Afghanistan: A New Warning

By Michael Kraft

By Michael Kraft

Remember Afghanistan? A new United Nations report warns that the country that had become a major haven for international terrorists could again become a trouble spot if more is not done to improve the security and economy of the backward nation. That should be no surprise, except that news from Afghanistan has been overshadowed by the reports of violence from the newest terrorist haven, Iraq.

Probably by coincidence, the report by the United Nations Development Program was released Monday the same day that reports from Ottawa said that Canada plans to send 250 additional troops and civilian experts to Afghanistan�s Kandahar region.

Canada currently has about 700 troops in Afghanistan. And the Associated Press reported that 288 U.S. National Guardsmen arrived this weekend to join the 300 already assigned to train units of the fledging Afghan army. The US already has contractors helping train the protective detail for President Ahamid Karzai

The report and the troop developments are not unrelated however. At the time the Bush Administration launched the successful military campaign in Oct 2001 to oust the Taliban regime which protected Bin Ladin, it was not a believer in national building. It also apparently was more focused on chasing Bin Ladin in the mountains than bringing in a large number of coalition peace keeping forces, forces although it welcomed the small but efficient British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian special forces units.

Canadian sources had said that a 2,000 man Canadian peace keeping unit based in Edmonton had been all packed up to go to Afghanistan in the early days of the conflict and then was told to stand down, and then, after months of delays, was finally sent. Yet, the Canadians are one of our closest allies, and exercise with the U.S. Peacekeeping forces from medium-sized powers were exactly what are needed to help secure the Afghanistan country side. Instead the warlords again control much of the country side and Afghanistan�s poppy fields and now the source of estimated 75% of the world�s heroin. It was a forerunner of the failure in Iraq of getting enough boots on the ground quickly enough.

In fighting terrorists, as in regular combat, there is still merit in the old adage that victory goes to "he who gets there the firstist with the mostest." It remains to be seen whether enough the US and other western countries will provide enough security and economic assistance resources to keep Afghanistan from reverting back to the bad old days.

The report noted that "Physical violence by armed militias continues, as does torture by security forces, deadly attacks by Taliban, hostage taking, street gangs, and domestic violence against women and children."

As the report cautioned: �sustained peace in Afghanistan is not guaranteed despite the early successes in state building." It added� the price the international community would pay to protect itself from Afghanistan would be far greater than what it will pay to help develop the country�

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