Osama bin Laden’s Death Sparks Debate over Afghan Police Action
As the world reels in awe and surprise over the death of the mastermind and leader of the 9/11 attacks on New York city’s Twin Towers, debate within the US political and military establishment begin to rage. Some have been asking if it is time to end the so called “War on Terror” that was began after the September 11th attacks nearly a decade past. Remembering then President Bush’s words about bringing the people who knocked the Towers down to “justice”, people inside the beltway (and outside) are beginning to ask when the troops will be withdrawn.
It would seem that the goal of bringing the terrorists responsible for the attacks to justice has been achieved, but it is obvious that there will be no real withdrawal of troops in the near future. This allows some to put aside partisan debates speaking of the Liberal opposition to a “War for Oil” that was shouted in the presses at the time.
While proponents of keeping troops in place state that the theory of continued training to the Afghan military and police is necessary to ensure that the Taliban can no longer pose a realistic threat to the US or any other nation, some experts disagree. Richard Haas, the Bush Administration’s Afghanistan co-coordinator after the attacks stated, “I am deeply skeptical that this policy will work given the nature of Afghanistan and the reality that Pakistan will continue to provide a sanctuary for the Taliban,”.
President Obama has stated that he will start a partial withdrawal of troops beginning in July of this year. However, critics of the President are quick to point out that there have been no hard numbers, strategic planning, or timetables set for such an event. The social networks are abuzz with tirades reminding people that Osama’s death is not a victory for the Obama Administration, regardless of the spin from the Whitehouse, and that it was only a short time ago that Obama wanted to cut the pay to the soldiers currently deployed around the world.
