Afghanistan: The Days of War and Poppies
by DARLENE CASELLA
January 16, 2012
Hearts and minds of the Afghani people
Afghanistan’s history is about armies fighting for control of a landlocked area smaller than Texas. It is bordered by China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Alexander the Great founded Kandahar in the 4th Century. Since the Stone Age, armies of people have passed through. Arabs arrived around 650 BC bringing Islam. Centuries later Genghis Khan added it to the Mongol Empire.
Communist Soviet Union armies marched into Afghanistan during the late 1970’s; when Communist President Hazifullah Amin was in power. The Anti Communist Mujahideen declared jihad against Amin and the Soviets. Muslim fighters from around the world went to fight with the Mujahideen. They were financed during the Administrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan; and received funding from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, and the People’s Republic of China. When the Soviets were driven out, the Taliban and al-Qaeda rose to power. Hamid Karzai was named Chairman, and then elected President in 2004 and in 2009.
After the September 11, 2001 attack on the World trade Center, President George Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to turn over Osama bin Laden. It refused, and a ground/air campaign drove the Taliban out of the major cities. The Taliban are glorified as holy warriors and maintain support in their communities. In 2008 President Barak Obama widened US involvement in Afghanistan. The stated goal was winning hearts and minds. The military sweeps an area and leaves; the Taliban returns, a Catch 22.
Afghan desertion and recruitment are problematic. The United States is training the Afghan National Army; and established a National Military Academy to produce officers. General David Petraeus said gains are fragile. His successor, General John Allen, suggests that American forces remain after the Obama 2014 withdrawal timeframe.
Amnesty International reports that abuse of women is widespread. Religious police enforce Taliban laws, and forced marriage. Punishments include beating, stoning, and execution. Women wear burqas. A young teen girl was raped and then jailed for adultery. She agreed to marry the attacker in order to be pardoned.
Opium growing in Afghanistan may be 90% of the world production. To decrease opium farms, the US offered alternatives, such as wheat. Farmers now grow poppies and wheat.
Corruption is Afghanistan’s number one problem; according to Drago Kos, Chairman of the Council of Europe’s Anti Corruption Group. In the entire world, only Somalia and Myanmar are more corrupt than Afghanistan. Kos criticized Karzai’s Administration “There are no prosecutions. Cases stop at the High Office of Oversight.” The largest bank collapsed after giving $900 million in unsecured loans to presidential insiders. Since 2009 more than $3 Billion has left the country secreted in boxes headed for Dubai. Financial transactions are “hawalas”, Islamic money transferring organizations, based on honor and good faith; it is impossible to trace money flow.
Iran does not want the US in Afghanistan. Last month a US surveillance drone launched from Afghanistan was lost in Iran. Iran launched a military maneuver near its border with Afghanistan. Ernesto Londono writes about an aggressive Iranian campaign to fuel anti American sentiment among Afghan leaders. Iran has signed a bilateral Defense Agreement with Afghanistan.
A video on Afghan television shows US Marines urinating on dead Islamic Taliban fighters. Perhaps this is part of Iran’s anti American campaign. General Thomas Waldhauser is leading the NCIS probe to track down who created and posted the video. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta have vowed that if the video is authentic, participants will be found and punished.
There have been improvements since the 2001 fall of the Taliban. We give more foreign aid to Afghanistan than any other country, but the country remains crippled and poor. Senators from both sides of the aisle want to know where that money has gone. Average annual income is $900; living standards are among the lowest in the world. There are food, clean water, and housing shortages; and no widespread education or medical care. Life expectancy is about 45. Hundreds of thousands are maimed, disabled, or blind. Drug use is widespread. Infrastructure is weak, 6% of the population has electricity. Roads are incapacitated.
President Karzai learned of State Department secret peace negotiations with the Taliban. Angrily, he demanding to be in charge of the negotiations, and to be given immediate control of Parwan, the largest detention center which houses Taliban and Al Qaeda high value prisoners. Now the Taliban has set up an office in Qatar to give Afghan legitimate intermediaries and Western peace negotiators a place for open contact. Their first demand is that the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, be released.
President Obama made Afghanistan the central military focus of his administration since drawing troops out of Iraq. He increased the number of troops in Afghanistan, stepping up the pace of American operations. On January 3, 2012 president Obama declared that the United States had achieved its goals in Afghanistan, and set an aggressive timetable for the withdrawal of American troops by 2014. Unexpectedly President Karzai called for US military support until 2024, and financial support until 2034. How long does it take to win the hearts and minds of a people?
Family Security Matters Contributor Darlene Casella was, before her retirement, an English teacher, a stockbroker, and president/owner of a small corporation. She lives with her husband in La Quinta, California, and can be reached at thedeadseawest@aol.com.
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