There is a frightening piece in Wall Street Journal regarding the revival of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Those of you who have been on this site for a while know that the Taliban and Afghanistan are a particular area of interest for me and the focus of my diaries.
More about the article after the fold.
The attached is a link to the article:
Wall Street Journal Article
There are a couple of passages of particular note. The following passages demonstrates the audacity of the Taliban and the fact they now are exercising governing power over large portions of Afghanistan.
The Paris-based International Council on Security and Development, a think tank that maintains full-time offices in Afghanistan, said the Taliban have spread across much of the country and are beginning to encircle the capital, Kabul.
The group said Taliban fighters have advanced out of southern Afghanistan, a region where they often hold de facto governing power, and carry out regular attacks in western and northwestern Afghanistan as well as in and around Kabul. Taliban forces can be found in 72% of Afghanistan, up from 54% a year earlier.
Second, the article states that we are in danger of losing Afghanistan. This is not true. If the facts are correct, then we have already lost Afghanistan and will face a new offensive in the coming days and weeks.
"While the international community's prospects in Afghanistan have never been bleaker, the Taliban has been experiencing a renaissance that has gained momentum since 2005," the report said. "The West is in genuine danger of losing Afghanistan."
Afghanistan has seen a sharp spike in violence this year, with U.S. fatalities and civilian casualties hitting records. Some American commanders fear the Taliban will start an offensive this winter.
I absolutely agree with the conclusion of this paragraph. This is the only way to achieve some sense of stability, hope and peace in the country.
The group recommends that U.S. and NATO commanders minimize their use of military power, recruit troops from Muslim nations into the current American- and European-dominated multinational force and expand economic assistance.
I respect President-Elect Obama's wisdom and that of his advisors. I just simply don't understand how more soldiers will solve the problems and obstacles we face in Afghanistan. Without the support and troop commitments of Arab and Muslim nations and a concerted effort to increase economic assistance to the poor people of that country so they don't have to resort to the Taliban's weapons and opium, our troops have no chance of success regardless of their number and might. We can't stay in Afghanistan forever and if we don't strike at the heart of the problem that creates the Taliban and nurtures Islamic Fundamentalism (impoverished population, a citizen's sense of hopelessness and a "us versus them" mentality), the Taliban will be back as soon as we leave the country or decrease the number of our troops.