Don’t Forget Afghanistan

With U.S. attention diverted by Iraq and a presidential election, too little attention has been paid to Afghanistan. Security there remains a concern in many areas, training of an Afghan army is progressing slowly and warlords, including some affiliated with the Taliban, control some sectors of the country less than two weeks before that country’s own presidential election.

The situation in Afghanistan is not as bad as that in Iraq, but much work remains to be done before troops, from the United States or other countries, can safely leave.

Even though NATO has taken over the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, it has not been able to meet troop levels promised by its members. President Hamid Karzai had requested 5,300 NATO troops to help provide security in the run-up to the vote. Only 1,800 have been promised, and most have not yet arrived. As a result, about 80 percent of the country has no international protection. The NATO secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has warned that without greater resolve from its members, the alliance risks failing in its first mission outside of Europe.

The United States still has about 17,000 combat troops in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and coalition countries have another 2,000 troops there. Other foreign troops are working as peacekeepers and an additional 1,100 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division are on their way to the country to assist with security for the Oct. 9 election.

The primary mission of Operation Enduring Freedom is to combat Taliban fighters, who continue to attack government officials and reconstruction workers in the south and east. Last Monday U.S.-led troops clashed with militants in eight separate locations. Two U.S. soldiers were killed by mortar fire when anti-coalition militants attacked a security patrol in Paktika province. A total of 14 Americans were injured during the attacks. Another U.S. soldier was killed in an attack on a security patrol on Monday in neighboring Khost province.

More than 900 people have died in political violence across the country this year. Many recent attacks have been directed toward unprotected targets including schools. Nine children died in the Aug. 28 bombing of a school in Paktika province. An Aug. 29 car bombing in Kabul killed 10 civilians. President Karzai has survived four assassination attempts since coming to power in June; the last was just last week.

To boost security, the United States has created Provincial Reconstruction Teams to resolve local disputes and coordinate reconstruction projects. Each PRT consists of U.S. forces, Department of Defense civilian affairs officers and representatives of aid or other agencies. Of the 19 existing PRTs, 13 are U.S.-run. The problem is that most of them operate in areas that are already the safest. Fifteen of the country’s 34 provinces have no PRTs.

U.S. forces are also training an Afghan army to take over security and fighting. To date, only 11,000 Afghan troops have been trained although 70,000 are needed. U.S. officers leading the training say they lack funds to build the army at a more rapid pace, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service. The United States is spending about $1 billion a month in Afghanistan. Earlier this year Congress approved an additional $500 million to train and equip armies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Members of Congress should ensure that it is money well spent.