Afghanistan: Now All NATO Forces Are at Risk

Amidst the world’s indignation over the massacre of women and children that was perpetrated by a U.S. soldier, Afghan tribal leaders are calming the crowds by calling for justice, not revenge. It is a positive gesture, but not reassuring. The United States will try the killer sergeant in the U.S., a devastating announcement for the Taliban, who hoped to see justice served in the Kabul court and who have, as a result, sworn to retaliate.

In this way, the U.S. has put not only the marines into the line of fire, but also the Italian, German, English and French forces who work alongside them under the umbrella of the International Security Assistance Force. 10 years of war are likely to vaporize into a hasty and bloody retreat, which would leave Afghanistan to be rebuilt at the mercy of the opium bands, the al-Qaida guerrillas who would reenter from Pakistan — and the Taliban hardliners, who have never agreed to negotiations with Karzai and the U.S.

The slow progress in the training of local forces, which Karzai actually never really encouraged since he always has felt much safer under the protection of the Pentagon than that of his own militia, now demonstrates the major limitation the American exit strategy. Those gun shots fired in the night at families and innocent sleeping children, should the popular protests re-explode, could plunge the country back into the abyss of terrorism.

This isn’t what Karzai wants. But his populist rhetoric (often spent covering up the large black holes left by his government’s corruption), instead of strengthening the alliance and trust with the coalition and with America, is in fact distancing them. He prefers to float in a status quo that has been stained with savagery and intrigue.

America must get out of the Afghan quagmire as soon as possible. The U.S. helped to create it, first with soldiers who urinated on the bodies of dead combatants, then with the burned copies of the Quran and, finally, with the Kandahar massacre. The Italian, German, English and French military personnel are also under pressure, but their nerves give out much less. And this must be recognized. So, they’re wrapping up the investigation of the guilty man in a hurry and giving the Afghans the justice they deserve.