A Diaryist In A Forgotten Afghan War

By Cernig

The American media has all but forgotten the central front in the fight against extemist Islamist terrorists, along with the Bush administration, to concentrate on the war of choice in Iraq and the prospect of another with Iran. Other than David Woods at the Baltimore Sun (h/t Brandon Friedman at VetVoice), if you see a story in the media about Afghanistan, it likely came from the UK.

So it is with the must-read diary I want to point you to. The Guardian's John D. McHugh is imbedded with Charlie Company of the 1/503rd, about 900 yards from the Pakistan border. Every day, with a time-lag of about ten days, he posts a new installment - and it's compelling reading. One of the common refrains from the soldiers he is with is that they could really do with more troops on the ground.

But as RockRichard, a veteran of the Afghan conflict, writes at VetVoice today:

the Bush administration all but abandoned the notion of making any sort of lasting progress in fighting the Taliban and Real Al Qaeda long ago.  Manpower and resources have instead been diverted to a separate war, a war of choice.  Essentially, we have moved these resources to Iraq in lieu of using them to against the aggressors who challenge the Afghan government and American security. Meanwhile the war of necessity is neglected. We are not adequately fighting the Al Qaeda organization that attacked us on September 11th, that is the organization that is based in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  We are not adequately fighting the Taliban who have and would give Real Al Qaeda sanctuary. Instead, these legitimate enemies of America have imposed conditions of brutality upon the people of Afghanistan and operate as they wish under the nose of American forces who, while valiant, have not been provided for in a manner that allows them to fight the Taliban with any more than marginal effectiveness.  This would not have been possible without the lack of concern from the President and his Administration.

All of the Presidential candidates have said they'd send more troops to Afghanistan - but that won't be enough if it continues to be a neglected war. Afghanistan is going to need what Gates has talked about - political reconciliation, providing basic services, promoting local government. Afghanistan is COIN 101. Hugely difficult terrian, an economic benefit for those rural folk who aid the poppy-smuggling insurgency and a shetering state just over a border and beyond range of hot pursuit. If Afghanistan is to be won, or even not lost, the "human terrain" is essential.

Update In an indication that AQ and the Taliban will always seek to capitalise on their best bets - it seems the strongest part of this year's post-thaw fighting is actually happening astride the fragile supply link through Pakistan to Afghanistan.

Thieves, feuding tribesmen and Taliban militants are creating chaos along the main Pakistan-Afghanistan highway, threatening a vital supply line for U.S. and NATO forces.

Abductions and arson attacks on the hundreds of cargo trucks plying the switchback road through the Khyber Pass have become commonplace this year. Many of the trucks carry fuel and other material for foreign troops based in Afghanistan.

U.S. and NATO officials play down their losses in these arid mountains of northwestern Pakistan�even though the local arms bazaar offers U.S.-made assault rifles and Beretta pistols, and the alliance is negotiating to open routes through other countries.

..."The security is absolutely becoming precarious and this poses a threat for U.S. and NATO supplies, but it is also a source of concern for Pakistan," said Mehmood Shah, former security chief for the region. "It's a complex mix (of factors), but it is getting more dangerous."

Regular trade is also being disrupted by the raids on trucks traveling what is a vital lifeline for impoverished Afghanistan, but there is disagreement about how serious the problem is.

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, who heads an association of Pakistani customs agents helping traders move goods through the customs post at Torkham, claimed the average number of trucks has dropped to 250 a day from 500 early this year, before violence escalated.