American Troops in Afghanistan Dissatisfied with Surge of Only 1,400 Troops

The U.S. Department of Defense recently released a report saying that in the 10 years since the war in Afghanistan began, 2010 was the worst year yet for casualties. In 2010, there were 711 soldiers killed. Last year, the U.S. faced the highest number of armed attacks by the Taliban, almost double the number of attacks in 2009. The United Nations developed a “risk rating map” to demonstrate the security situation in Afghanistan. This maps shows that the security situation is quite grim. Low risk areas on the map in 2009 became high risk areas in 2010. To ensure “winning” against the Taliban, the U.S. military requires at least 30,000 extra troops. However, beleaguered Washington compared the situation to “squeezing toothpaste” and only promised 1,400 extra troops, causing strong resentment for U.S. troops already in Afghanistan.

On Dec. 3 of last year, Barrack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. His total time in Afghanistan was only 3 hours and 20 minutes because of his hurried departure due to “bad weather.” During the “visit,” Obama had “no time” to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Obama made a speech to U.S. troops in which he said that the U.S. government is facing unprecedented international and domestic pressure. Regardless of this pressure, fights on Capitol Hill and election results, the White House will continue to support the troops in Afghanistan. Obama also said almost every day he signed condolence letters to send to families of troops killed in Afghanistan. He admitted that Afghanistan “is a very difficult war to win.”

In 2010, there were a record 157 bank failures in the United States. In comparison, the issue of troops looks easy. There are currently over 100 local governments in financial trouble and over $2 trillion in debt. To meet costs, local governments are selling parking spaces, theaters and museums. Some are even releasing criminals early to decrease the costs of operating prisons. The U.S. unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 10 percent, and insiders are not very optimistic. As far as the Pentagon, the White House and Capitol Hill are concerned, the issue of requesting 30,000 extra troops in Afghanistan has become a deadly problem.

Due to lack of support from the American people, the war in Afghanistan has become increasingly difficult to deal with. The Pentagon has secretly encouraged the Afghanistan government to give “amnesty” to the Taliban. According to U.S. media reports, NATO forces have used helicopters to pick up Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor for talks with Afghanistan government officials and give him large amounts of cash. However, the whole event became a big joke because it was found out he was a fraud. Washington personally trained the Taliban for use against the Soviet Union, and today the Taliban has turned into the implacable enemy of the U.S. military. People reasonably have to question U.S. military policy and motivation.