History of war in Afghanistan
The U.S. is on the right track in the war in Afghanistan, a former ambassador told USU students Tuesday.
In a speech at the Eccles Conference Center, former U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan Peter Tomsen said the key to victory in Afghanistan is not to Americanize the war, but to support the Afghan people in defeating terrorist and insurgent forces themselves. Tomsen explained the history of the current conflict in Afghanistan and what he sees as a positive move by the U.S. to strengthen the Afghan army rather than fight the war with U.S. and coalition troops.
Tomsen, who worked for the State Department in Vietnam in the 1970s, said the U.S. experienced similar difficulties when it relied too much on U.S. forces.
“In Vietnam and Afghanistan both, the United States, in these guerilla wars, these counter-insurgent situations, we can’t win the war,” Tomsen said. “The indigenous government and the indigenous forces have to decide that they want to win the war.”
The current strategy of withdrawal of U.S. troops and shifting focus to strengthen Afghan forces is a good move, Tomsen said. The U.S. withdrew 10,000 troops from Afghanistan in 2011 and plans to withdraw 32,000 in 2012, leaving 68,000 in the country. If all goes according to plan, Tomsen said, the U.S. should have a minimal military presence in Afghanistan by 2014.
No matter the outcome of the 2012 Presidential Elections, the situation in Afghanistan should improve as long as Congress and the presidential administration remains committed to support Afghan forces.
A similar strategy of strengthening indigenous forces rather than sending U.S. troops worked well against the formidable Soviet Army in the ’80s, Tomsen said.
“Nobody really predicted the Soviet Union would be defeated by the Afghans in the Soviet-Afghan War. Afghans lost over a million people in that war, and prevailed,” Tomsen said. “We helped a lot; we gave the Afhgans a lot of the wherewithal to defeat the Soviet Army, but … the Soviets invaded with an army that had not been defeated since the battle of Stalingrad in 1943.”
Tomsen also spoke about Pakistan’s role in the war in Afghanistan. After the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban took refuge near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, he said. Pakistan’s intelligence agency secretly gave the Taliban support while the government outwardly supported the U.S.
In the months following the death of Osama bin Laden, many have questioned Pakistan’s commitment to help the U.S, Tomsen said.
“In the past 10 months, Pakistan has been in the news as much as Afghanistan, if not more,” Tomsen said. “The Abbottabad raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan, his protected safe haven, dramatically threw into question, many say belied, Pakistan’s claim that it is an ally of America in the struggle against terror and in Afghanistan.”
After the Soviet Army left Afghanistan, Pakistan worked to assassinate moderate Afghan leaders and put extremists into power, Tomsen said.
Pakistan also created extremist groups to carry out attacks in Afghanistan while the Pakistani government practiced “plausible denial,” Tomsen said. As many as 25,000 extremists are crossing back and forth from Pakistan to Afghanistan to carry out attacks, he said.
Tomsen said to understand the war in Afghanistan, one must understand there are conflicts between tribes inside the country as well as conflicts between the nations around Afghanistan that contribute to the violence.
Afghanistan rarely experiences peace “because it occupies a very strategic piece of turf in the center of Eurasia,” Tomsen said. “These larger rival powers are always trying to dominate and control against other powers. Sometimes they want to deny control of Afghanistan to their rivals.”
Ammon Campbell, an assistant professor teaching military science and leadership in the Army ROTC program, said he enjoyed Tomsen’s presentation.
“I’m excited that such a renowned author and ambassador for our country was able to come and spend time with us,” Campbell said.
Campbell said that in the Q-and-A session following the speech “the students were insightful in their questions.”
Carrie Thomas, a sophomore studying social work, said she attended the event because she respects and appreciates those serving in the military. Thomas said she was able to keep up with Tomsen’s speech because one of her classes covered the war in Afghanistan recently.
Tomsen mentioned how non-governmental organizations are offering humanitarian aid, and Thomas said she would like to get involved.
“I love how they are getting the schools up and running,” Thomas said. “I think it would be really interesting to go and help.”
– steve.kent@aggiemail.usu.edu