Columnist Margaret Wente often irritates me but it is her job to be provocative. I found myself agreeing with her whole-heartedly yesterday, which is also her job. She stated that Canada should get out of Afghanistan after a 10+ year mission. I wondered about our presence from the beginning and have mused in this blog about my conflicted emotions, convinced as a Christian that war is stupid even when deemed necessary while holding deep admiration for the sacrifices of our troops.
The cowardly murder of civilians in Afghanistan over the weekend has been reported everywhere but the news from the States doesn't note that Canadians soldiers developed a strong atmosphere of trust in this Panjwaii district, now evaporated. What a waste. We still have nearly 1000 military personnel in Afghanistan as advisors and they are less safe today than they were before the weekend. They don't deserve this.
As Wente offers in her final paragraph:
I admire our soldiers in Afghanistan, including all those who’ve served there and the ones who’re there now. They are highly trained, principled and idealistic. It’s not their fault they couldn’t make the country safe for girls to go to school. They were given an impossible job to do. They’ve done it with courage, heart and passion. But enough’s enough. Time to bring them home.
Amen from me. But maybe not from you. What are your thoughts? Was this a wasted mission, or just one that has run its course?
I do admire the courage of our troops in Afghanistan. I can't imagine the terror of going to war, but to not know if that road you will be driving down has an explosive device buried in it, must be horrifying.
ReplyDeleteWith all the lives lost, you hope that something has been gained. It's hard for us here to know for sure. My worry is that the Taliban will just regain control when our troops leave, and will have a well-trained, well-armed Afghan army to use at their will.
As Eric Margolis states:
"All the military might of the U.S. and allies has been met and even defeated by Pashtun tribesmen whose weapons are courage, patience and determination to drive out foreign invaders."