An unwinnable war
[EDIT: She's moving from Jalalabad to Kabul - corrected below]
I have this amazing friend - she works for a government organization that provides aid to troubled and developing countries, and she was stationed in Jalabad, Afghanistan, for the last few years, helping with infrastructure growth, rebuilding of schools, and helping farmers find alternative crops to poppy.
Now she's transfering to Kabul, because it's actually safer. I emailed her and expressed some concern, since we hear a lot about attacks in Kabul, and not a lot about Jalabad, and she wrote me back saying that actually the insurgency is growing tremendously in the south, and US troops and also aid groups are getting hit hard - as are the Afghan people themselves. She said it's the villages and border areas, where there isn't any media, and that's why we aren't hearing so much about it.
I'm sad for her, because she put so much of her mental and physical energy into trying to help the country, and I'm sad for the Afghanis because we're leaving them stuck in a violent, terrible situation - not much better off than when we bombed them in the first place (although my friend says there HAS been progress made in many areas). And while I supported the war on Afghanistan a little more than the war on Iraq, it still wasn't right because it's the civilians who get hurt - not the actual targets of our anger after 9/11. What did we accomplish besides bringing down the Taliban? (And I do believe that was a good thing - but at what cost?)
My friend is incredible, and I know she'll make a difference in Kabul - I wish her all the best. And I hope her work in Jalabad isn't undone.
.
I have this amazing friend - she works for a government organization that provides aid to troubled and developing countries, and she was stationed in Jalabad, Afghanistan, for the last few years, helping with infrastructure growth, rebuilding of schools, and helping farmers find alternative crops to poppy.
Now she's transfering to Kabul, because it's actually safer. I emailed her and expressed some concern, since we hear a lot about attacks in Kabul, and not a lot about Jalabad, and she wrote me back saying that actually the insurgency is growing tremendously in the south, and US troops and also aid groups are getting hit hard - as are the Afghan people themselves. She said it's the villages and border areas, where there isn't any media, and that's why we aren't hearing so much about it.
I'm sad for her, because she put so much of her mental and physical energy into trying to help the country, and I'm sad for the Afghanis because we're leaving them stuck in a violent, terrible situation - not much better off than when we bombed them in the first place (although my friend says there HAS been progress made in many areas). And while I supported the war on Afghanistan a little more than the war on Iraq, it still wasn't right because it's the civilians who get hurt - not the actual targets of our anger after 9/11. What did we accomplish besides bringing down the Taliban? (And I do believe that was a good thing - but at what cost?)
My friend is incredible, and I know she'll make a difference in Kabul - I wish her all the best. And I hope her work in Jalabad isn't undone.
.