Did The Afghan Surge Accomplished It's Objectives?

U.S. Navy Lt. Collin Korenek, front, provides security during a key leader engagement with district leaders in the Noorgul district center in Afghanistan's Kunar province, Oct. 1, 2012. Korenek is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Kunar. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Marasky

The Afghan War: Do The Numbers Add Up To Success? -- Matthew Schofield, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — The 33,000 U.S. troops ordered to Afghanistan two years ago to stop Taliban advances are back home, with military officials claiming that the surge accomplished its objectives.

But did it?

“In mid-2009 there was a real risk that the mission in Afghanistan might very well fail,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said recently. “Today the situation is very much different and improved.”

Violence is down, Panetta said, echoing a refrain heard around the Pentagon.

But for all the American blood and treasure invested in the war, some experts who’ve studied it contend that the problem with the military’s claims of success is that the numbers don’t add up. Using them alone, the Taliban is overmatched, and attacks since the surge are down. Yet, they have become more brazen.

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My Comment: Numbers do not lie .... but those who use the numbers do. I personally see little if any success in Afghanistan. While it is true that the culture is slowly changing by permitting children (boys and girls) to have a decent and rudimentary education .... it should also be recognized that these are small steps that can be reversed in a heartbeat. Cell phones, the internet and mass media is making a difference .... but again .... this only impacts a small percentage of the population. What Afghanistan has taught me is that this is a long drawn out war that will take decades and a few generations to burn out .... and even then .... there is no guarantee of success when it is finished. As for the surge .... with the exception of those who lost loved ones .... this will be forgotten by all .... becoming only be a footnote in history within a few short years.