Contributed by Brendan Lloyd
The war
in Afghanistan started on October 7 2001, following the terrorist attacks
carried out by a terrorist group called Al-Qaeda
on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City and the
Pentagon in Washington D.C. . The United States believed that the man behind
these attacks was Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden was believed to be hiding in
Afghanistan with a group called the Taliban. When they refused to hand over Bin
Laden, the US decided to use military force. The US started by bombing Al-Qaeda
camps in Afghanistan and then sent troops in to find Bin Laden. They soon
destroyed most of the large camps and sent the Taliban into hiding in the
mountain regions. In November 2001, the
US took control of Kabul the capital and
other major cities with the help of the Northern
Alliance. They were a group sympathetic to the US. Even though the Taliban had
been driven out of the capital and the major cities, Afghanistan still remained
a dangerous place.
Today the US
and other countries are working with the Afghan government to try to build a
stable country, but the Taliban and other extremist groups continue to
interfere with this. They continue to carry out surprise attacks such as
bombings which kill soldiers as well as their own people. In 2011, the US
finally found and killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. Even though he has been
killed, there are still many problems in Afghanistan and they are a long way from
creating the ideal country they expect it to be. Many people believe that it is
time to pull out because they feel we have accomplished most of our goals.
Al-Qaeda has mostly vanished but is still a real threat. There are many
conflicting views on whether to remain or to pull out from the country now. The
U.S exit strategies in parts of Afghanistan such as Kunduz have been faltering.
Recently, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the middle of town killing
many people. Attacks like this are meant to intimidate the Afghans. The Taliban
wants to deter citizens from joining the police force or army so that the
country does not gain stability.
Interview:
Below is an interview of my cousin, who served in the War in Afghanistan.
Interview:
For more information on the war in Afghanistan, see:
Wood, David. "U.S. Afghan War Exit Strategy Falters in Kunduz." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Beinart, Peter. "Why Are We in Afghanistan?" The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 10 June 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Zalman, Amy. "War in Afghanistan -- the History behind the U.S. War in Afghanistan." About.com Terrorism Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
"Afghanistan." News. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Dilanian, Ken. "Memo Gives U.S. Broad Powers to Kill Al Qaeda Targets." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013
War can be difficult for us to understand but I think that hearing an army specialist who was in the wars' perspective will help in our understanding of what goes on in Afghanistan. I like how Brendan's cousin discussed the cultural differences between the people of Afghanistan and Americans in addition to there being mixed reactions to the US presence in their country. The support for the children seems to be the beneficial part of war, that the soldiers were able to take the time out of the war to give things to the children that we take for granted. Overall great job Brendan!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great interview. It shows how are time should be done in Afghanistan and how soldiers feel it is time to go out. Brendan's cousin also talks about all the cultural differences and how he feels and tries to help the children. This interview makes me feel sympathy for many of the people in Afghanistan, and makes me want our country to get out of the war.
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