The war in Afghanistan is pushing us to the precipice of our country’s history. We must do what so many other generations of Americans have done before us — exhibit unflappable resolve, continue the fight and win.
As of Friday, the Washington Post reports 4,335 deaths and 31,536 injuries to U.S. troops since the beginning of the war in Iraq, and according to the National Priorities Project, the United States has spent nearly $650 billion during the war in Iraq — the cost of our operations in Afghanistan are approximately $230 billion.
All this money and manpower could have created a stable Afghanistan by now.
The biggest consequence of Operation Iraqi Freedom isn’t as easy to quantify.
The toll of two wars over the span of eight years has left Americans war weary. Frankly, our choice to fight a war in Iraq has placed a fog over our collective consciousness. We’ve forgotten Afghanistan isn’t a war we elected to fight; this is a war we have to fight.
In a recent speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, President Obama agreed, declaring, “[This] is not a war of choice; this is a war of necessity. . . This is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people.”
The Taliban and al-Qaeda are the gravest threat to America’s security. Even before their attacks on the World Trade Center, al-Qaeda engaged in lower profile terrorist attacks that claimed American lives, while the Taliban gave them protection.
Even now, both al-Qaeda and the Taliban continue to operate in the country, as well as in neighboring Pakistan.
Around 100,000 coalition forces occupy the region. They’re equipped with world-class armor and superior weaponry, and even that doesn’t stop our enemy from trying to claim territory in both countries through intimidation and violence.
If we leave the region, it will only get worse. Even European leaders see the folly in leaving.
“Leaving Afghanistan behind would once again turn the country into a training ground for al-Qaeda,” NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. “The pressure on nuclear-armed Pakistan would be tremendous.”
If it sounds like a doomsday scenario, it’s because it is a doomsday scenario—one that could likely come true.
If al-Qaeda gets its hands on a nuclear weapon, they will use it and the devastation would be catastrophic. Also, both the Taliban and al-Qaeda would use our exit to claim victory. It would enable other extremists to be recruited to pick up arms or to strap bombs to their bodies.
Both Obama and General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. forces commander in Afghanistan, understand that our enemies can’t be eliminated. However, they can be minimized to the point that a strong and responsible government can take hold in Afghanistan — one that can defend itself against insurgent attacks.
For the first time in a long time, we have a clear strategy in Afghanistan: hunt down the enemy, protect the citizenry, and accelerate the training of Afghan armed forces.
McChrystal’s strategy will require more troops and eventually more money.
“Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) — while Afghan security capacity matures — risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible,” McChrystal maintains.
Mr. President, give the general everything he needs, and then more. This is a war we can’t afford to lose.
Scott is a political science and sports media major.
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