As I write this the US has become diplomatically and militarily disengaged from Afghanistan. The pundits are already saying, “we lost another war.” Did we?
The 9/11 attack was a wake-up call for America. Up to that point no one wanted to say the words, “global war on terrorism”. But there it was, an enemy we could not defeat at our borders; we needed to take the fight overseas.
We had to go after their leaders and planners. We had to interdict their training areas. We had to restrict their movements and cut off their finances.
Many of the tentacles of the 9/11 attack lead back to Afghanistan to Osama bin-Laden, al Qaeda, and the training and planning areas supported by the Taliban. Enter the US military with a specific mission; reduce the likelihood that terrorists could/would attack the US again killing thousands more.
Has the military accomplished that mission? Yes, they have and in the process of fighting that “war” many service members came home in a flag-draped coffin or with life-changing mental and physical damages. The question will always be asked, was it worth it? That is a rhetorical question because we will never know the answer to the question, what would the terrorists have done to us if we had not gone on the offensive?
So, if we accomplished the mission, why are we leaving such a mess in Afghanistan? Fair question.
First, when we arrived in Afghanistan there was no standing military force to be defeated; we could have accomplished that in days. The enemy was the men tending to their livestock or working in the fields during the day and at night they were building bombs and mining roads and trails. There was no clear picture as to what to blow up and who to kill.
Secondly, when we arrived, we found a country little changed over perhaps hundreds of years. We found a culture of religious fanatics who treated all females like pieces of property. We found a Muslim nation with a deep-seated belief that it was their sacred duty to be part of a world-wide holy war; the Jihad.
Given that set of circumstances the US did what it has historically done; morphed the mission into nation-building. We set out to build schools, medical facilities, a free democratic government, freedom of expression and a military sufficient to challenge the Taliban.
Has it worked? Not very well. Why? We have for years battled against a deep-seated culture. For example, government outreach and central control is an anathema to a people that are a multiethnic and mostly tribal society. Their first allegiance is to their tribal leaders.
We took it upon ourselves to challenge their culture, their way of life. Women there will still be subjected to Sharia law and its gruesome consequences with thousands of cases where women are physically tortured, beaten, mutilated, burned alive, forced to marry at a very early age, raped or sold into prostitution.
Afghanistan is a corrupt nation at every level and in all their dealings to the point that corruption is culturally acceptable. Could we change all that in 20 years?
Change of subject, how could the US withdrawal have been handled differently and perhaps more successfully? First, why announce it to the world with an end date of 9/11 as if it will be a celebratory event? Given the announcement the Taliban quite naturally dusted off their nation-wide take-over plan.
The summer is the fighting season for the Taliban, when their ability to conduct operations is at its highest level. The drawdown should have been done in the winter without an announcement.
A different scenario might have looked like this: When men and equipment began to be moved out of an area, the Taliban would immediately take notice and put together a quick operation to retake the area. When the Taliban showed up, we could have initiated a pre-planned counter offensive and slammed the invaders with everything we have and ensured the Afghan military was a big part of the operation. Create a morale-boosting win for the Afghanistan troops. Create confidence in the minds of locals that they can be protected. Create a belief in the minds of the Taliban that retaking the country will be difficult and costly.
Did we lose the war? We accomplished the military mission. Were we there too long? Maybe not long enough if Afghanistan again becomes an Iran-financed exporter of terrorist activities targeting the US. Did we leave them an adequate military force to counter the Taliban? We know how to do a superior job of training but we can’t make them want to fight.
Marvin L. Covault, Lt Gen US Army, retired, is the author of VISION TO EXECUTION, a book for leaders and the author of a blog, WeThePeopleSpeaking.com