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Monday, November 12, 2012

Remembering Our Veterans: Not Against Afghanistan, Against Terrorism

Nadene Goldfoot
Afghanistan is a long ways away, yet the USA has had many soldiers over there since 2001.  It is 6, 956.6 miles from Washington DC which would take 14 hours and 27 minutes to fly.  In fighting terrorism there, many Afghani civilians have also suffered.  As of March 31, 2010, 1.9 million USA soldiers have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Afghanistan rebels who were  Mujahideen (Muslim jihadist )guerrillas and foreign Arabs  were involved in a 9 year war against the Russians who paired up with  Afghanistan's Russian-style government.    Pakistan funded this war along with the USA's President  Jimmy Carter and China starting December 24, 1979 to February 15, 1989. The men fighting were 115,000 Soviets and 55,000 Afghanis against 200,000-250,000 mujahideen.  The end of the war found 75,000-90,000 mujahideen killed.  18,000 Afghani rebels died in this cause as well as 14,453 Soviets.  The Soviets lost the war.

January 2010's  report was that 4 million Afghanis have died including their civilians..   Afghanistan's population in 2011 was at least 28,395,716 with 99% Sunni/Shi'a.  It is an Islamic state and had a military power of active troops of 70,000.  By November 2011, 10,157 Afghani soldiers and policemen had been killed.  As for the USA, we have lost 2,021 of the US military since the start in 2001.  

The Lost 10 Tribes of Israel are claimed to be the Pashtuns of Afghanistan who make up a large part of the population.  "Afghanistan has traditionally been dominated by the Pashtuns, who before 1978 constituted a 51% minority in the country. However, as a result of the 1979 Soviet invasion the population distribution in Afghanistan has changed."  85% of the 6.2 million refugees during the Russian invasion  that left were Pashtuns.  They have returned and make up 45% of the population today.   

The United States, along with the UK, France, Australia and the Afghan United Front, entered Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 after our Twin Towers were attacked in New York City on September 11, 2001  killing 3,000 people.  The attacks continued that day  with follow-up hits in Arlington, Virginia and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

NATO entered Afghanistan in the effort to stop al Qaeda terrorists, who were using Afghanistan as their base which was the cause of these attacks, organized by Osama Bin Ladin, a Saudi Arabian who started al Qaeda.   They intended to remove the Taliban terrorists and turn Afghanistan into a  democracy. The USA was in absolute shock and wanted the killers caught.  It was like Pearl Harbor all over again.  President George W. Bush was advised by Intelligence as to where and who caused the attack.

 The Taliban is an Islamic militant movement made up of many Pashtun tribesmen.  They had ruled Afghanistan from September 1996 to October 2001. Part of their ideology is Pashtun nationalism.  However, I have read reports of them even attacking their own people that wanted no part of terrorism.  "According to the United Nations, the Taliban and their allies were responsible for 75% of Afghan civilian casualties in 2010 and 80% in 2011."

 This has turned into the USA's  longest running war.  Supposedly our troops are to leave in 2013.  The war has expanded into Pakistan.  The latest sordid incident leaving a black spot on the USA's reputation is that of  Sergeant Robert Bales  going on a rampage and slaughtering 16 women and children in 2 villages in March with the latest report being that there was more than one person involved.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV068w7RpqI strike on Afghanistan
http://afghangenocide.blogspot.com/  mentioning 4 million deaths
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Afghan_security_forces_fatality_reports_in_Afghanistan
http://oregonatwar.oregonlive.com  Service members from Oregon and SW Washington who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.afghan-network.net/Ethnic-Groups/pashtuns.html
wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Muslim-majority_countries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujahideen
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-12/news/sns-rt-us-usa-afghanistan-trialbre8ab07b-20121111_1_najiban-case-of-civilian-slaughter-alkozai
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/12/horror-stories-afghan-massacre-bales-hearing/1698917/
http://www.happyzebra.com/distance-calculator/USA-and-Afghanistan.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Returning-Home-from-Iraq-and-Afghanistan-Preliminary-Assessment.aspx

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