Americans Have Forgotten About the War in Afghanistan

Americans — the presidential candidates, the media, public opinion — barely even noticed the recent daring Taliban attack on their most important general.

The attitude toward the war in Afghanistan was presented best — better than any polls — by the well-known graphic artist Garry Trudeau.

In one of his cartoons, a solider calls home, upset that she had not received any letters for some time. Her older brother picks up the phone. He complains that the children have the flu and that he has to drive them to school all the time for sports practice. Finally, he asks his sister, “Where are you calling from?” – “From Afghanistan…” – “Hmmm… Afghanistan… Wait, wait, we’re still there?”

Were the Taliban After the General?

While observing the election campaign, watching American TV channels and reading their press, it is hard to even notice that there are still 80,000 U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, and that they are dying at a higher and higher rate. A few days ago the number of U.S. soldiers that died in Afghanistan since 2001 exceeded 2,000 people. However, the first 1,000 died during the first nine years of the war; the second within the last two years. This is the effect of Obama’s decision, made shortly after the election, to wage a massive offensive against the Taliban by sending over 30,000 additional troops to the area.

The “jubilee,” the 2,000th victim, could have been Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army. The Taliban damaged his plane at Bagram in Kabul, which is the most important and best-guarded U.S. base. Rockets were flying at dawn when the C-17 Hercules [Dempsey’s aircraft] was empty and General Dempsey was still asleep in his quarters. They did not hit the plane directly, yet some shrapnel damaged the door and one of the engines. A nearby helicopter was destroyed; two airport service workers were injured.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had to return to Washington by another plane. The NATO command in Afghanistan has tried to downplay the issue — they assured [the public] that the attack was random and Dempsey was not the target.

“The airport in Bagram is often under fire, mortar shells and rockets usually come falling twice a month without causing any significant damage,” claimed Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the American-led NATO coalition.*

Yet the Taliban immediately announced that the attack was the result of “precise intelligence” gathered from someone within the base.

The chief of the Afghan police in Parwan province, where Bagram is situated, has stated that the Taliban are notorious for using the thick forest surrounding the base to act relatively unhindered. He added that he did not have enough men to chase the attackers there.

A few years ago the two events — the attack on the most important U.S. general and 2,000 people dead — would have caused a significant commotion. Yet, after Osama bin Laden’s death last year, interest in Afghanistan has dramatically waned. Meanwhile, other interesting and frightening events continue to take place there.

Murdered by Their Friends

The Chief of Staff had come to Bagram due to disturbing news of a scourge that is rapidly becoming a significant issue. Western soldiers are more and more often becoming the prey of treacherous attacks carried out by their local friends, meaning Afghan soldiers, policemen or staff at the bases.

For instance, two U.S. Special Forces instructors that had been training Afghans were murdered by their trainees. Three Marines were shot by a boy who had been bringing them tea for many weeks. Approximately 40 NATO soldiers have died in such ways this year. This state of affairs undermines the trust between Western troops and their local allies.

Americans have introduced stricter procedures: Troops are required to carry guns loaded and ready for action at all times. During the joint patrols, so-called Guardian Angels are appointed; their task is to keep an eye on the Afghans. Afghan allies are not told who the person is.

Americans have analyzed the causes of the attacks and have concluded that only a few of them are the result of Taliban infiltration or conspiracies. Frequently, Afghan soldiers and policemen shoot at their Western friends out of their own free will and initiative. Many offended the Americans for several months during training. Now they are treated with extreme suspicion which aggravates the situation even more.

The government of President Hamid Karzai is not overly helpful. His spokesperson has announced that the attacks are the result of plots by foreign countries, a euphemism that usually refers to Pakistan and Iran.

Keep it Down over the Coffin

Of course, all these issues have had a tremendous impact on the complicated process of passing responsibility for the country to the Afghan people, a process that will end, as Obama decided, by 2014.

The attacks have made everyone a “bit desperate,” admitted an anonymous U.S. diplomat in Kabul to the journalists of The New York Times.

The Republican candidate Mitt Romney could theoretically use the situation and launch an attack on Obama for neglecting Afghanistan and for rashly calling the retreat. However, it is not worth it, since polls show that two-thirds of Americans are against the war.

Similarly, Obama addresses the issue only when it is brought up by a journalist at a press conference. The president is responsible for Afghanistan – some time ago he assumed it was “a war of necessity” that needed to be carried on and won (as opposed to the war in Iraq, which was “by choice”).

Meanwhile, the effects of the offensive have been meager. The military reports successes, but every now and then some events take place that make us doubt this. The most spectacular was a Taliban attack last year — for 19 hours they fired non-stop at the U.S. embassy in Kabul and the NATO headquarters there.

It is just as well that Americans do not want to hear about the war since the politicians are unwilling to speak of it. They expect the candidates — Obama and Romney — to fight unemployment and economic stagnation. And Afghanistan? What Afghanistan?

*Editor’s note: the original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.