Posted by JM Ashby
Or are we?
The international think-tank ICoS (International Council on Security and Development) has just published a report that contains some startling statistics on the current efforts to transition power back to the Afghan government.
92% of respondents in the south were unaware of 9/11 events.
56% of Afghans interviewed in Helmand and Kandahar believe Afghan police are helping the Taliban.
61% of Afghans interviewed in Helmand and Kandahar believe the Afghan security forces won’t be able to provide security when foreign troops leave.
40% percent of those interviewed in the south believe the international forces are there to destroy Islam, or to occupy or destroy Afghanistan.
In both the northern and southern areas, a majority of the interviewees feel that foreigners do not respect their religion and traditions.
To be fair, not all of the report is bad news. The report says that there are some areas of Afghanistan, mainly in the north, where things are improving following the recent change in strategy. The question is, is it really worth the blood and treasure to reverse these numbers?
I suspect that question will be asked a thousand times inside the whitehouse next month when the review of the current strategy comes up and the situation is reassessed.
Joe Biden can be quoted as saying the plan to begin withdrawing troops next summer is still in place.
"Let me tell you, we're going to start -- Daddy is going to start to take the training wheels off ... next July, so you'd better practice riding."
Thankyou for putting it so eloquently Joe.