FOD 2015.01.12

I yearn for the days when we had a press that wouldn't let a slimy politician get away with telling lies like this.

President Barack Obama declared the 13-year war in Afghanistan officially over on Sunday, praising the troops and claiming that Americans are safer for their efforts.

The war's over! To me, that means we won, the enemy has been defeated, and our troops are back home (or at least out of harm's way).

Right?

Evidently not. There are a large number of American service members remaining in Afghanistan, tasked with a brand-new mission: Operation Resolute Support.

But while the administration would like to characterize this as a victory, the end of a conflict, it’s more of a re-branding. More than 10,000 United States troops will remain in Afghanistan, and just over one month ago, the president secretly expanded their 2015 combat mission to include fighting with the Taliban and/or al-Qaeda, the Haqqani network, or other insurgent groups. The expansion of duties, which was first reported in The New York Times, also allows for the use of American manned aircraft and drones. Some 4,000 NATO troops will also remain in Afghanistan next year.

According to the United Nations, 2014 is the deadliest year of the war since they began counting casualties in 2008. More than 10,000 civilians are expected to die in Afghanistan by January 1.

That doesn't sound like a war that's over to me.

Nor does it to the enemy.

“ISAF (International Security Assistance Force - the name given to the U.S. led coalition of troops in Afghanistan) rolled up its flag in an atmosphere of failure and disappointment without having achieved anything substantial or tangible,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an statement emailed on Monday.

It seems as if the civilians in the region agree with the Taliban's interpretation of the alleged end of the war.

Thousands of Afghans are pouring into makeshift camps in the capital where they face a harsh winter as the Taliban return to areas once cleared by foreign forces, who this week are marking the end of their combat mission.

Conclusion?

It’s true that the president has drawn down troop levels dramatically after taking office and completing his “surge” between late 2009 and 2012. But leaving thousands of U.S. soldiers in a country and tasking them with carrying out combat missions is not ending a war. Branding it as the conclusion of a war may be politically expedient, but it’s also disingenuous. Operation Resolute Support is a new mission, but it is war, with a new name.

Our military deserves better.