wounded – wounds that will plague them the rest of their lives. Allied forces have lost at least 1,000. Many Americans who served in that country were assigned to multiple tours of duty. The United States has spent nearly $500 billion on the war in Afghanistan.

Those men and women served magnificently, far above and beyond the call of duty. Their loved ones at home also paid a price.

Hasn’t America made enough sacrifices in that country? It would be wonderful to think Afghanistan can someday, somehow, morph into a semblance of democracy. But when is that miracle going to happen? And how?

If the military cannot shore up security to protect American military personnel from being killed by the very ones they are trying to protect, then this war has become a cruel folly of the worst sort. A war with battle lines drawn is one thing; a war in which supposedly “friendly” cohorts murder their protectors is quite another thing.

Obama should consider making an exit date earlier – that is, as soon as possible, as early as the end of this year.

Previous Post

City wide garage sales

Next Post

Crafters to show wares at block party

Next Post

Crafters to show wares at block party

Please login to join discussion

CMCU Twitter Follow us on
Twitter
for the latest news!
Facebook Follow us on Facebook
for the latest news!

Go Fund Me # 1 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Elizabeth Brunsvold
Cultural Connections
Jim Berg & Mary Kruger
Mary & John Davis
Sandy Denne
Bobbi & David Gouker
James & marry Graeve
Juliana Howard
Julia Joplin
Linda Kmitch
M. Molus
Sheila Nahan
Go Fund Me # 2 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!

Peggy & Michael Roske
Judy Scheuerell
Geraldine Schwab
James Stotko
James Towler
Anna Trobec
Kaye Wenker
Ellen Wahlstrom
Leona Wieland
Jeanie Wilkens
GAGEN & VASUGI RAMANATHAN
Go Fund Me # 3 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Nicole Borg
Erica Karger-Gatzow
Dane & Lori Listug-Lunde
Nadine Martin
Doris Minnerath
Merry Mund
Marilyn Peitso
Stephen Schwanke
Dianne Tuff
Dale Zacher
Private Donors

Search

No Result
View All Result

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Kluesner appointed to St. Joseph City Council
  • Wood sentenced for killing two children
  • A list of school superintendent finalists expected March 1
  • Sartell man injured in snowmobile crash
  • Sales-tax revenue for Sartell on the up and up

City Links

Sartell
St. Joseph
St. Stephen

School District Links

Sartell-St. Stephen school district
St. Cloud school district

Chamber Links

Sartell Chamber
St. Joseph Chamber

Community

Calendar

Citizen Spotlight

Criers

People

Notices

Funerals/Visitions

Obituary

Police Blotter

Public Notices

Support Groups

About Us

Contact Us

News Tips

Submissions

Advertise With Us

Print Advertising

Digital Advertising

2021 Promotions

Local Advertising Rates

National Advertising Rates

© 2021 Newleaders

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions

© 2021 Newleaders

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In