BY JOHN CARNEY
While the war in Iraq draws to a close this month, the war in Afghanistan is now in its eleventh year.
Last weekend, I traveled to Afghanistan to see with my own eyes the situation on the ground and the obstacles that remain. My weekend was filled with travel to military bases and meetings with civilian and military leadership. The highlight of my trip was meeting with soldiers from Delaware and talking to them about their work in Afghanistan and their lives back home.
Our soldiers and commanders are some of the most capable and dedicated people I have ever met, and I was thoroughly impressed and inspired by their professionalism and service.
As the U.S. role in Afghanistan enters a critical period of transition, it is important to remember why we are there in the first place. The U.S. operation in Afghanistan began in 2001 as the "war of necessity," with the goal of rooting out the al-Qaida safe havens. Our mission was to hunt down Osama bin Laden and eliminate the threat posed by his operatives so that terrorist attacks like 9/11 would never happen again. Our mission was not to build a nation.
When the U.S. arrived a decade ago, Afghanistan was the main base of operations for al-Qaida. But as our military leaders began to make progress, the Bush administration became distracted with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Now, since President Obama's troop surge, al-Qaida in Afghanistan has been decimated and reports indicate that there are fewer than 100 al-Qaida members operating from the country today.
During my discussions with military leaders in Afghanistan, it also became clear that the U.S. has made significant progress against the Taliban. The Afghan National Army, which did not exist before 2002, is now in charge of large swaths of the country and able to lead a growing number of combat operations.
While in Kabul, I met with the Afghan defense minister, along with some of the more than 300,000 Afghan National Security Forces that coalition forces have trained, to discuss the ongoing transition of power.
Despite successes, Afghanistan faces overwhelming obstacles in its effort to build a functioning government, military, and police force. Illiteracy in the Afghan National Security Forces is estimated at 90 percent -- a serious and fundamental problem. We need to remember that for more than a generation, Afghanistan experienced a brutal war with Russia and suffered under Taliban rule.
This prompted a mass exodus of the country's leading academics and public servants, making it nearly impossible to sustain a basic system of education. As a result, the country lacks the human capital and expertise needed to run an effective government.
Making matters worse, the weak economy only generates roughly $1.7 billion in revenue to the government each year, much less than what is needed to cover the army and police budget, let alone the cost of schools, hospitals, and public infrastructure.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to successful Afghan self-governance is corruption. Throughout my visit, I heard stories from countless military and civilian officials about the rampant corruption at all levels of the Afghan government.
One high-ranking Afghan official told me that this epidemic is drastically weakening the credibility of the government among the Afghan people. "It's not that the Taliban is strong," he said. "It's that we are weak."
Another significant challenge is that Afghanistan shares a long, mountainous border with Pakistan, which continues to harbor the Taliban, undermining U.S. and Afghan security efforts to root out these insurgents. It is clear that Pakistan has not been a reliable ally during this war, and until that changes, the stability of Afghanistan is threatened.
While recognizing the accomplishments of our troops, we must acknowledge that the future of Afghanistan is far from assured. The U.S. has worked to build critical infrastructure for the Afghan people, but my visit certainly does not inspire much confidence that the country will be able to sustain those investments after our troops return home.
In fiscal year 2011 alone, we spent $117 billion in Afghanistan. At a time when we have so many of our own infrastructure needs and budgetary challenges here at home, we cannot afford to be in the business of nation-building in places like Afghanistan.
Our singular goal in Afghanistan was to eliminate the safe haven for al-Qaida to train recruits and plan attacks on the United States. We have achieved that goal.
Now, we must work with the Afghan government to rigorously conduct counterterrorism missions to prevent that country from becoming a safe haven again.
Ultimately, though, the Afghan people must be responsible for their own country. Our continued nation-building activities can only go so far. It's time to take the training wheels off, make the needed transition in power, and bring our troops home.
John Carney is the U.S. representative from Delaware.
LINK: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011112180317
