One of the current events/political issues we will be following is the war in Afghanistan. Read the stories below and some of the history of the conflict. How much do you know about the war? Do you have any opinions on what course we should pursue?
Updates from Afghanistan
Taliban Surprising US Forces....
Time to Get Out...
Video Reports...
Airstrike Kills 90..
Links to my website and the history of the conflict HERE.
DUE FRIDAY 9/11
93 comments:
The basic history I know about the Afghan War is that it all started to get rid of the Al Queda Group. Right after 9/11 the American Government set out on Operation Enduring Freedom. During 2007 the Taliban rates increased making our troops have to stay longer terms.
My personal opinions on what course we should persue is simple. I believe that we should finish what we started, help Afghanistan People get back into the "roll" of things. We should help the government build power and military. And once that is completed we should take our troops out and then let them fend for themselves.
My knowledge on the topic of the Afghan War is pretty simple. I know that the War began in October of 2001 after the attack on 9/11and that it is still in progress today. Our whole purpose, or aim of invading Afghanistan was to find Osama Bin Laden and the other Al-Queda members and sentence them to death after being put on trial. The US also aimed to destroy the Taliban regime which supported the Al-Queda organization. In response to the attack on 9/11, the US Government launched an operation known as Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition,I have heard that the Taliban are not back in power, but are striving to regain back some of that power that they lost when the US attacked them.
Personally, I feel that we should continue having our troops in Afghanistan until we accomplish what we initally set out to do when the war began 8 years ago. Lastly, I believe that our presence in Afghanistan has been for the best of the people, and that we should continue to do all we can to help rebuild Afghanistan's government.
To be honest, my knowledge of the war is quite deficient. I do not know much about it. What I do know is that the war began in October 2001; after 9/11 happened. The plan of the war was to find Osama Bin-Laden and other members of the Al- Qaeda. Osama Bin-Laden was identified as the main suspect for the 9/11 attacks Also, I know that they planned to destroy the Al- Qaeda organization and the different connections to it. They wanted to eliminate all of the ties to terrorism in Afghanistan. I also know that they planned to help rebuild Afghanistan and to help reestablish their government. Now, I heard that the Taliban have been surprising U.S. forces with their so called ‘improved tactics’. They feel that it if they win, they’ll have more power.
I believe that we should finish out what there’s left for us to do in Afghanistan. We should complete helping Afghanistan by getting back on to their feet. After somewhat helping Afghanistan, we should get our troops out of their country and let them control the fate of the rest of their problems. Since 2001, we have done so much in Afghanistan that now it is time for them to figure out the problems in their own country. We should just finish off what was started between the U.S. and Afghanistan, help reestablish their government, and then get out of Afghanistan once they are back ‘on their feet’.
I don’t know much but, I do know and understand a little bit about the War in Afghanistan. I understand that the reason the troops are there is because of the attack on 9/11/01 by the Taliban. To the best of my knowledge the Taliban is a religious radical group that feels the western philosophy is destroying humanity. This way of thinking makes the Taliban a fierce group ready to kill themselves for their beliefs. The troops are in Afghanistan to try and force the Taliban out of hiding. When the troops capture the Taliban we can give the Government and the country back to the people and protect America from another attack.
I feel that we must finish what we started and find the Taliban. Once the Taliban is out of the picture we can focus on rebuilding their country and help set up a new government. This would be a good plan because I feel that every citizen of the world, not just the U.S. should be able to sleep at night knowing there is one less thing in this world trying to hurt them.
There are only a few things I know about the Afghan War. I know that it started when Al Queda terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001. I also know that another reason why there are American Troops over there, is because we are helping the Afghan Government learn how to control the people of their country.
My opinion on the course we should take is that we should stay over there. I think that when people watch the news they see more of the negative aspects of the war. Although there are negative aspects of the war, there are also many positives. The American Troops are helping the people in Afghanistan make a better life for themselves. So even though there are negative events taking place, we are helping a lot of people who desperately need it. Then, when our troops leave the people of Afghanistan will know what to do and how to take care of themselves.
I am not very educated on the Afghan War and would like to learn more about it. However, i understand the basic idea of why we are there. After the 9/11 attacks, troops were sent into Afghanistan to find Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda.
I have mixed feelings on whether or not we should keep troops in Afghanistan and complete our mission, or if we should leave. I think we should continue searching for Bin Laden and Al Queda for the safety of our own country and to finish up what we started. On the same token, i feel like many innocent lives (soldiers and civilians) are lost for a war that could possibly have no solution. We may never find what we are looking for, so in a sense, is it worth losing lives for? I am on the border with this topic.
I don’t know a lot about the Afghan war. I know some basic facts, like how it all started, but that is pretty much it. I know the reason this war broke out was after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the twin towers. I know the United States were trying to destroy the group of Al-Qaeda by trying to capture their leader, Osama bin Laden. I also know the U.S. is searching for all the Taliban, a group that supports terrorism, that is hiding in Afghanistan.
I have a few feelings about the Afghan war, I don’t like war and I want the troops to be sent home, where they are safe and aren’t risking their life. However, in this case, I feel the U.S. should stay in Afghanistan until the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are no longer a threat to other countries. Once the Taliban becomes a non-factor anymore, then I want the troops to come home, but until then, the troops need to make sure the Taliban or Al-Qaeda can’t do anything to harm other countries, like the U.S.
I know some of the facts on why American troops are involved in the Afghan War. I know that are troops entered Afghanistan after the terrorist group Al- Qaeda bombed the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001. The reason why we entered this war was to try to control these terrorists and stop them from repeating more attacks on our country and other countries. Another reason we entered Afghanistan was to try to find Osama Bin Laden and other wanted men that were linked to the 9/11 attacks. Basically the Afghan War was started to protect the American citizens and to help Afghanistan establish a better political system that is not corrupt.
In my opinion, I believe that are troops should stay put in Afghanistan until all of our objectives are completed. I believe that once Afghanistan is capable of taking care of itself our troops should then come back home. But until then our troops should still keep looking for suspected members of Al-Qaeda so no new attacks like 9/11 could ever happen to our country again. If we were to pull out our troops now, all of the progress we made and lives lost will have been for nothing. Which is why it is important our troops remain until the job is done.
My far most knowledge of the war in Afghanistan is that it started because of what happened on 9/11. It all mainly started to eradicate the Al Qaeda Group. The Operation Enduring Freedom was launched and since then U.S. military is fighting in Afghanistan against the war on terrorism. During this war the Taliban threats have increased and so because of that the U.S. military is in Afghanistan still fighting.
My opinion on what course should be taken is that we should try our best to change the world. I believe that we should try our best and finish what we have started and reach our goal. But on the other side we should think about the innocent people (the civilians and the soldiers)who lose their lives in certain events in Afghanistan.
The war in Afganistan began on October 7, 2001, and since then my mind has been filled with many different views of it. I believe that people did not intend to stay in the war for so long. The government chose to go in and respond to the 9/11 attack by intruding on someone else’s homeland as they did to ours.
In my opinion, the war has been going on for so long that the most minor things are being accomplished, but not so minor amounts of people are losing their lives every day. The government should make sure that troops should be sent home little by little because no life is worth the price of trying to make a point through violence.
(Alexis Taylor)
My knowledge about the Afghan War is very minimal. I am aware of the fact that the war was started after the 9/11 attacks in efforts to find Al Queda, which is the group that is responsible for the terrorist attacks. Al Queda is known for their terrorist’s attacks by using methods such as suicide attacks and bombing for different targets. They are a group that is lead by Osama bin Laden, and their goal is to try to end foreign influence over Islamic countries. They believe the jihad justifies that it is okay to kill people who they feel are a threat to their way of life. This is why they attacked America on 9/11. It is for these reasons that congress declared the War on Terrorism to try and put a stop to Al Queda and find and capture bin Laden. The United States want to go in and not only get rid of terrorism but also help to set up a democracy there.
I personally feel that we need to continue to supply troops to the war because our job there is not yet finished. The region is still not a safe place, and this was our intention to go to war in the beginning. We wanted to make sure that we were also safe from further terrorist attacks but also that the Afghanistan was to become a safe place to live. Our troops are still needed there to help ensure peace and make sure that no more violent outbreaks happen. While this war has been going on for a while and it may seem unnecessary due to the lives of our soldiers that are constantly at stake, the job that we originally set out to do is still not complete and I feel that we should not give up just yet. It should have been known that what we set out to do was not an easy task and if we truly want to make the world a safer place it is going to come at a high cost, the life of our soldiers. Even though I feel awful about continuing to keep our soldiers in such a high risk area I feel that it is still necessary.
I honestly do not know too much about the Afghan War. What I do know is that the war began in response to the 9/11 terrorist attack. The U.S government sent troops to Afghanistan to go after the Al-Queda organization that was responsible for the attack, and to also remove the Taliban group who helped and supported Al-Queda. Because American troops haven’t found the Taliban group from hiding, the war is currently still going on.
I think the troops should stay in Afghanistan so the U.S can finish what they started. The U.S government should order the troops to stay until they have found the Taliban and removed them from power to ensure the United States won’t have another attack, and to keep us out of risk from another war. Only once this has been finished should the troops start coming home.
I do not feel as though I know that much about the Afghan war. I realize that after the 9/11 attacks the United States decided to go into the war. Our main objective at the time was to find Osama Bin Laden and to wipe out Al-Qaeda. I feel as though after these long 8 years in the war, no progress has been made and we might even be losing.
I think that the United States made the right decision to go into the war because after 9/11 how could we just not do anything about it, but after this long of a time and the war going nowhere I feel that the U.S. should start taking out troops little by little.
The War in Afghanistan started almost 8 years ago, shortly after the September 11 attacks. The initial goal of the invasion was to destroy the Al-Qaeda organization, and rid of the Taliban. The Taliban, who had lost their power in 2001 from the initial attack, have slowly started to regain their power and have attacked many local government powers. As of today, the War in Afghanistan still continues.
The ideal thing to do in Afghanistan would be to finish what we started quickly and efficiently, but I'm assuming that isn't at easy as it sounds. The two practical options, as far as I can think of, would be either to slowly pull out or to stay and accomplish our goal. Pulling out wouldn't help all too much seeing how the Taliban would probably regain their power, along with Al-Qaeda. Also, I doubt the rest of NATO would want to leave the country as it is. So the best bet, in my opinion, is to stay there and try to rid the country of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban as efficiently as possible.
In all honesty, I am not to familiar with the Afghan war. My knowledge is limited. I know the general issue but I can not go into detail about the subject. The war began in 2001 after the attack on the World Trade Towers. After the terrorist attack we invaded Afghanistan. Our main purpose in invading Afghanistan was to track down Osama Bin Laden and his group that was involved with 9/11. As of present day, the only reason I know why the troops are still in Afghanistan is to fight for the Afghan citizens freedom.
I personally believe that after we found Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist group, we should have pulled our troops out of there and brought them home. Since we did not take those actions, I think we should stay in Afghanistan until we finish what we started. We should continue to supply are troops with the goods they need. It may seem unnecessary to keep them there sense all of our soldiers lives are at risk, but I believe once we start something we have to follow through until we finish. Once that goal is achieved we should then bring our troops back home and focus on more issues happening within the Unites States than outside.
I dont know a lot about the Afgan War other than the basics, like it began because of the attacks of September 11th.I know they were trying to capture Osama bin Laden.
My opinion about the war is at first i supported it thinking it would benefit both the US and afghanistan. I still think it is a good idea to help them get back on their feet and help them support themseleves. However i think we need a more effective plan because in my opinion the war has gone on for too long and the progress is coming slowly.
My knowledge of the Afghan War is that it was declared by President Bush after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. I also know that the original intent was to stop the Al Queda and to capture Osama Bin Laden.
My opinion on the course of action that should be taken is that we should start to finish helping the people of Afghanistan get back into controlling their country. I also believe that Obama's plan to course of action will be taking to long, considering that it will take up to eighteen months it will only continue to increase the number of American fatalities. This is because the Taliban is coming up with more ways to have attacks.
I dont know alot about the Afghan war, but what i do know is that most of it all started on and after 9/11. The president and the Government along with the rest of America wanted to set out and launch the Operation Enduring Freedom.
My opinion of the war is that its been going on long enough, and our troops need to come home. We can only do so much to help the people in Afghanistan get back on their feet.
What I know of the War in Afghanistan is that after 9/11 Bush wanted to combat the forces that committed the acts of terror, namely Osama bin Laden and other high ranking members of Al-Qaeda. Shortly after declaring war, the United States launched an aerial assault on a major city of Afghanistan. Bush also wanted to take down the Taliban, which was thought to be aiding Al-Qaeda. Many people feel we should have never been there in the first place while other support the war.
I have mixed feelings about continuing this war. There is a part of me that would like to just take the troops out but that would not be the logical course of action to take. If we just pulled everyone that we have there out right now the stability of the county is not very strong, and Taliban insurgents still have a presence. If we pack up and leave it wouldn’t be very long before the Taliban takes control again and all that we have put into this war would have completely gone to waste.
I don't have that much knowledge of the Afghan war, but I know that it started in 2001. 4 weeks after the attcks on the World Trade Center. The U.S. Troops went to Afghanistan to kill who was responsible for these attacks which we know today that it was the Al-Queda.
I think that we should get our troops out of Afghanistan because we are not benefiting from anything there. More and more U.S. troops are being killed there. Last Sugust was the deadliest month for our troops in Afghanistan. If we haven't accomplished much in 8 years then why keep on fighting? If we stay there then more lives will be lost. I think tha Bin Landen is not in Afghanistan so we should stop looking there.
All I know about the Afghan War is that it started with 9/11. After 9/11 the U.S. launch a campaign in Afghanistan named Operation Enduring Freedom. Operation Enduring Freedom main purpose was to find and destroy the remaining Al-Qaeda training grounds. But in 2007 the main intention of being in Afghanistan changed when there was an increasing presence of Taliban.
My opinion of the future of the war is that we should stay and help rebuild the country. The U.S. presence, I think, has given the Afghans hope that there will not be fighting this war alone and that the U.S. is with them until it is over.
I know some of the facts about the Afghan war. The war began in October of 2001 in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States. Our objective in Operation Enduring Freedom was to eliminate the Taliban and Al-Queda leaders and crush the terrorist forces in order to protect ourselves from future attacks as well as help establish a stable government in Afghanistan.
Personally, I believe that the U.S needs to stay in Afghanistan. If we pull out our troops now, we will destroy everything that we’ve fought for in the past 8 years because the Taliban will be able to regain power in the region. We must achieve our goals and finish the job that we have started. The media also gives the war a bad reputation by showing the public the negative aspects of war and failing to show what good we have done. Once we are able to insure that the terrorist forces will not regain power and we aid the Afghans in setting up a stable government, we can begin to bring the troops home. But until then, the troops need to stay in Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan is a topic that I only know basic information about. I know that the war was started in October of 2001 because of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers. I also know that the the US is trying to capture the Al-Queda leader Osama Bin Laden. The troops are also in Afghanistan to help establish a government system.
My opinion of the war is that the US should try to take as many American troops out and send them home; they should only leave as many troops as needed to keep Afghanistan under control. I believe that the troops have been in Afghanistan to long and we do not need them there, they could be at home protecting our country.
I spend alot of my free time with the army so I know a lot of people going over to the Sandbox, one of my very good friends in particular Pvt. Genarelli, a 68W (Combat Medic), is deploying mid October with the 102 Mountain Infantry Regiment. Hes going down near Kandahar and will be the only medic for over 50 US soldiers, 100 Northern Alliance troops, and all the locals he happens to meet. Basicly, our goal in the Stan is to pump troops in and provide security and basic services for the locals so they help us (like the Northern Alliance already is) in tracking, targeting, and killing all the Taliban forces.
Its a war, so people should stop complaining when a few civilians die. Wars aren't good things, and people die in them. I think we need to stay in the Sandbox (ie the middle east) until we've finished the job and to finish the job congress needs to approve more spending and troop increases for the Army. The best way to sum up the war over there is from the words of Pvt. Genarelli " I can't wait to get the f#ck over there however, I can wait to get f#cking blown up by a f#cking IED." I agree with him and can't wait to enlist and get shipped over too.
My knowledge about the War in Afghanistan is very simple. After Al Queda's attack on 9/11, we went in to find Osama Bin Laden and the leaders and members of Al Queda and put them on death trials. The US also launched Operation Enduring Freedom which sent troops out to Afghanistan to fight the war on terrorism. Since then they have set up a better government.
I believe that we should stay in Afghanistan and finish what we have started. Since we went in, the conditions in Afghanistan have drastically improved, and the government is no longer corrupt. But we should have been out of there a long time ago, I think for the good of the people that the US troops should speed this operation up a little and come back home.
Many people see, as do I, that the Afghan War began after the terrible events that occurred on September 11, 2001. This is what mainly sparked President Bush to declare war on terrorism. However, many people forget and overlook Osama bin Laden's attempt to sink one of the US Navy's most modern destroyers back in the 90's. This only increased the tension felt by Americans toward bin Laden and the Taliban. But, once the four American commercial jets were hijacked, American forces entered Afghanistan with the goal of destroying the Taliban and find Osama. However, eight years we are yet to see the face of the terrorist leader.
When the question arises about what course we should take with the 110,000 troops still there, I am a little bit hesitant on which path to take. I feel that we should reduce the amount of men and women dramatically over the next few years, as President Obama stated. However, I also feel that we should not let bin Laden and the Taliban off the hook so easily. I mean, he did kill thousands of people on one day. We must retaliate. We need to kill the man that caused such devastation in this nation, but not risk as many American lives doing so.
I dont know much about this war. All i really understand about this war is its a fight against terriorism focusing on Al Queda. I also know that this is a very contriversal subject similar to the Korean war
My personal opinion on the the course of action is i believe we should stay and finish what we started. If we do not i feel that this will resemble the situation in korea not to long ago. In Korea we did not finish the job and pulled the troops out early and now north korea is threatening our countries safty with the testing of neuclear weapons because we never rid the country of the present threat.
My knowledge of the ongoing war in Afghanistan is limited. I know that it started when members of the group Al-Queda set out to attack America and targeted the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. In response to this attack the government launched Operation Enduring Freedom. Most of my knowledge ends here. I know that other than trying to eradicate this group and finding its leader Osama Bin Laden and sentencing him to death, the troops have been attempting to reform the Afghani government, schools systems, etc.
My personal opinion of this matter of the war is that we should be focusing all our war efforts there in Afghanistan. We should put our efforts to set out and accomplish our original intention when Operation Enduring Freedom was first launched. We need to find and eliminate Al-Queda and try to wipe out the terrorist threat not only on our country but all others as well.
Honestly I do not know much about the Afgan War. I do know that the war was started after the terrorism attacks on 9-11-01. The idea in the beginning was to find Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks. Also, the American Troops were to take out the radical Muslim group, Al-Qaeda.
For the first few years of the war it was always in the news and you could hear about what was happening on a daily basis. Now, in what seems to be about a year and a half, I've only been hearing about the death in Afganistan and not the progress. This is my extent on Afgan War.
My opinion on the Afgan War is undecided. Part of me believes we should finish what the Bush Administration started. Our troops went there trying to help out Afgan people in trying to establish a better government. It has now been 8 years since we landed in the Middle East and not much progress has happened. More and more soldiers are dying and this should be a sign to bring them back. The best thing that could happen would be finishing our objective in Afganistan quickly and getting out of there within the next year.
I do not know much information about the Afghan War. I know that it started in 2001. After the September 11th attacks, we started to attack Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. United States was searching for Osama Bin Laden the Al Queda Group. They sent many troops in because they didn’t know where either of the two would be.
I believe that we should stay in Afghanistan until we are finished with what we initially went in there for. Once we find the main sources and these people then we can come out of Afghanistan but until then we should stay in and help protect the people of Afghanistan.
The war we are currently in has been posing a lot of controversy. I do not know as much as i would like to know about the war, but i do believe we made the right decision in going to afghanistan and iraq. we have a right to defend our nation and we got attacked on 9/11 so why is it okay for someone to attack us but for us not to attack back?
Whether or not we should send more troops is another controversial topic because more and more soldiers die each day. Based on that sending more troops could be asking for more deaths, but on the other hand many of the soldiers in war are there by choice; they were never drafted. Also, removing our troops would definitly create more issues. President Obama can't just think that removing our troops will end the war once and for all. We went there with a purpose and we should finish that purpose.
Also, i think the war gets really bad press because most of the time news channels are criticizing it. We never hear what is being accomplished over there, all we hear is how many more soldiers died; all the negative stuff. Even though Bush declared war he had the support of congress and both republicans and democrats supported his decision. It's very easy to point the finger and blame Bush, but i believe it was not all him.
I don't know much about the war in Afghanistan, I try to keep up with news and current events, but my knowledge is pretty limited. The United States declared war after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. War was declared mainly to find Al-Queda and those responsible for the attacks.
For a while much of what I've heard in regards to the war is about rebuilding the Afhgan government. Which, though it hasn't had encouraging response, I think it was a positive aspect of the war. Helping Afghanistan with their government and political issues will only make them stronger in the long run and more able to handle their own problems.
As far as I'm concerned, the United States should stay and finish what they started and continue searching for Bin Laden and the Taliban, as well as continue to help rebuild Afghanistan as a nation, all of this as quickly as possible. So that the troops can come home safely to their families.
Although I do not know much about the War in Afghanistan, I do know how we got there and somewhat of our current status in the war. I know that we started because of the September 11 attacks the United States. Immediately following the attacks former President George W. Bush "launched Operation Enduring Freedom, which was a military campaign to destroy the Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps inside Afghanistan." The point of this war was to stop terrorism at its source, find Osama Bin Laden, and to set up a government and bring peace to a country in turmoil. I also know that this war has been a struggle for the United States. There has been many US casualties, not much success with elections, many innocent lives lost, and Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose.
Even though there has been many negative effects spawning from this conflict, I believe it is not time to pull out. I think that we should continue our mission and not leave until Afghanistan is in a much better state than when we arrived. We need to manage a good hold on terrorism and continue searching for Osama Bin Laden. If we pull out now, the damage can grow much worse. I believe we should finish what we started otherwise the state of Afghanistan could get even worse and even more terrorism attacks could be brought to U.S. soil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan#War_in_Afghanistan_2001.E2.80.93present
Eric Ploch
I always hear people talking about the war but I never really understood what was going on. I knew that the war was in response to a global fight of terrorism following September 11. People have thought that it may be better to add more troops and increase time of duty due to an increase in the presence of the Taliban. We need to think that if we were the country in need would we want a larger, more powerful country to just back down in everything it was working towards, or to stay and help as long as it would take?
I think that as of right now we need to stay in Afghanistan and finish what we started. Even though men and woman are dying over there, we can't just leave the country in shambles. WE made a decision to go over there and now we have to stick by that decision no matter how tough it may end up being. The country is even weaker now so if we were to leave then the Taliban would become even more powerful and cause a setback to our years of hard work and pain over there.
To be completly honest i know very little about the Afghan War. I do know that it started after 9/11 and we are still fighting there. I know that we went there to find Osama Bin Laden and to stop the Al Queda Group. I also know that are troups are over there fighting for us.
When it comes to my opinion on weither or not we should still be over there i think our troups are not needed there anymore. I don't think that it is necessary to have a troups over fighting for us since things over there seem to be better and the Afghans should be able to start living there old lives. We need to find peace between the two of us and end the war.
I know the war in Afghanistan was started after September 11th 2001 after the Al Queda terrorists attacked the twin towers. I don’t know a whole lot about the war in Afghanistan, but originally I think it was the right move to go invade and try to catch the terrorists and help the country of Afghanistan. The government is corrupt and many people in Afghanistan don’t have the same quality of life or opportunities we have in the U.S. I do believe that the U.S. government had good intentions about going over there and trying to help the people of Afghanistan. I believe the course of action we should take is to finish what we started and that we should get the troops out as soon as we can. We have other important issues in the U.S. to deal with. Many men and women are getting killed in a war that has lasted far to long. I believe that the soldiers who are fighting for our country regardless if it’s right or wrong are doing a great job and until they are home safe they need the support if u believe we are there for the right or wrong reasons.
My knowledge about the Afghan War is limited. I know that it was initiated soon after 9/11 and that it's still going on today. The main reason why the U.S. invaded Afghanistan was to capture Osama Bin Laden and other members of Al Queda ,who were believed to be responsible in the planning of the 9/11 attacks. Other objectives the U.S. had were to confiscate any weapons of mass destruction found and search for any members of the Taliban.
I believe that the war has been going on for too long. I would like for the U.S. troops to return home since they've been through a lot ,but it would be pointless now. We've already been in Afghanistan for 8 years now and invested millions of dollars into this war. The U.S. should finish what they started and continue to help rebuild Afghanistan. Otherwise, the U.S. would have wasted their time,money & effort and have nothing to show for it except for a huge mess.
What I know about the war is that we got involved after 9/11/01 to stop Al Queda which is a radical terrorist group. They believe that foreign influence is a threat to them. This is why they attacked the twin towers in NYC because they see the US as a threat on their way of life. I believe it was necessary to get involved after 9/11/01 to try and stop terrorism and help the government take more control over their country. Now, I feel like it has escalated to a point where we should not be involved there anymore. I understand that many issues have not been resolved, like the Afghan terrorism that seems to be increasing, but I also think we aren't going to be able to help the situation anymore. It will just result in more US casualties. We could still be involved with helping the government, but shouldn't physically be fighting for them anymore.
When it comes to the Afghan War I have very limited knowledge. But what I do know is that the war was declared after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. On October 7th we then sent our troops to Afghanistan in search of all the members of Al Queda and Osama Bin Laden. I also know that the war is still going on today, and we have yet to find Osama Bin Laden.
When it comes to whether or not we should send more troops out to Afghanistan or send our troops home I have mixed feelings. What I do want is for our troops to return home to their family and friends safe and for the war to end, but in reality I do not believe that this can happen just yet. I believe that we must finish what we have started and to never give up. It is important to do both defend our country and help others out, and we went to Afghanistan to do just that. I hope that we can soon end the war and send our troops home knowing we had accomplished both tasks.
To be completely honest I do not know much about the war. I know that it started after 9/11 to find Al Queda. I haven't really kept up to date on whats going on.. But have recently been hearing more things on the news about the Afghanistan War.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about the war. I feel that it was necressary after 9/11 to go and fight but now that we have been there for years I feel that we should start coming home little by little because now the Taliban is getting harder to find, we may not even find them at all. I feel like to many people have lost their lifes an that no more should be lost.
What I know about the war is that lots of civilians get in the cross fire of gun fights and air strikes. The reason for this is because the U.S. is not fighting an enemy that is dressed in a uniform. Also the enemy knows the area better, so they know which areas road side bombs will be the most affect.
My opinion on the course of action that should be taken is that all combat troops should come home. The only U.S. soldiers that should stay are those who are helping train the Afghanistan army and police. Once the Afghanistan’s police and army are fully trained, then all other U.S. soldiers can come home.
My knowledge of the war in Afghanistan is limited at best. The war was started after the terrorist attacks in the United States on 9/11, in attempts to apprehend Osama bin Laden, as well as other responsible Al-Qaeda leaders. Through out the 8 year period of the war, efforts to create a new democratic government have also been pushed. There are however opposing forces, including the Taliban, who strive to regain power which they lost due to the U.S. interference.
My personal belief on our situation in Afghanistan is that it is now our responsibility to clean up a mess which we had a hand in creating. While the troops who are serving over seas deserve nothing more than to come home to their families, we cannot just abandon Afghanistan and its people and allow the Taliban to regain control. To leave during times of such major political reform and social reconstruction would be much worse than it would be to stay and finish the job. The United States must stay in Afghanistan until the country is able to support itself and defend against terrorist takeover.
What I know about the Afghan War is that the US went over to get rid of Al Queda, the terrorist group that led the attacks on 9/11. The other role the US military has is to help support the Afghan government and their people.
The course I think we should pursue is to gradually reduce the amount of US troops in Afghanistan. This would give their government support as they strengthen as well as bringing home our troops. Afghanistan should be "on their feet" by the time the US troops are out of their country.
I am not very informed about the current war in Afghanistan. I am aware that the war began after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the twin towers. I know that the main purpose of the war was to catch Bin Ladin and stop Al Queda.
I believe that our troops need to be removed immediately. It is obvious that the progress in Afghanistan is very limited and all that is happening now is the pointless deaths of U.S. soldiers and citizens of Afghanistan.
I don't know as much about the Afghan War as I do about the War in Iraq mostly because the war started in 2001 when we were in fourth grade. But I do know that the war was started mainly to take down the Al Queda Group after the 9/11 attacks and find Osama Bin Laden. The U.S. also wanted to force the Taliban, who supoorted Al Queda, to give up power and hold free elections in Afghanistan.
My personal opinions on how we should continue our efforts in Afghanistan is to stay our course. We should continue fighting Taliban forces until Afghanistan is strong enough to defend itself and prevent another government takeover. We can't just leave Afghanistan now because all our efforts will have gone to waste and also shows that we have weak efforts in taking down terrorism.
All I really know about the Afghan War is that it began after the 9/11 attacks in order to capture more terrorists.
I personally believe that we should not be in Afghanistan, and that the government should remove our troops from there as soon as possible. I think there is no need for us to be in another country, when there is enough problems in our own.
My knowledge on the Afghan war is limited. I know that it started after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to find Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda. I also know that we aren't even remotely close to winning this war. We are losing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of american soldiers.
Personally, I feel that troops have spent enough time in Afghanistan. This is supposed to be a war against terrorism and we're failing miserably. Our main purpose of invading was to find Osama BIn Laden and Al Queda. At first, i supported our decision to invade, but 8 years later with little progress to show, I feel that we've done all we can do. Its time to bring the troops back home. What's our objective? Do we even have one anymore? It's time to bring the troops home and let Afghanistan deal with their own problems. The US should be focusing on the US and not every other country in the world. You don't see other countries focusing all of their time, people, and money on other countries.
No one really knows too much about the war in Afghanistan and I happen to be included in this. I do however know enough to form an opinion about the topic.
I know that in the 1980’s the Soviet Union moved into Afghanistan in an attempt to take over the country. The Afghani military was not the primary force behind Soviet resistance. There was a group growing in power called the mujahideen or “strugglers” in English. These men were led by a man know as Osama Bin Laden. Most people will recognize that name because he is the man who planned the attacks of 11 September 2001. While the mujahideen was fighting in Afghanistan the United States was doing nothing, watching the Russians swiftly take over Afghanistan. That statement is false. There was a man named Charles Wilson was a congressman from Texas. He requested that money be sent to Afghanistan to aid in the purchasing of weapons for the mujahideen to use against the Soviets. After many attempts, his pleas went through and they gave a good sum of money to the Afghanis. In effect, they bought weapons and eventually the mujahideen drove the Soviet Union out of their country. Years went by and the country attempted to rebuild itself. This did not go well because the mujahideen realized in 1996 that, yes they had guns and yes they had power. If you put power and guns in the same place, that usually means trouble. There was trouble. The mujahideen then changed their name to the Taliban and broke off into several groups. One of these groups was the (in our western eyes) terrorist group known as Al Qaeda. These groups were basically crude militias formed to keep the citizens of Afghanistan “under control”. Before 1996 they had a strong foothold in the country, but when 1996 came around, they decided to take over the country using force. This “form of government” (I like to call it anarchy or a crude form of tribalism) lasted until 2001.
On 11 September 2001 the terrorist cell, Al Qaeda, hijacked four planes. Two planes crashed into the world trade center, one into the pentagon, and Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. By October, United States forces were in Afghanistan and Iraq looking for Osama Bin Laden and other cells. This made the Taliban infuriated and they needed to put their “plans” for ruling the country aside and focus on us. Our forces swept through the Middle East taking down Saddam Hussein in Iraq in the process. This created something entirely different…the war in Iraq. This blog post is not about the war in Iraq, though, it is about the war in Afghanistan. So, the forces in Afghanistan were on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. During the hunt, U.S. forces discovered the cruelty and evil of the Taliban and began weeding the country and attempting to rid Afghanistan of the regime. They achieved their secondary goal within a year (to rid the country of Taliban rule), but to this day they are still trying to achieve their primary goal of looking for Osama Bin Laden. Personally I think Osama Bin Laden is dead. Every time I hear that he did some kind of message I never see a video…just his picture. I think that those “tapes” are all tape recordings from years ago. Also they are still finding some groups and whenever they find one they need to put the main objective on hold until that group is gone.
“Should we stay there or pull out?” That is the question I don’t have a logical answer too. I would like to see “a” job done first but right now it really is not very clear what “the” job is exactly. Also I’ve heard rumors of the Taliban re-emerging as a power in Afghanistan again, but I need verification.
In conclusion I really do not have a sufficient amount of information to make a convincing opinion on the topic. There are almost no sources that really tell the truth, so it really is hard to form an opinion off of such biased information one way or another. However, if I must present a thesis then, with the facts that I know, I think we should stay in Afghanistan until the job (whatever that may be) is done.
Honestly i dont know much about the "Afghan War," i do read the news and understand certain points of views about whether we should be taking troops out or if we should remain. I can understand why many people would beleive we should be getting our troops back, but at this point the damage caused by us being there in the first place is worth us staying there just to fix it,which hopefully we can.
I do know that we started this, and everything going on over there right now is due to our heavy military presence, but if we decide to leave now we would be leaving Afghanistan in a worse state then when we got there. We have lost many troops but those are unfortunately the casualties of war. I think we owe it to the people there to at least fix our mistakes and learn from then. Do i think we should be there in the first place? No, probably not, though i support the idea of the war on terrorism im not sure i support how they pursued it. At this point it should be about finishing the job as best as possible, meaning we wipe out the Taliban as much as possible and give these people the freedom they deserve, though this may never be possible with our troops there. Unfortunately these are the tough decisions that have to be made by the people who lead this country.
Here is what I know about the Afghan war. It started in October of 2001 as retaliation against Al Queda for the attack on 9/11. Our goal was to eliminate the possibility of future attacks by pursuing Al Queda's leaders, expressing our dominance and demonstrate our lack of tolerance for terrorism. This course of action would also hopefully lead to a more stable Afghan government.
Although I find it important to return our troops home, I feel that it is necessary for them to remain until the finalization of a stable government is established. Whether the creation of the war was or wasn't "right", it is important to see it out to the end so that the progress, work, and lives towards it would not be in vain.
Though I am not exactly up to date with the current Afghanistan situation, I do know how it began. The war started in October of 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. President Bush sent troops into Afghanistan in order to find Osama Bin Laden and to remove both Al Qaeda and Taliban forces. The U.S. still has troops in Afghanistan today, trying to destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban, though the Taliban has been growing stronger.
Personally, I believe that the U.S. forces should withdraw their troops ASAP. I feel that we are intruding in matters that we should not be involved with. I am all for trying the help other countries but we need to have our priorities straight. There is plenty of work/money that should be put into our own country first. I supported Bush when he announced the war but I feel we should have gotten out there a long time ago. I believe we have reached a point where we should let the people of Afghanistan take care of themselves. We have proven that we are a strong country and that if you attack us, we will fight back, but this fighting has gone on too long without much success.
My knowledge of the conflict in Afghanistan is slightly limited, and based on the news and current event stories I have been exposed to since September 11th 2001. I am aware that the war in Afghanistan had been a counter-strike attack after 9/11 (Late September/early October). This attack had been intended to capture/incapacitate Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and other terror groups incorporated with the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. I also know that the U.S, Canada and other allies had made plans to use aerial attacks. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization had also been involved with aiding the U.S with troops in Afghanistan some years after the initial attack. The Taliban has become a legitimate threat to U.S. troops in Afghanistan along with other terrorist organizations. I am very aware that this conflict has yet to end.
Our efforts in Afghanistan have not been the most effective nor efficient. As of now, president Obama faces this conflict; the decision will not only affect Afghanistan and neighboring countries, but will affect the U.S. economic status and many other aspects intertwined with the well being of our nation. As someone who has been present as a spectator since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, I believe that in order to achieve the results with the most positive outcomes (As no decision will have all positive outcomes), it is crucial to slowly (but actually) remove troops from Afghanistan. I believe that while we remove troops, it would be our best bet to monitor the political and economic stability of Afghanistan, as well as the U.S. While we would be removing troops, we might be able to work more efficiently in rebuilding an Afghani government. Many oppose this idea because removing U.S. and allied troops might mean less stoppage of insurgences. At the same time, however; there might be less terrorist activity in the sense that conflicts between our troops and terrorists might decrease as less soldiers are present. Although this may not be a full-proof plan, we would be removing troops in intervals and informed of the effects. If anything was to go wrong, policies could be altered if need be. In fact, as we withdrew troops from Afghanistan, there would be a drop in military spending, and less spending is the key phrase in the current U.S economy.
To be honest, my knowledge of the war is pretty low and I do not know much about it. The only thing I really know is that it began after the attack on the twin towers on 9/11/2001. I also know that we were trying to find Osama Bin Laden and the other people whow ere also to blame for this tragic happening in the United States. Another this I know is that we wanted to attack and destroy Al Qaeda and all the connections to it, and we wanted to find Osama Bin Laden because he was the leader in all of this. In 2007 Taliban rates went up which is why our troops were forced to stay longer.
To me, I believe that our troops should continue to be stationed in Afghanistan until we find Osama Bin Laden, or finish any other things that we were sent out to do in 2001. I also believe that our troops being in Afghanistan is great because we are helping to rebuild the Afghanistan government in the process of everything else.
Despite the fact that the war in Afghanistan has been persistent for several years, I still don’t know much about the war. Through the newspapers, news broadcasts and individuals around me, I have learned that the United States has been active in the war for several reasons. From my understanding, the main intention of the war was to capture Din Laden and to eliminate the Taliban regime that existed in Afghanistan. I know Bin Laden with his association with the attack that happened a year ago on the World Trade Center in New York. Even though it happened eight years ago, I can still remember sitting in my classroom in elementary school as the class watched the broadcasts of the drastic event. I also realize that the US is involved in the war to put an end to the Taliban. The Taliban aimed to control ethnic groups and limited the privileges and rights of innocent civilians.
Personally, I think that it is our responsibility to fix what we started as soon as possible. Because innocent people's rights and lives are at risk, we should try to mend the situation. However, I also realize that it is costing the US a large sum of money to do this and being that our troops are now at risk, I think that we should get out of this conflict as soon as we can.
I don’t know much about the Afghan War, but what I do know is that it started because of the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. The Afghan War is still going on today in an effort tot get rid of the Al Queda Group and Osama Bin Laden. Even though this war has been going on for eight years, we aren’t much closer to winning which is costing our country a lot of money and many soldiers.
In my opinion, this war has been going on for too long, but our troops should stay over there until the Taliban and Al Qaeda are no longer a threat. I don’t like having our troops over there risking their lives, but the job has to be done. The way I see it is, we need to stay there until we finish what we started or else the whole time we were there would be a waste. Also, if we don’t stay over there and keep everything under control, attacks such as 9/11 might happen again. Our troops need to get the job done and get home safely.
I don’t know much about the Afghan War, but what I do know is that it started because of the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. The Afghan War is still going on today in an effort tot get rid of the Al Queda Group and Osama Bin Laden. Even though this war has been going on for eight years, we aren’t much closer to winning which is costing our country a lot of money and many soldiers.
In my opinion, this war has been going on for too long, but our troops should stay over there until the Taliban and Al Qaeda are no longer a threat. I don’t like having our troops over there risking their lives, but the job has to be done. The way I see it is, we need to stay there until we finish what we started or else the whole time we were there would be a waste. Also, if we don’t stay over there and keep everything under control, attacks such as 9/11 might happen again. Our troops need to get the job done and get home safely.
The Afghan war is a topic that is not highly commented on anymore. It is sad to see that many Americans don't even pay refuge to it. Many soldiers have fought and died without much of a thanks or dedication in the past couple of years. I myself do not know much on the topic other than it began almost a month after the attacks on 9/11. The date was 8/7 I believe, and they called the initial plan, "Operation Enduring Freedom", or OEF as some of us know it. Lately we have been losing this war as well, confirmed by a statement one of the U.S. Commanders made saying that the ISAF is not controlling the insurgents.
As for my thoughts, I still believe that we need our troops in Afghanistan, if not more to help out the cause on this losing fight. If the country can't fend for itself, then it's not right for us to sit back and watch from the sidelines. It may not be our homeland, but it very well could be in the future if we don't keep things at bay right now. Hopefully if things start to settle down we will be able to pull out or troops. Nothing would please me more then to see our men home and safe.
Before this blog was due, I am ashamed to say I lost touch with the current situation in Afghanistan. The main goal and seemed like the only of this war was to locate the terrorist leader, Osama Bin Ladin and the terrorist regime. As the years passed after 9/11 I began to hear of the many deaths and little progress and I slowly lost touch with what has been going on. I also know that it is, and has been a controversial topic because many feel we should get out or we don't belong there anymore. Many wonder, as do I, we haven't found Bin Laden yet...will we ever? With his rumors of failing health in past years many wonder if he is dead or has been for some time. This raises the point, what are we still doing there? I wonder if what we're doing is productive or is now just monotonous. It seems like too many innocent troops are being killed looking for a 'ghost'. Not to say that Bin Laden is not still out there and not a threat to America but there hasn't been any leads on where he can be.
My opinion is that though what we're doing in Afghanistan is important and has a purpose we shouldn't let this search be the be all end all of what is going on in the war. We have lost many men and women searching for the Taliban and Bin Laden not even knowing for 100% that he is where with this or alive for that matter! To me too many innocent lives, troops and civilians of Afghanistan have been killed and affected by this war that there hasn't been leaps and bounds of progess. As an American with a large amount of pride in my country I support our descions but this war leaves me undecided of whether or not I support it or not.
I think I have a pretty good idea about the war in Afghanistan. I know it began because of the September 11th attacks in 2001. The government wanted to stop Al-Qaeda and the terrorist but I do not know what has truly been accomplished in these 8 years. I know we tried to begin a new form of government but I also realize there has been a lot of attacks and deaths with not a lot of positive results. They have been able to keep in place a government that we helped build but there is a constant threat of violence with the remaining terrorist groups like the Taliban.
This war has raised many issues in the U.S. Some want the troops to be pulled out while others think the only way to keep us safe is to send more troops over to Afghanistan. I personally believe that unless we start pulling out troops we will end up always needing our troops to be over their to keep the peace. We need to let the people of Afghanistan figure out a way to survive without us but also remain with this diplomatic way of government in place. While I do not want the Taliban to take over, I feel our citizens cannot stay when nothing is changing with the situation over there. We have not found Osama Bin Laden or gotten rid of the Taliban and we have not stopped all of the killings. I could see if we were making progress how it would make sense to leave troops there, or even send more troops. But what I see is only more and more troops being killed and families loosing loved ones. I think we need to start pulling out troops in small proportions so that the change does not take place to drastically. Then if at a certain point we realize it will not work we can stop taking them out. But if we do not begin to bring the troops back home we will never know if the people Afghanistan will be alright with out us. We need to save the money for our economy and current situation so I personally feel that the logical thing would to bring the troops home.
My knowledge about the Afghan War is that we went into it in order to fight Al Queda, and also go after Osama Bin Ladin. It started in 2001 and we are still battling against this war today. We are still there today in order to help set up and bulid a government free of terrorism.
In my opinion, I'm unsure whether we should be there or not. If we stay we will be finishing what we originally started out to acomplish by creating a stronger government, but on the other side of the conflict, we will be losing many more men and women the longer we stay there.
My understanding of the Afghan war is our goal to seek out and punish all terrorist threats including Al Qaeda, the group responsible for terror attacks of 9/11. The problem with finding these terrorists is that they hide and disguise themselves as normal civilians our troops would not shoot. The terrorists responsible for 9/11 began living in the caves of the desert making them very hard to find. Not only are they hard to find but they continue to attack our troops through guerilla warfare acting as civilians with bombs strapped to their chests. This act is an obvious act of terror and that of a coward. Willing to sacrifice their own people, terrorists thrive off of surprise attacks.
I believe we should not associate ourselves with the war on terror any longer. The way things are going now, if we remove troops from Afghanistan now the terrorists will eventually kill off themselves or make a new enemy. It is not our job to police the world, and those responsible for the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers were dealt with. I believe we should stop this war and bring our troops back home.
The afghan war started with the attack on the World Trade Centers, which inevitably lead to the U.S. invading Afghanistan. Afghanistan has pretty much been at war for the past couple decades through other wars and wars within their own country. Afghanistan is controlled by Taliban and Al Queda militants, which are rebel groups. It is reasonable to infer that they had to have been able to collect enough skills to become threatening enemies. Due to the better fighting skills of the Taliban, U.S. and allied troops have had to make a longer stay then expected. I believe that we should start evacuating most of the troops stationed in Afghanistan because the war hasn’t made any substantial changes in the country. If the deaths of soldiers aren’t for the bettering of the world then there is no reason for innocent American blood to be shed. Personally if we haven’t been able to find a 6 foot 8 inch Taliban terrorist that has medical needs concerning blood transfusions many times a week than it cant be too beneficial for us to be over there.
I do not really much about Iraq, nor do I know the history behind the fight between the United States and terrorism. It would be unfair for me to lean one side, but I am going to have to strongly disagree with the Iraq War. The war started in October 2001 as the result of the infamous 9/11. The terrorists involved in the 9/11 were located in Afghanistan, but the war somehow changed its setting to Iraq. If the war is truly about fighting terrorism, why didn’t United States stay in Afghanistan to fight the terrorist group that attacked the United States? Also, I feel like no progress is being made. More soldiers are dieing, and the country is falling into a bigger debt each day. Angered by America’s actions, terrorists are now even more active. Some say the Iraq War started in order to promote democracy in Iraq. I don’t get why the United States is willing to sacrifice so much for the well-being of another country.
Personally I do not agree with America’s involvement in worldly affairs. For example, we don’t see North Korea threatening Canada. Why? Because Canada doesn’t do much to bother other countries. If America backed off a little bit, it would help America’s relationship with other countries. There are too many things within America that adding international issues on the list is unnecessary.
The Afghan War is a conflict that started right after 9/11 in late 2001 early 2002 if I am not mistaken. I know a few key things about this conflict, and have my own opinion on how it is being viewed upon here at home by media. I know that it was a war that was put on the back burner when we went into Iraq. It received less attention and military resources that were previously in Afghanistan were diverted to Iraq for the war effort there. Since the situation in Iraq has stabilized immensely (which surprisingly enough, the media has not mentioned much, part of the success being the troop surge that was so criticized by the media), and the Afghan region destabilize, combat units are being reverted to Afghan, and that is the hotspot now. Part of the reason I think that Afghanistan has destabilized is the corrupt government and unorganized efforts or clear plan of execution by their fledgling national security force. In addition, locals are feeling alienated by the coalition forces, because they probably feel as if they are not being protected. In my opinion, if we want a victory in Afghanistan, we need to threaten the corrupt government via support. The situation looks unsurprisingly similar to that of South Vietnam in the late 60s to 70s. The corrupt government will likely cause our own defeat on the ground, as we lose support from local populace. That is one reason we are having greater success in Iraq, the local populace is starting to feel as if, if they have information, the Americans will help and stabilize their lives.
What I would hope we concentrate on is the history of the conflict, and how the status of the war is going. By this, I mean that we should learn about the victories and defeats, the situation on the ground currently, and also what was being done in the country. I feel as if this is where we know the least, because in my opinion the media has only been reporting misfortune and deaths rather than the fact that, several days have already gone by in Iraq (I think) that there were no reported terrorist related activities. The fact that a Scottish Highlander Platoon bayonet charged a large group of terrorist, and won without a single casualty. Practically relearning what we knew about the war at a non-gore and death- standpoint.
My knowledge of the Afghanistan is based on the information that I have gathered from medias for the last eight years. The war in Afghanistan is a part of the War on Terror, which is a global strategy to eliminate Islamic terrorism that was launched by the United States after the 9/11 attacks. Before the "official" war had begun, relations between the States and the Middle East were already sore. The group that was--still is--mainly targeted is the Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden who is still on the run today. During the Bush administration, they were required to follow the mandates of the Bush Doctrine. I'm aware that many people possess very strong beliefs regarding the state of the war. Some want the federal government to pull out the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq because our men are dying every single day for a cause that seems to no longer exist or is not even closer to being accomplished. Others support the troops but want things to be done quickly. In addition, I believe I heard that the government wants to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, therefore causing many citizens to be disgruntled.
When we first declared war, I was ten years of age, and I supported the actions of the Bush administration. I felt that our whole country was being attacked, and it was right of us to defend ourselves. Our yearning for revenge, for the reestablishment of security that was lost during the attack kept us thinking that the war was called for and boosted our morale. But only for a little while. Now, every day, the local news reports the number of people dead in Afghanistan, and the number seems to rise. I don't think we are getting anywhere with the war at the moment. Bin Laden is still at large. Men and women are getting hurt every single day. But at the same time, we started the war for a reason and we spent already eight long years. To give up now would seem unproductive. The country wants the safety and security to be returned to us. But the only way to secure our protection can not be settled merely by diplomatic means. The war has gone to far.
I hope that we find a compromise quickly. It seems like the issue of the war is dividing our country because we all hold differing beliefs regarding what is happening. Hopefully we find some way out.
My knowledge of the Afghan war is limited, but I do know that we started this war to get rid of Al Qaeda terrorist forces, Osama bin Laden and other terrorist groups. i also know that the war has been going on for eight years.
My opinion of the war is it has been going on for too long with little progress. i think too many of our men and too many innocent civilians have died and all the while the violence keeps increasing, along with death rates. I would really like to see our troops withdrawn from overseas, but I understand why they should stay there. They need to help re-build the Afghan government and stop terrorist groups. I guess I just don’t think its worth losing thousands of people for that reason.
i know the basic facts that most people know about the war. The terrorist attack on the twin towers forced us to enter the war. We searched for osama bin laden who planned the attack in new york. the taliban in afghanistan are not backing down and are finding loop hole on our plans and are becoming smarter at fighting.
it is hard to say what we should do on if our troops should stay or come home. We should stay to help the civilians and get the government "on their feet". but our troop are at risk of loosing their lives and its a hard choice to make. this war has been going on for a long time and i htink our troops are tired exspecially if they have return to iraq more than one time.
Katherine Peinhardt -
Although I do not see myself as having much knowledge regarding the Afghan War, after reading the articles, I was able to form an opinion. I know that we entered the Middle East in searching for terrorist organizations and their weapons, and that we have tried to establish freedom and order in these nations over the years.
Keeping troops in Afghanistan can only incite more violence. The presence of soldiers threatens these terrorist groups, and coerces them to fight harder. Our fighting only creates more tension with civilians and with the groups we are trying to fight against.
Since the target (the Taliban) that we seem to be following is continually escaping our fingers, I see no point in urging them on in their hiding and violence.
Beyond that, the recent elections in Afghanistan have still not shown any progress towards a promotion of peace or towards any future in helping suppress violence that kills innocent bystanders and our troops. As someone whose cousin is a soldier in Afghanistan, I think that it's time to leave.
Along with these reasons, the U.S. is throwing more and more money into this furnace, which seems to be simply burning it up and not making any advances towards our goals. In these current economic conditions, we are in no position to spend millions on a war where our soldiers are being killed, and our gains unsubstantiated.
To be honest I do not know much about the Afghan War. I do know that it started after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and we went to Afghanistan to find Osama Bin Laden.
My opinion on what course we should take is we should finish what we started. Its unfortunate that so many of our troops have died but we are there for a reason. We have helped the innocent people of Afghanistan which is a great thing.
The war in Afghanistan is a very hard topic to describe. The war began in 2001 after the terrorist attack in New York City on the twin towers, aka the world trade center. This led us to declaring war and moving into Afghanistan to destroy the Taliban, al queada, and Osama Bin Laden. My take on the whole situation is not very specific. I believe that now that we are in the country we might as well finish what we started. If not all the blood, sweat, and tears will have gone in vain. I also believe the faster we get this done the sooner our troops can come home to the United States. The bad news for our troops is that with newer strategies being used, it is giving our troops and hard time. This probably will extend the amount of time they will be there for.
Unfortunately, I cannot say I know too much about the Afghan war, nor have I kept updated on the events taking place there. I do know that the war began as a mission to destroy Al Queda after 9/11 and that the conflict of religious interests between the United States and such Islamic extremists prevents any peaceful negotiation. I also understand that the United States also pursued the war in an attempt to set up a provisional democratic government in the area (and I am quite sure oil supplies also have something to do with it).
As far as my opinion on the matter, we need to keep troops in there until the land becomes semi-stable. As an Israeli, I know the type of people we are dealing with; the only way to gain their respect is through brutal force. Any signs of backing down or a search for peaceful negotiation will only be treated as a sign of weakness, strengthening their cause. We must stay in and demonstrate repeatedly that the power of the United States cannot be matched or overcome by their efforts. Hopefully such force will be used in the near future; if not, the U.S. should simply back out as lives will continue to be lost for a hopeless cause.
My knowledge of the Afghan war is limited, but
I do know some things about it. It started in 2001 after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The early focus of the war was against the Taliban, Al Queda and more importantly, Osama Bin Laden. Though the U.S. Military has been unsuccessful thus far in apprehending Bin Laden, they remain in Afghanistan to try to "protect" American citizens. More and more troops have been sent overseas over the years, in hopes that this war on terror can end. A few years ago, it seemed that pulling out would have been the best option. Now, it seems the military has higher hopes of being successful in the coming years. In a recent NPR news story, American military generals believe that the victory in Afghanistan is attainable, but only with more troops and support in favor of the war effort.
For me, I feel the point of no return has already been passed, and the war in Afghanistan will continue until the threat from terrorist groups is at a suitable level that keeps American citizens out of danger. Withdrawing the troops now would seem to be a mistake, because until the military can accomplish the tasks that the government sent them out there to do, they cannot be brought home. I believe that the government may have taken the wrong approach in the beginning, but it is too late to turn back, and I believe that keeping the troops in Afghanistan until their goals are accomplished is the right move.
My knowledge on the war in Afghanistan is very limited. I know that US troops went to Afghanistan first to search for Osama then they went to Iraq to look for Hussein. This all started because of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Bin Laden was the creator of the attack and we are still in Afghanistan looking for him. I honestly think he’s dead because we have been looking for several years for him and he’s nowhere to be found. It doesn’t make sense.
In the news, I kept hearing about the roadside bombings and the infamous Al-Queda group that won’t the United States help the people of their country by setting up a government that works. They keep resisting and this leads to the deaths of our American soldiers. When I was little I never understood the meaning of war until this happened in 4th grade. I was all for the American troops to go overseas because I wanted them to catch the “bad guy”. Not being aware of all the things that come with war really made me believe something else. Now being more informed about the war, going into the Middle-east wasn’t one of our greatest ideas because most of those American troops would be alive right now.
During my college process I wanted to go a military academy to feel what it’s like. What I’ve heard about war is not pretty and that’s something I wouldn’t like to be apart of. I would go into Afghanistan in a heartbeat if I had the heart, but I’ll do my job here and get an education, then maybe enlisting in one of the branches of the military. It’s always been a dream of mine to fight, but I’ll have to give it some time.
My knowledge on the Afghan war is very basic. I know that the war was started to try to stop terrorist groups like the Taliban from torturing both their own people as well as ours. Persecution of Afghanistan’s own people was evident, much from the government as well as the terrorist groups in that area. People had virtually no freedom and had suffered years of oppression. When Al Queda, again in 2001, confronted the United States, George W. Bush took action by trying to stop such an event from happening in America, or anywhere in the world. As the most fiscally stable, as well as militantly able country in the world, it is our responsibility to the other countries we coexist with to protect them, most especially when their threats become our threats as well.
In my opinion both going in and staying in Afghanistan were the right decisions. After the holocaust, many Americans questioned why it took so long for America to join WWII and take action. The Afghani government was oppressing their own people in a violent way. How are these two different? These two situations are different because in the case of the Afghan war, Americans are also at serious risk. In a post-9/11 world, all Americans carry the burden of wondering about various terrorism groups. It is important to make a statement to the rest of the world, therefore it is important to stay in Afghanistan and finish what we started. The mission has seen much success, establishing a new more democratic government system, and securing the rights of citizens. It is a service to ourselves as well as Afghanis to continue occupation overseas in the Middle East.
Unfortunately,I do not really know alot about the war. I know that it began in October of 2001 after 9/11. America's goal was to find Osama Bin Laden and other members of the terrorist group known as the Al Queda.I have also learned that the United States had plans to rebuild Afghanistan, although I'm not sure what the outcome of this was.
With us having had troops in Afghanistan for 8 years I'm wondering if we will ever find a solution. So many lives have been taken and at this point I'm not sure how worth it it is. I believe we need to start taking troops out of Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that this war has been ongoing for nearly eight years, it is crucial that the United States maintains its presence. The U.S began an offensive into Afghanistan in wake of the 9/11 attacks.
The success of the offensive is extremely debatable. Many beleive that the Taliban now has the upper hand. Much can be blamed on the current corrupt Afghan administration, and more U.S concentration of operation Iraqi freedom. On the anniversary of when the towers fell, I, as one who supports presence in Iraq, realize that progress in Afghanistan was hindered by Iraq.
In order to ensure success in Afghanistan, we as a nation really have to win the hearts and mind of the people of Afghanistan, especially the children. They are the future of the country, and the future of positive U.S-Middle Eastern relations.Remember that the Taliban was not the group that attacked the U.S, it was Al Queda. Various groups control areas within the nation. As soon as we stabilize the central govt and win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, we can begin discussions of withdrawal. But if we leave prematurely, we will have failed the Afghan people, ourselves, and the 3000 civilian lives that were lost that fateful day 8 years ago.
I don't know too much about the Afghan War. What I do know about the war is that our nation has been in Afghanistan to eliminate all terrorism connected there. We wanted to stop Al Queda and not have the fear of more attacks. All of this started after the 9/11 attack on the world trade centers.
I think that the troops should be pulled out of Afghanistan because they are not making any progress there. The only thing that is happening is that people are dying from this and making people unhappy.
At the risk of seeming like the stereotypical uninformed and uneducated youth of today, all I can really say about the war in Afghanistan is that lately I've heard a lot of negative connotations about it. I feel that the conflict has been drawn out too long, and that a compromise seems nowhere to be found, which is very disheartening. Having a friend overseas, I can say from firsthand experience that I support our troops coming home.
That being said, quickly withdrawing is also not a proper course of action, because the conflict, I feel, cannot be shrugged off like that in such little time. However, I feel that negotiations should be our top priority, and that our focus should be moreso on the course towards withdrawal, rather than the end product.
My past knowledge of the war in Afghanistan was that we (the United States) were there in an attempt to stop Al Quida a terrorist organization that was responsible for what happened on 9/11. Also we are there to capture Osama Bin Laden who is Al Quida’s leader and founder. I know that currently we are losing the war in Afghanistan.
My opinion on the war in Afghanistan is that we should not be there in an all out war effort. I feel the military should have special units set up there in an attempt to track and find Osama and try and dismantle the Taliban, but we should not be at war with the entire country. It is a waste of time, money, and valuable U.S. soldiers.
A few a bit late (Sat. pm or Sun). This first post is the only time there will be a grace period. Some good posts though! :)
I don’t know that much about the war but I do no how it started after 9/11. The goal was to get rid of the Al Queda group and to get rid of any weapons of mass destruction that we found. The amount of fighting over the past years has prevented the U.S from getting out of the war because the amount of Taliban and other groups continue to grow.
I have different feelings about the war. Some parts of me think we should be their to stop the war and end fear and terrorism but also I think that we were lied to by our government when we started the war by saying that they had WMDs and they could be used on the U.S. So I think we should stay in Iraq and Afghanistan but we should be their for the right reasons and that the government should inform us why we are really there.
I don't know much about the war in Afghanistan. What I do know is that the U.S. set out for war about a month after the attack on 9/11. They set out to find one of the leaders; Osama Bin Laden. Now, we're still in the war today, trying to fix things in the foreign countries.
I believe that we should just end the war already. We have fought out there for so long. The U.S. is in so much debt, mostly because of this war. Many American men and are dying out there for no reason at all. America needs to help themselves before helping foriegn nations.
The topic of the war in Afghanistan is a personal one for me. With my father in the US Navy, there is always the chance that he could be mobilized in sent to war. I know the reason that we sent troops to Afghanistan in the first place was to remove the Taliban threat that we felt were behind the attacks of 9/11. We sent troops in on the ground to fight these forces, and the fight so far has been a successful one. The object is to keep forcing Taliban back and, hopefully, into submission.
My proposition for action in Afghanistan is a simple one: keep troops on the ground until there is no longer a threat to the lives of Americans. Troops know what they signed up for when they enlisted in the US military, and they are doing their job overseas. We should allow them to continue their work and continue to win the war against the Taliban. I’m sure if you asked military personnel if they wanted to continue fighting, there would be a resounding “yes” among them. They want to stay there until the job is done, and we should allow them to do that.
I'am aware of the basics of the Afghan war but my knowledge is very limited on this topic. I know that the war had been launched in a response to the attack of september 11th made by Al Queda destroying the Twin Towers. I know that the war was made official on October 7th, 2001 and the US military launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The purpose of the invasion was to find high ranked members of Al Queda such as Osama Bin Laden and place them on trial.
I believe that we should finish what we started and complete the goal that was purposed so long ago. We should finish what needs to be done with Afghanistan and let the people and the government of Afghanistan decide whats best for them.
I'am aware of the basics of the Afghan war but my knowledge is very limited on this topic. I know that the war had been launched in a response to the attack of september 11th made by Al Queda destroying the Twin Towers. I know that the war was made official on October 7th, 2001 and the US military launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The purpose of the invasion was to find high ranked members of Al Queda such as Osama Bin Laden and place them on trial.
I believe that we should finish what we started and complete the goal that was purposed so long ago. We should finish what needs to be done with Afghanistan and let the people and the government of Afghanistan decide whats best for them.
I don't know as much about the War in Afghanistan as I should. Part of this may be because of the lack of news coverage it received compared to the war in Iraq. What I do know is the basics; who we are fighting, why it is difficult to fight them, etc.
I have no strong opinion either way on Afghanistan. I do not how long it might take to achieve victory in Afghanistan, or if victory is even possible. I don't know if it will be worth the cost of life. Despite all this, I think we owe it to the victims of the September 11 attacks and their families to make sure those responsible for the attack are brought to justice, and that a similar attack never occurs.
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