The Focus Is On Afghanistan Again

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (C) while governor of Bamiyan Habiba Surabi (2-R) speak with US soldiers

Seven Years On, Afghanistan Again 'War On Terror' Frontline -- AFP

KABUL (AFP) — Seven years after the attacks on the World Trade Centre, Afghanistan is again the frontline of the US-led "war on terror" with extremist unrest intensifying and a new focus on Pakistan's tribal areas.

Less than two months after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States and its allies had ousted the Taliban regime which had refused to hand over Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

But today bin Laden is still on the run, the Taliban have regrouped -- notably in the south and in border tribal areas of Pakistan -- while the government in Kabul struggles to assert its authority.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is among those who say the United States was distracted by its venture into Iraq and did not finish up in Afghanistan.

"One of the biggest mistakes we've made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job here, focus our attention here," Obama said recently.

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My Comment: With Iraq receding in the headlines, Afghanistan will now pick up the slack.