New Strategy for Afghanistan

March 4, 2009 - Given the fact that we have just lost 3 more soldiers to IEDs (and 2 were injured) in Afghanistan, I think it's time we re-think our military strategy.
Our current system is failing our soldiers. The outlook is bleak. Pakistan continues to train and harbour Taliban/muslim radicals who then pass freely into Afghanistan through the mountains. They plant IEDs on roads that the NATO force frequent. They watch them for a couple of days, take some calculations, dig a hole beside the road, plant a bomb with a remote detonator, go 2 miles away, hide on a hill with a pair of binoculars, watch for a Canadian convoy, wait for the last tank/truck in line and then kaboom. That's all it takes. We lose soldiers to death and injury and we lose military equipment. It's a neverending rat race.

What we need to do is concentrate all of our operations into a single, relatively peaceful, province. NOT Kandahar. Until Pakistan keeps Taliban militants from crossing into Afghanistan with men and arms there is absolutely no point to patrolling Kandahar. The battle would be never ending.

What we need to do instead is take a province or two, far removed from the terrorist hotspots, and lock them down. Create like an East/West Germany sort of situation. In these two peaceful provinces we would:

-educate the masses;
-establish a secular society;
-create a highly trained army and police force;
-build schools, hospitals, roads and establish other important infrastructure;
-get running water and electricity to everyone.

In essence we would create a new standard by which Afghanis can live. With time this new "society" can open its borders and invite one or two new provinces at a time. When Afghanis see how it's possible to live, they will want the same. Right now however NATO forces are spread out all over the country. A pocket here a pocket there. There's absolutely no way we can break down the walls of muslim fundamentalism and backwardness that way. Especially not in certain provinces. Why waste our time there?

Rather, as I propose, NATO forces must concentrate their efforts on a single, more peaceful area/province. Get the populace well established. Let the Afghanis outside that area/province see what they are missing and what is possible.

Otherwise we are just sitting ducks and there is no point in our being there.