War+in+Afghanistan

= The War in Afghanistan = = MJ Moyer-Fittipaldi = In January 2008 3,200 troops were deployed by the U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to help fight the insurgency. During the same time frame, in the province of Kandahar, about 100 people were killed by a suicide attack. This was the deadliest insurgent attack since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001. In late June of the same year, the U.S. Congress believed that the Taliban had reorganized and united into a resilient insurgency. In the midst of the rising violence, on July 22nd, the death of an American soldier marked the 500th death related to aggression and violence in Afghanistan since the original invasion. On August 22nd the United States planned an airstrike on Azizabad to remove the insurgents that were believed to inhabit that area. Later in the week, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that the air strike killed 90 innocent people including 60 children. 25 insurgents were killed along with five “noncombatants.” This has been a growing problem for our military. Insurgents are commonly hiding amongst innocent civilians.

When President Obama was inaugurated in 2009, he deployed 17,000 troops. He believed that it was necessary, because they needed to stabilize Afghanistan since their situation was deteriorating. He also believes that military power alone will not solve any of the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As he plans to invest $1.5 billion over the next five years, Obama would like to partner with Pakistan to build hospitals and schools, roads and businesses, and help the hundreds and millions of people who have been dislocated by the war. We are also providing more than 2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and develop services that the people can depend on.

In 2010, the deadliest year of the decade long war with Afghanistan, 711 soldiers were killed in the line of duty. About 500 of them were American, and the rest were made up of soldiers from the United Kingdom and countries that were unidentified. Tension between Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, and the United States has increased due to disagreements on views of corruption in the Afghan government. In February of that year, the duo developed a key movement against the Taliban in Helmand. General Stanly A. McCrystal was relieved by President Obama, and replaced by General David H. Petraeus to lead the troops in Afghanistan.

Spending a whole decade in Afghanistan, the U.S. troops still have an unclear vision on how things will work out. President Barack Obama's July 2011 beginning-of-withdrawal deadline is vastly approaching, but Defense Secretary Roberts Gates is deploying an additional 1,400 more Marines. Commanders are evaluating the need for more soldiers overseas. If these plans are approved, approximately 3,000 more troops will be fighting on the front lines, joining the 100,000 troops that are currently stationed.

Works Consaulted “Afghanistan Coalition Military Fatalities By Year.” Chart. //icasualties//. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. . Barack, Obama. U.S. Military Academy. West Point, New York. 1 Dec. 2009. //World News Digest//. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. . “Country Profile: Afghanistan.” //Facts on File//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. . General Petraeus. N.d. //The Dish Sink//. N.p., 11 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . Obama, Barack. “A New Beginning.” Cairo University. Cairo, Egypt. 4 June 2009. //ABC-CLIO eBook Collection//. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. . “Obama Sending More Troops to Afghanistan.” //Salon//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. . Soldiers with stretcher. N.d. //History Guy//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. . “US Fears Grow over War in Afghanistan.” //The Australian//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. .