Has The Afghan Mission Failed?

Has NATO's ISAF Mission In Afghanistan Failed? -- Deutsche Welle

A resilient insurgency, rampant corruption and a weak government - one year before the NATO drawdown in Afghanistan, many doubt local forces will be ready to ensure security. DW examines the success of the ISAF mission.

"On the security front, the entire NATO exercise was one that caused Afghanistan a lot of suffering, a lot of loss of life, and no gains because the country is not secure." These are the words of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, criticizing NATO in a BBC interview published on October 7 for failing to bring stability to Afghanistan in over a decade after the US-led invasion of his country.

These claims, however, were sharply rejected by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen who stressed in a press conference that the war-torn country has come a long way in the past decade: "The changes have been remarkable, and our investment in lives and resources has been unprecedented. Nobody can deny that. And these efforts should be respected."

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My Comment: The conflict in Afghanistan has now entered the stage where the Afghans themselves must decide on what type of country do they want. Our presence has helped to put the situation where it is today .... and our departure will only ensure that we are no longer the focal point for what is now essentially an internal affair.