The war in Afghanistan has now been ongoing for ten years. Ten years ago, when President Bush initiated the war, I knew it was a mistake. None of the numerous invaders from Alexander the Great to the Soviet Union have ever been able to conquer Afghanistan. It seemed unlikely to me that the U.S. would succeed where so many others had failed.
Of course, it was with U.S. help that the Mujahideen were finally able to run the Soviets out. From 1979 to 1982, the Afghans had done battle against Soviet troops with only volunteer help from Muslims who joined their cause. But in 1982, President Reagan began U.S. assistance to their efforts. In late 1986, Reagan decided to provide the Mujahideen with man-portable “Stinger” missiles which were used to break the back of Soviet air power. Having lost the ability to control the skies, the Soviets could no longer win on the ground. In early 1989, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan and the Afghans reverted to civil war, with warlords fighting amongst themselves. The desolate, rugged landscapes and tribal allegiances of Afghanistan have always worked against any sort of central control.
Thus it was that, ignoring history, President Bush thought that the U.S. could succeed where so many others had failed. It was a bad idea from the start and destined to exact too high a cost in both dollars and U.S. servicemen’s lives.
The War On Terror, as it is known, is an unconventional war and cannot be won with conventional warfare. It requires an unconventional approach which, coincidentally, would cost must less to wage.
Bush should have targeted, specifically, terrorist training and recruitment facilities and terrorist leaders. Here’s how:
First, authorize the use and recruitment of large numbers of “humint” (human intelligence) sources whose numbers were drastically curtailed by President Bill Clinton. Clinton’s emphasis for satellite imagery and “sigint” (signals intelligence) are no replacement for boots-on-the-ground, first-hand knowledge of what’s happening. Cultivate local sources in areas of interest.
Second, develop small, elite units of navy SEALs, army Rangers, special forces and such to infiltrate areas supporting terrorist training and recruitment. Teach them Arabic language, history and customs, have them grow beards, blend in with the locals. Give these units autonomy to identify and eliminate terrorists, their leaders and their trainers. Use them to identify sites in need of a Tomahawk cruise missile or two.
In a nutshell, strike at the terrorists surgically. We’d get far more bang for the buck doing this and likely save lots of lives, both of U.S. servicemen and non-combatant Afghans. The conventional war we are currently waging has disrupted and claimed the lives of far too many innocent Afghan citizens.
At the same time, of course, we could be training the Afghans’ police and military, but leave reclaiming their country from the Taliban to the Afghan people.
I had hoped that when President Obama took office, he would get us out of these unwise wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but we continue to pour billions of dollars each month into these no-win situations.
The U.S.A. needs to be protected from terrorists, not from Afghanistan, not from Iraq. We need to concentrate on terrorists. The War On Terror is an unconventional war and requires unconventional tactics. Have ten years in Afghanistan taught us nothing?