The Forgotten War

I often read the blogs of soliders in Afghanistan, and agonize over how little people in the United States acknowledge, or even remember, this war. I know that the brass is worried about a spring offensive from the Taliban, who have regrouped in the tribal areas of Pakistan, and southern Afghanistan. The Canadians feel the pain acutely--they have lost a lot of soliders and have had many injured. I watch "Hockey Night in Canada," the grand old man of hockey shows on the CBC, and it seems like every week (the controversial intermission commentator) Don Cherry gives tribute to a wounded or killed Canadian soldier. Afghanistan is front page in Canada; I can find nary a whisper of it in American papers.

Wasn't this supposed to be our focus? To cut off the head of the 9/11 serpent in Afghanistan? To rebuild a country devastated by the Soviet and tribal wars? Much of it the CIA contributed to by arming the mujahideen with Stinger missles--many that we didn't get back and were turned on us--because anything was essentially permittable in our efforts to thwart the Soviet Union. "Blowback" at its finest.

Now, it seems like an afterthought, even for NATO. This is disheartening--for the soliders in Afghanistan, and the country's struggle to rebuild.