“We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it. The name of today’s Military Operation is Enduring Freedom. We defend not only our precious freedoms, but also the freedom of people everywhere to live and raise their children free from fear.”
This statement was made by former-President George W. Bush on Oct. 7, 2001.
Operation Enduring Freedom recently marked its eight anniversary. Nearly 900 military personnel have been killed, with 2009 being the deadliest year of the war for U.S. forces and the year isn’t even over yet.
There is no reliable count on the number of Afghan civilians killed, but some estimates put the figure in the tens of thousands.
Back home, Operation Enduring Freedom has been the technical title for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, but the label is merely the pretext for a larger drama; “The War on Terror,” with Afghanistan as its theater.
Eight years later, the term and the policies it represents have been the source of much controversy and debate about human rights abuses and international law.
Although there have been no repeated terrorist attacks here in the U.S., it should be recognized that we also bestowed “our enemies” a setting for this seemingly never-ending war.
Upon entering office, our newly-awarded Nobel Peace Prize-winning president escalated the war by sending an additional 21,000 troops, which brings the U.S. total to 68,000. He is expected to decide soon on whether to send tens of thousands more, as requested by General Stanley McChrystal.
Polls suggest public support for the war is understandably dropping amongst Americans, as people seemingly need to be reminded that the United States is currently engaged in two wars.
President Obama has told congressional leaders that he has ruled out a troop withdrawal and will not consider cutting troop levels.
We need to understand as a nation that our presence in Afghanistan will remain indefinite in order to eradicate the Taliban’s presence and to secure our own interests.
Connecting South and Central Asia, Afghanistan has been a valuable crossroad between the East and West, making the land — in the eyes of Afghans — a target for various invaders and conquerors during the modern and pre-modern era.
In ancient times, the Macedonians led by Alexander the Great, and the Mongols led by Genghis Khan, both encountered fierce resistance from the local leaders and the population.
In the late 19th century, Afghanistan acted as a buffer state in “The Great Game” played between the British and Russian empires. In 1979, Afghans witnessed the Soviet invasion and occupation and most recently, the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
The Afghan resistance that we in the U.S. see depicted in our media does not merely stem from the Taliban’s use of the mountainous topography of the country. The local population for centuries has confronted what they have seen as intruders.
This struggle naturally has been embroidered into Afghan culture, as cities have been marred by the traces of invasions and left to rot. But most importantly, the resistance to foreign forces has been personified among the entire populace.
Over these past eight years, it has become apparent that there are plenty of internal factors that are destabilizing and spinning out of out control; such as opium cultivation and tribal lords that hold authority over Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai’s central government.
These factors, coupled with the country’s history, confirm that success will only appear when we disengage ourselves from Operation Enduring Freedom.
Hanif Zarrabi is a Middle Eastern history graduate student and a columnist for the Daily 49er.