Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

 Isn't it amazing that Afghanistan has fallen completely off the radar and the map? It's as though that 20 year war never happened. Either that, or that it happened so long ago, like a century ago, that it's ancient history. 

It was a war chosen and started by the United States. We crossed an ocean and two seas to get to Afghanistan to attack them. And we did it based solely on accusations that the Taliban was involved in 9/11. No evidence, let alone proof, for this was ever put forward, except that they did let Osama bin laden live and operate in their country. But remember that Osama bin laden fought to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan. He brought men, supplies, and money. It was long before 9/11, and it is understandable that they would let him be a "guest" in their country. And remember that at the time, he was an ally of the United States. We wanted the Soviets out of Afghanistan too.

I'm not going to discuss the claim that bin laden organized 9/11, but regardless, there is no evidence that the Taliban sanctioned any attacks against any country ever. Without providing any evidence against bin laden, the Bush administration demanded that the Taliban arrest him and turn him over to them. First, they responded by requesting to see the evidence against bin laden, and Bush refused. Then, in order to prevent a war, they offered to take custody of him and turn him over to a third country, for trial, presumably one that had good relations with both the U.S. and Afghanistan. Bush refused that too. 

And then came the war and the speedy collapse and flight of the Taliban government. But actually, they just fled Kabul. And the organization and structures they had established to administer the country continued. Basically, all of rural Afghanistan, which is most of Afghanistan, remained under Taliban control. And then, they organized their fighters to fight the U.S. and its NATO allies in Afghanistan. 

And what happened after that should go down in the annals of military history as one of the most amazing military campaigns ever. Because: without a Navy or an Air Force, and with no modern Army either, they defeated the U.S. and NATO and drove them out of their country. It took 20 years, but Afghans are famous for their patience and perseverence.  

But, what assessment has there been in the U.S. for the 20 year debacle of the Afghan War? None. Who has been held to account? Who has been held responsible? And note that it should start with George W. Bush because he is the one who launched the war. But, nothing has happened to him or to anyone else. 

There have been some books, and here's one:

https://www.amazon.com/Afghanistan-Papers-Secret-History-War/dp/1982159006

I haven't read it. I get the title, The Afghanistan Papers, which was modeled after the Pentagon Papers. But, it was written by a reporter. What official inquest has there been? How do you fight and lose a  20 year war, with nearly 3600 American and NATO deaths (which doesn't include private military contractors killed) and over 20,000 injured, many of them severely, catastrophically, and permanently, without examining how it all happened? Is the U.S. ever going to do it? I don't think so. I think they are as likely to do it as they are to count the gold in Ft. Knox. 

First is the fact that we started the war based on lies. That, in itself, rules out having an investigation. Second is the fact that we fought the war in violation of the Geneva Conventions. For example, we bombed 9 wedding parties in which we knowingly killed men,  women, and children in the hope that the death toll included Taliban fighters. Even if it did, it didn't give us the right to kill civilians. After each attack, we apologized for the loss of civilian lives, but then, we kept doing it, again and again. Do you think anyone wants to put that under a microscope? So, there isn't going to be an investigation of the disastrous Afghanistan War. 

But, what do you say to the American families who lost loved ones? Or to the U.S. veteran who lose three limbs? What was it for? Is there any way to rationalize it as defending freedom? No, there is not. 

But, the worst thing of all is that nothing was learned. The danger that we could do it all again- repeat it- is very real. Right now, there is talk about war with Iran. U.S. bravado survived the war unscathed, but if we couldn't beat the ragtag Taliban in 20 years, how could we possibly beat Iran? Where would the manpower come to do it? And what if they instituted a draft to man a war against Iran? How do you think draft-age American men would respond? 

The truth is that a thorough, candid, and detailed investigation of the Afghanistan War would be good for this country. But, it's not going to happen, and it's precisely because of what we did. They are just going to let it vanish from the national consciousness and give it no more reflection than the Spanish-American War. The American families who suffered grievously from the war will just have to suffer in silence. And the same goes for the Afghan families.