An Update on Afghanistan, 2 Years After the War

An Update on Afghanistan, 2 Years After the War
By JAMES ROSEN - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- Two years ago, when U.S. bombers attacked Afghanistan, President Bush spoke boldly of toppling the Taliban and replacing its radical Islamic regime with a democratic government that wouldn't support al Qaeda terrorists.

...

In Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai clings to power in Kabul, warlords run security outside the capital, and the Taliban is making a comeback.

Afghanistan has recently endured some of the worst violence since the U.S.-led forces routed the Taliban regime in late 2001. More than 300 people have been killed since early August, rival militias are clashing in northern Afghanistan, and local political leaders are being kidnapped or assassinated.

Some analysts, including several who have helped the government craft its policy there, fear that Afghanistan has been left to drift in a still-dangerous and volatile part of the world.

"Things aren't going as well as we want," said Larry Goodson, author of a 2001 book about Afghanistan and professor of Middle East studies at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. "Afghanistan has flipped off the radar screen to some extent."

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But the overriding problem has not been addressed, in Gouttierre's view: The 12,000 U.S. troops and 5,500 NATO peacekeepers in Afghanistan are not nearly adequate to maintain order.

"They need at least five times that number of troops to provide the kind of security that will reduce the dependency of the Afghans on regional warlords and drug lords," Gouttierre said.

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Rick Barton, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said ... "It's a mixed record. Some things are going a whole lot better. Afghanistan has rejoined the world of nations. Women have many more rights than they've had for decades. It's been a great agricultural year with a bumper crop. It's more or less safe in Kabul. Those are the positives. But warlords are still running big parts of the country, and you can't travel safely around the country. If we don't get security right, we can't really make all the other progress we'd like to make."

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Hmm, if by "bumper crop" Mr. Barton means "heroin", then yes, things are looking up.