Essay on The current war in Afghanistan and why it must end

War has been one of the most constant occurrences in Americas history. According to the Congressional Research Service [1], US armed forces have been offensively deployed for all but 24 of the last 213 years. Yet, of these engagements, no war has lasted longer than the current war in Afghanistan. The length of this commitment has not matched the results. Conventional American forces must be withdrawn from Afghanistan because they are only exacerbating the problem, and the fight with the Taliban isnt going anywhere. 1,848 servicemen and women have sacrificed their lives for this country in Afghanistan; more than 2,300 have been injured. Over 90,000 US military personnel are still on the ground there [2]. The war has so far cost over $480†¦show more content†¦Most recently, on April 10th, the top US and NATO commander, Gen. David Petraeus, told reporters that, There is no question that al-Qaeda has had a presence in Afghanistan and continues to have a presence - generally assessed at less than 100 or so. [5] The goal of our deployment in Afghanistan that has been repeatedly announced by the White House and the Pentagon is to prevent a return to power of the Taliban and with it the restoration of a safe-haven for al-Qaeda. Shortly after he took office, President Barack Obama announced a â€Å"surge† of more than 30,000 fresh troops into Afghanistan. In making the announcement he set clear objectives, which he reiterated in his June 22nd speech to the nation: â€Å"To refocus on al-Qaeda; reverse the Talibans momentum; and train Afghan Security Forces to defend their own country.† [6] The first piece of that, as Gen. Petraeus and others repeatedly admit, has been secured. Thus our presence, according to the commander-in-chief, is designed to â€Å"reverse the Taliban’s momentum† and to train Afghan forces to maintain that fight against the Taliban. In this regard, our presence in Afghanistan does us no good anymore – we gain no advantage from being there. As the former British Ambassador to Afghanistan, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, told the Guardian, â€Å"for every dead Pashtun warrior, there will be 10 pledged to revenge.† [7] Killing Taliban fighters is pointless. Even though we have increased theShow MoreRelatedIs The Loyalty Toward His Own Country?886 Words   |  4 PagesDuring this time, he had involve actively in Falkland War, the Balkans War in Bosnia and also in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since he had a lot of experience in battlefield, he knows well the full horror of war. As a loyal citizen, he should accept the offer from XYZ to create a new radar but there is an obstacle that make him think twice. The thing is his feeling toward UK’s military. 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