We’re about to begin our 10th year in Afghanistan, America’s longest war. Since 2 out of 3 Americans now oppose it, and our own ambassador and analysts say it makes us less safe, it’s critical to review how we got there, why we’re there, and why we have to stay. Help me improve and correct this fact sheet and talking points.
Never forget that on 9-11-2001 the US suffered its worst attack from overseas in its history, killing 2977 victims. We'll review each of the following:
- Afghan hijackers on the 9-11 planes
- Afghan planners of the 9-11 attacks
- Afghan/Taliban foreknowledge of the attacks
- Afghan/Taliban endorsement of the attacks after the fact
- Afghan government refusal to extradite or prosecute 9-11 conspirators
- Popular support inside Afghanistan for the 9-11 attacks
- Afghan support for the attacks through referenda and elections
- Material Afghan support of the attacks through taxation
Finally, I'll review the political and security reasons that, with your help, we'll continue this war.
Afghan hijackers on the 9-11 planes
None of the 19 hijackers were Afghani. Ring leader Mohamed Atta was Egyptian. Fifteen hijackers were Saudi Arabian, two from the UAE, and one from Lebanon. None were Taliban either.
Afghan planners of the 9-11 attacks
None. Pakistani Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden appear to be among the few surviving planners of the attacks.
Afghan/Taliban foreknowledge of the attacks
I’m not finding evidence of this. Can anyone help me out? So far I have this:
In a videotape that The Central Intelligence Agency says is from Osama bin Laden, the speaker claims sole responsibility for the attacks and specifically denies any prior knowledge of them by The Taliban or the Afghan people.
Afghan/Taliban endorsement of the attacks after the fact
12 September 2001: Afghanistan's Taliban ambassador to Pakistan [one of the few nations to recognize that government] has condemned the string of astonishing terrorist attacks on the United States. ""We want to tell the American children that Afghanistan feels your pain. We hope the courts find justice," ambassador Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef said in a statement in Pakistan.
Afghan government refusal to extradite or prosecute 9-11 conspirators
On September 16, 2001, bin Laden had denied any involvement with the attacks by reading a statement: "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation." This denial was broadcast on U.S. news networks and worldwide.
Bush rejects Taliban offer to hand Bin Laden over
In Jalalabad, deputy prime minister Haji Abdul Kabir - the third most powerful figure in the ruling Taliban regime - told reporters that the Taliban would require evidence that Bin Laden was behind the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, but added: "we would be ready to hand him over to a third country". ...
President George Bush rejected as "non-negotiable" an offer by the Taliban to discuss turning over Osama bin Laden. ... "There's no need to discuss innocence or guilt. We know he's guilty".
Sure, the US could have taken this opportunity to cooperate with the Taliban government, show the world the evidence against Bin Laden, and have him captured and tried with the help of people who knew the terrain and who understood that their safety depended on his successful capture. But how could we trust them? Clearly, extended American military action was the only reliable way to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.
Popular support inside Afghanistan for the 9-11 attacks
Again, since I’m finding no evidence of this, I could use your help.
Public Afghan support for the attacks through referenda and elections
No Afghan civilian or representative ever cast a vote in support of the 9-11 attacks or war with the US.
Material Afghan public support of the attacks through taxation
No Afghan taxes or public funds were raised for the 9-11 attack or any other attack on the US.
Why We Are In Afghanistan
We've seen that not one of the widely-believed bullet points at the beginning of this diary is clearly true.
This is closer to the truth: we are violently occupying Afghanistan because Osama bin Laden of Al Qaeda, who has now taken credit for the attacks, was once based in Afghanistan -- back when the 9-11 conspirators began their planning in Hamburg and extensive flight training in Arizona, Florida and California -- and because to us, the people who violently attacked us on 9-11 look exactly like Afghani and Iraqi Muslims.
Remember Susan Smith, who drowned her children and called the South Carolina police to report they had been kidnapped by a black man? A black man was arrested within hours. We got him. If Smith’s ex-lover had not phoned authorities to alert them about his recent correspondence breaking up with Smith -- "I don't want to be responsible for anyone else’s children" -- that black man would have been executed by now.
That’s kind of the situation the Afghani people are in today -- except no boyfriend has phoned. Thousands and thousands dead in Afghanistan for 9 years, and not one of them had anything to do with 9-11, but it doesn’t matter.
We got em.
Looking Forward
With your essential support, I’ll be continuing this war and occupation throughout my presidency for several reasons.
We all want me to be re-elected and for our party to stay in power. Obviously, that’s not going to happen if I make a bold apology to the Afghan people for our 9 year attack on them -- over a terrible crime that wasn’t committed by them, their government, or even a single Afghan citizen -- and I end the war.
The security reasons are more serious. In a way, former president George W. Bush said it clearest: "We’ve got to fight them over there so we don’t fight them over here." The rhetoric and recruitment of jihadists is all about justice. Meanwhile, I’m delivering on my promise to "look forward, not back". I am making sure no American is prosecuted for torturing an Afghan, Arab or Muslim, and that no one kidnapped and taken to prison in Bagram can challenge their detention. Almost a year ago I vowed to investigate the murder of thousands of Afghan prisoners at the beginning of the US occupation. That’s not going to happen. Amid all that, and now daily attacks on peaceful Muslims by bigots and American politicians from both leading parties, there’s no way I can convince potential jihadists that justice has been or will be done.
If we weren’t keeping Afghanis busy defending their country, how long would it take for some individual or even government to actually, finally commit an overseas attack, avenging the deaths of thousands of their innocent civilians with American civilian deaths?
If Afghanis are as moral and restrained as Americans, we’d have about 5 weeks.
I knew you’d understand.