Should We Leave?

The author is currently serving as an infantry rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has done one tour in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and is now training with the same unit for a second tour that deploys later this year.

I was directed by a friend today toward an article in USA Today entitled 'With Bin Laden Dead, Is It Time To End The War?'. The issue of whether or not we should be in Afghanistan at all has always been a hot button issue among people, and the debate has only increased now that one of our biggest motives for going in to begin with has been eliminated. After reading the article, I found plenty of others released in the last week expressing the same concern: With Osama gone, why are we there?

As I wrote in my previous article, I think that, for now, the killing of bin Laden is a moral victory and a morale booster at best. It will take time before we see any real changes. As far as the question of whether or not we should leave, I don't think we should at all. The very idea is ludicrous. We have had a military and political presence in this country for ten years, and have still not accomplished our ultimate goal of setting up a stable Afghan government. So why stop now? Fighting a counter-insurgency war is a relatively new concept to America, and as with anything it takes time to learn. Unfortunately we seem to have learned best from our failures, but we are learning all the same.

A significant portion of my training as a Marine has not only involved learning to shoot and fight battles, but also to work with local populaces and to train their fighting forces. I had more than my share of firefights and IED threats while in Afghanistan, but we did far more work with the local villagers than anything else. Halfway through my tour, my company embarked on a major operation to clear a nearby bazaar and return control of it to the surrounding villages. The operation was an overwhelming success, and we were even able to push out from the bazaar once it had been cleared and secure surrounding communities before our replacement unit arrived. One of the most amazing things I noticed upon moving into these villages was how excited the local families were to see us come. They had been bullied and taken advantage of by the Taliban for so long that they not only welcomed us with open arms, but they jumped at the chance to help us in any way. We would work with village elders on a squad level, developing personal relationships to build trust and try to understand mutual goals.

Overall, we succeeded in driving the Taliban from one of the last major strongholds and supply points in southern Helmand and opened up commerce in an important bazaar. The locals were grateful for our help. We had restored control of the land and the economy to the people living and working there. Our victory certainly isn't generic to all NATO military units, but it does show that success is possible. Achieving that success on a level higher than ours takes time. Time that people need to let us have. Regardless of political or economical issues, I firmly believe that our staying and helping these people is a personal and moral issue above all else.

Since my return from Afghanistan I have had countless discussions with friends and family about my experiences there. One thing I always mention that seems to take people by surprise is that I participated in more casualty evacuations for local people wounded and killed by the Taliban than for military personnel. They always ask how this is possible, as we are the ones getting shot at and searching for IEDs. The Taliban have famously taken part in the cowardly yet ingenious practice of burying crude bombs in areas that NATO forces will inevitably set them off, enabling them to kill their enemies without directly engaging them in battle. My company encountered somewhere near 180 IEDs in the bazaar and surrounding areas. Only four went off that killed or wounded NATO forces, whereas dozens went off killing or maiming locals, livestock, and property. I personally took part in the evacuation of four men and children who had accidentally stepped on IEDs meant for us, but were so haphazardly placed that the Taliban only succeeded in killing their own people. It's despicable. The Taliban aren't fighting for their freedoms or for their people. They're fighting for power and control, as with any other tyrant regime. I am an extremely tolerant person, and do not really care what people believe and do, as long as it doesn't step on those around them. As a platoon radio operator, I overheard a radio transmission one day from a squad leader in my company to headquarters requesting a casevac for a twelve year old girl that had been shepherding a herd of goats, sheep, and donkeys when one of the donkeys stepped on an IED. The donkey's body had been thrown into the young girl. She didn't make it. I had a twelve year old sister, now thirteen, when I left for Afghanistan. The death of this girl, as well as the men and children I saw killed and wounded by men claiming to be fighting for them, is unacceptable. I've heard the argument that the Taliban will of course treat their people like this as long as we are there and they are helping us, but as I pointed out before, they bullied and taxed them before we were there, so why would they treat them any better once they've spent time helping us and we've gone?

In too many parts of the world, the levels of persecution and suffering are far beyond what the conscience of humankind should tolerate. The men, societies, and religions who perpetrate and allow these crimes against humanity need to be stopped, no matter what the cost. I will gladly devote my life to that task.