For peace in Afghanistan

BY ROSALIE E. DUNBAR, NEWS EDITOR

Mention Afghanistan to a citizen of a Western nation, and the first thing that comes to thought is likely to be the post-9/11 efforts to capture Osama Bin Laden and destroy the Al Qaeda network. Since 2001, the United States and other nations have been pursuing that goal, but the challenge of dealing with an enemy that can simply disappear into the local populace or the mountainous wilderness is among the obstacles to success.

Taliban resistance, along with a population recently aroused by civilian war casualties, has further complicated things. These issues and the demands of the war in Iraq have reached a point where several NATO commanders say the Afghan conflict has become unwinnable ("Can the US be pals with the Taliban?" The Christian Science Monitor, October 10, 2008). Whether or not one supports the war, prayer for peace can do much to guide the efforts being made to find practical answers for all involved.

Among the challenges: insecurity along the border with Pakistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters at a Monitor breakfast that "US strategy in Afghanistan must be 'inextricably linked' to one for Pakistan, whose border region is used by Al Qaeda and other groups to stage attacks into Afghanistan" (Gordon Lubold, "Joint Chiefs head: 'Enablers' needed in troop-scarce Afghanistan," The Christian Science Monitor, October 10, 2008). The Kandahar region runs along the Pakistan border, and is well known as a hotbed of strife.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

For peace in Afghanistan

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access