Out of the Eye and into the Storm

by: Katie Pearce

 It’s as if Afghanistan is shifting out of the calm of the eye and back into the storm as 21 Afghan soldiers were killed in one of the most deadly Taliban attacks this year.  The calm didn’t last long as tensions are starting to heat up thanks to the rapidly approaching presidential elections.  Kunar is a small province in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan, a dangerous area just for that reason, but the increase in Taliban power and force has made it especially challenging as of late.  Pakistani militants use Kunar as an important transportation route, but it has also been one of the most violent areas since the US entered Afghanistan.  In the attack at the province checkpoint, 21 Afghan soldiers were killed, 7 were captured, and one attacker also died in the midst of the violence.  The fighting broke out between hundreds of soldiers and Taliban members and lasted for several hours.     

One of the most frustrating aspects of this recent attack is that it is believed that there are members of the Taliban who have infiltrated the Afghan army and helped organize the attack.  Because of this, over 20 people were either captured or killed, an act of violence that surely could have been prevented.  After the attack, and after some of the dust settled, nine Afghan army officials were “dismissed for negligently failing to prevent an attack.”  There is a lot of speculation over how the negligent officers were involved, but the beliefs are that some actually helped facilitate the attack, others were asleep during it, and some didn’t even fightback.  Because of the attack, President Karzai had to postpone his visit to Sri Lanka; security has also started to increase as the attacks are becoming more frequent and the elections are getting closer.  With President Karzai unable to run for reelection and the Taliban supposedly targeting the election and the candidates, security will need to step up significantly and the Afghan army will have to find a way to stay strong.  

Malala Yousufzai: "Daughter of the Nation"

By Ryan Eichman

Malala Yousufzai (Photo by Veronique de Viguerie, ABC News)

All the recent talk surrounding the Taliban is of the young girl, Malala Yousufzai, who is recovering from an attempted assassination on the 9th of October. Taliban operatives targeted Malala on her way home from school, because she was an activist for girls' education. According to both the Taliban and al Qaeda groups, Malala was speaking of values that were against Islamic code. The As-Sahab media group put together a pamphlet that asked the public why they were so "perturbed over Malala?" This media outlet has very strong connections with terrorist groups; and attempted to sugarcoat the severity of the assassination attempt on the 14 year old girl because she defied Muslim law. "She has become a symbol of Western culture in the area; she was openly propagating it." This was the statement made by a Taliban spokesman, which was another statement of how Malala was opposing Islamic ways of life. The Taliban wanted to silence her no matter what, that even after being shot in the head and neck, promises were made to kill her. The terrorist group wants this incident to be a lesson to all who wish to revolt against Islamic ways of life. 

The attempted killing of the 14 year old girl has left many Islamic people in fear for their own lives. A tragedy such as this brings about the question: if it can happen to them can it happen to me; which has led to the fear that now fills many Muslims. Islamic people are learning to control that fear however and turn it into hope; instead of thinking could it happen to me, thinking if she can do it, so can we. Malala has definitely shown that no matter how young you are, you can make a difference. According to political leader Altaf Hussain, she has become the "Daughter of the Nation."

News appears to keep getting better for Malala. On top of her inspiration to the people of Islamic beliefs and Pakistan police tracking down the assassins, word has been released that the doctors looking out for young Malala are hopeful. Malala was transferred to England for further treatment and to be under the care of professionals who have dealt with her kind of trauma before. According to Dr. Dave Rosser, Malala has a chance of making a good recovery.

The fact that a 14 year old girl has the courage to stand up to the terrorist group is amazing. She has shown the people of Islamic culture that even a young teenager can make a difference. Many people may say "well what difference can I make?" History has shown that one person can make a huge difference if they are fighting for a good cause. Take for example Gandhi and Dr. King, they protested peacefully and made a huge impact on the way of life for many people. The same can be said about Malala; she spoke up peacefully and has made a huge impact on the lives of Muslims. I think that it is very good to see young people stand up for what they believe, I also think it's good that the Pakistani government found suspects in the assassination, and I think it's even better that Malala stands a good chance to live so that she can hopefully continue to be a symbol of hope for women in the Islamic faith.

Endgame in Afghanistan

By Matthew Wright

Leon Panetta announced last week that there would be a switch in American troops from a direct combat role to an advising and training role for the Afghan army. The United States had originally planned to begin this transition late in 2013 and have it completed in 2014, but the Obama administration has decided to begin converting operational control now, with some of the more peaceful provinces already fully turned over to the Afghani army. However, this announcement goes against what U.S. Commanders are saying is happening on the ground. They are asking for more time and also to be able to pursue offensives in the eastern part of the country, an area that has been vacated by NATO forces and is currently controlled by the Taliban. Besides a still strong Taliban presence, many doubt that the Afghan army is ready to take on the lead role. With a history of retreating during battles and routine firefights with the Afghani police force and NATO forces, this doubt seems to be confirmed. Further more, president Hamid Karzai has asked the U.S to keep troops on the ground until 2024. With all the information on the ground pointing to a necessity for U.S. Troops to continue combat operations, I find it disturbing that we are attempting a transition when it appears clear that the Afghan army is not ready for it.

Although the transition to the local army is necessary, doing so too early will have serious repercussions. Because of the nature of the Afghan war, taking U.S soldiers out of direct combat may result in the country falling further into turmoil. Also, with the Afghan war being mostly a war fought by guerrilla's taking our soldiers out of combat roles this does not ensure their safety. This war lacks direct front lines and is fought by an enemy that is not in a uniform. I believe that in this type of war, NATO forces should continue combat operations and offensives into rebel controlled territories to keep Taliban forces on the defensive and to make it more difficult for them to organize. Conversely, Hamid Karzai has entered into peace talks with the Taliban, so a change in power may bring peace to the country, but history has often shown this not to be the case. When a new government is in power and not supported they tend to fall to opposition powers in the country.

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Controversy: Marines Urinate on Dead Taliban

By Matt Wright

A video depicting four marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters has caused an uproar in the media and international community. These Marines have been identified as members of a sniper team that had lost seven members during their time in Afghanistan. Many high-ranking figures including Hamid Karzai and Hilary Clinton are calling for an extremely harsh punishment of these four Marines. These two figures along with many others are calling for this action to be treated as a war crime. Also this action hurts the U.S's image abroad and helps strength the Taliban's claims of American brutality in the region. The Marines' act also will put more American lives in danger because it helps the Taliban recruit new members and warrants retaliation.

Although what these marines did is extremely unethical and goes against basic human decency I do not agree with these people's belief that they should be tried as war criminals. I along with others, such as Rep. Allen West, believe that an Article 15 along with a letter of reprimand and a formal apology are all that should be asked of these marines. This punishment almost guarantees that these marines will be passed over for achieving any higher rank or pay raises along with this it also will stop them from getting any rewards and freezes pay temporarily. This punishment is more than sufficient for the crime involved.

As I stated earlier these act severely hurt our image abroad and go against our basic values as human being's and Americans, but one must look at the circumstance these actions happened in. These acts were not committed in a vacuum, they were committed by men who were deployed in a very dangerous region of Afghanistan and had seen members die. It is very hard to put oneself in the mindset of someone who lives with the danger of death every day for over a year. Also, although wrong, these actions are not as bad as many seem to portray them as. Urinating on dead enemy combatants should not be put on the same level as genocide, and other war crimes like many seem to be doing. Finally, as a nation, we should seek to protect our own troops over appeasing the local government or the international community. 

To see the actual video click here.

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Conflict History: War in Afghanistan

By Laura Hoberg

Afghanistan has seen little time of peace within its history.  Throughout the 19^th and 20^th century Afghanistan has encountered conflicts with Anglo-Saxons Britain, Russia, civil wars, Taliban, Al Qaeda and The United states.  There have been such brief periods of peace between each dispute that Afghanistan has had no time to rebuild, each war seeming to result in further civil wars between the tribes of Afghanistan. The Afghan-Soviet war perhaps began a trend that brought about what is the current state of Afghanistan.  In 1979 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan, attempting to bring the communist ideas that had already been spreading through Europe.  The Soviets would later claim that they were requested to aid in the holy wars or Jihad, going on at the time in Afghanistan.  The Prime minister at the time, Hafizullah Amin began an attempt to westernize Afghanistan, pushing aside Islamic tradition.  The majority of Afghanistan was outraged at this, the vast majority consisted of those of a Muslim faith, and the population became furious.  Amin ran a communist government, backed by the Soviet Union, one that rejected any and all religion.  Followers of Amin and his police arrested religious leaders.  Those who weren’t caught or captured fled to escape persecution. 

The Muslim rebels created a group known as the Mujahideen who began a guerilla war and proclaimed Jihad against Amin and his supporters.  Then on December 27^th, 1979 Amin was killed by soviet Russian soldiers, and replaced by Babrak Karmal.  Karmal knew he could only stay in power as long as he had the support of the soviets, who were providing the funding and power for the communist government they hoped to create using Karmal.  Many Afghan soldiers deserted and joined forces with the Mujahideen, leaving an army of mostly Soviet soldiers.  The Mujahideen, because they were fighting in their native land, had an illimitable cognition of land and climate, providing a strong and steady force against the Soviets, gaining much land against the Soviets.  By 1989 the Soviets had left Afghanistan. 

After Russia departed Afghanistan, they left the country broken and with no government to take over.  When a form of government could not be agreed upon, the people turned on each other in disagreement, creating a state a mayhem and chaos.  With nobody in charge and Afghanistan left in a civil war, this created the perfect breeding grounds for a new group to take over.  The Taliban, a group of Islamic student fighters, founded by Mullah Mohammed Omar an Islamic religious leader, trained in Pakistani camps, took over the government of Afghanistan.

During the Soviet-Afghan war a group of Islamic students with ties to the Mujahideen began training in Pakistani camps.  As the group grew they increased by joining with Pashtun tribesmen forming their own coterie, calling themselves the Taliban.  The majority Taliban had been trained in Pakistani camps, by Islamic religious leaders, and mostly consisted of men with Pashtun ethnicity.  After the Soviets left Afghanistan the Taliban did not disintegrate, remaining in training camps and searching for more and more recruits.  Pakistan at one point requested the at the time small group of Taliban to guard an armored convoy crossing a mountain pass.  When the Taliban proved that they were more than able to do the job requested they began a stunning advance, gaining supporters along the way, which eventually aided in the capture of the capital city Kabul.  Because of the lack of government in Afghanistan after the departure of the Soviets, the Taliban easily gained capture of Kabul. 

Soon after, the Taliban began to enforce strict Muslim laws, the worst of which were the heinous restrictions placed on women.  With the laws came brutal and barbaric punishments for crimes committed against the Sharia laws including public execution.  The Taliban received much criticism from Afghan Scholars, stating that the Taliban were incredibly ignorant, causing they’re calloused and barbaric ways.  While the Taliban were in control of Afghanistan, 1996 until 2001, they occupied an estimated 90% or the country, and still hold a strong influence in various cites.  Although the Taliban re-united a large majority of the people, they were unable to end the civil war. 

Afghanistan has been infected with war since the nineteenth century, leaving little time for social, political, or economical development.  When the Soviets left Afghanistan they left the country vulnerable, which became an easy target for the Taliban’s rise to power.  Pakistan soon became friendly with the Taliban in order to form good relations in Kabul.  By 1977 the Taliban were recognized by many countries to be the reigning government of Afghanistan.   Eventually the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda would join forces, to fight against the U.S. bombings of Al Qaeda training camps.  And would lead to the joint effort in the U.S-Al Qaeda war on terror.  The country eventually attempted to make political advancements, but was so overwhelmed by fraud that it has been a slow and painful process.  Leaving Afghanistan not far from where it has been for a long period of time, still at a standstill, waiting for a government, that helps the people, and not merely a strong government that only concerns itself with power.

Violence and Upheaval in Afghanistan

Danielle Nelson

The U.S. involvement in Afghanistan began with an invasion in 2001 following the September 11^th attacks to remove Al Qaeda and the Taliban from power.  Although the invasion was successful, neither group was dissolved.  Since then, American forces have been focusing on helping the Afghan government gain control of the insurgency.  The month of August has seen developments in military and political aspects of the conflict.  These developments include an air collision, an attack on a Chinook transport helicopter, and political controversy over Afghan elections. 

This month a collision between an RQ-7 Shadow, an unmanned aerial vehicle, on a surveillance mission and a C-130 cargo plane occurred in Afghanistan.  The cargo plane was forced to land on base in eastern Afghanistan; however, the crew was unharmed, and the plane received only minimal damage from the collision.  Remotely piloted aircraft have been used extensively in the past ten years to fire antitank missiles or to take pictures from high altitudes.  Despite the rarity of collisions, the military is developing sensor technology to help avoid future collisions. On August 6^th insurgents shot down a Chinook transport helicopter on a mission in the Tangi Valley of the Wardak Province.  The attack occurred during an assault on a Taliban compound in the Jaw-e-Mekh Zareen village.  Officials say that this valley has been used by the Taliban to move across the Wardak and Logar Province boarder and acts as a stronghold for insurgents.  The attack on the helicopter killed thirty Americans and eight Afghans.  Among the dead were Navy Seal commandos and soldiers from Seal Team 6 that had been involved in the killing Osama bin Laden.