Afghans Growing Aware That the Extended U.S. Presence In Afghanistan is Not Going To Make A Difference In The War

L.A. Times: For displaced Afghans, extended U.S. troop presence offers little solace

For years, residents of Kapisa province have been caught in the crossfire between the Taliban and American-assisted Afghan government forces.

But in recent months, the fighting has intensified to the point where many in the northeastern region of pomegranate farmers and livestock herders have felt compelled to relocate to makeshift settlements in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

"The Taliban will say 'you are with the government' and the security forces will say 'you are with the Taliban,' but really, we're just trying to live," said Agha Jan, a leader of a temporary camp in the capital's Arzan Qimat neighborhood, where additional families from Kapisa's Tagab district arrive each week.

Yet when President Obama recently announced that he would keep at least 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond the previously announced 2016 withdrawal, it came as little solace to many of those who have fled the fighting.

WNU Editor: President Obama's current policy on Afghanistan is rather straight forward .... keep a minimal force in the country, and leave this problem for the next administration. Unfortunately for the Afghans themselves .... what little hope remained is now gone .... there is a growing awareness that the U.S. is not capable (or able) of solving their problems, and that this is a conflict that is just going to keep on going.