Editor’s Notes: Thoughts on Afghanistan
Trending
I was on the phone with a woman last week, calling from a national organization on a completely separate topic, when she kept getting sidetracked and distracted … rambling a bit. Finally she said "I'm sorry. Almost all of us here have family or people we're worried about getting out of Afghanistan." She said the worry was consuming.
I truly cannot imagine.
Then the breaking news came Thursday after suicide bombings killed at least 13 U.S. troops, wounded at least 15 others, and killed well over 100 Afghan civilians. I thought of her immediately. What a gut punch that headline must have been. As I write this, the narrative is that a suicide bombing near Kabul airport's Abbey Gate was followed by a gunman opening fire on civilians and troops. Another blast occurred at or around the nearby Baron hotel, where some evacuees had gathered.
My armchair critique of the situation carries no weight, given my lack of experience or relevant education when it comes to our foreign policy and defensive strategy. The best I can do is say from an outsider's perspective it seems as though there is a great deal we could have done differently -- better, in what has become a chaotic and deadly mess.
Watching video of desperate people clinging to planes leaving the Kabul airport, hearing stories of families who have been put on target lists because they showed support for the Americans over the past 20 years … nothing about this makes me feel as though this is the end our leaders and military envisioned when this war started.
I read a story about a former British Royal Marine's animal sanctuary, and his effort to get people and hundreds of dogs and cats out of the country. It sounds as though the British military is doing what it can to help, but was absolutely right to emphasize its priority was getting human beings out of the country safely.
If you read even a little of my writing, you know I'm an animal lover. It breaks my heart to think about those 140 dogs and 60 cats, and I wish there a was an easy solution that didn't put any humans in danger or hamper their ability to get out of Afghanistan, but there is a good chance it won't happen that way.
(With any luck, by the time you read this, the animals and humans will be out, and I will have been worried for nothing.)
All of it -- every story I've read, every conversation I've had -- sounds as though few people were prepared for this; very little thought went in to withdrawing in a way that didn't put people (or animals) in immense danger; and no one prepared American communities for the possibility of a wave of refugees. No one prepared for this, period.
Now, if you're shaking your head at me, saying "Well we've been dealing with a thing or two over the past year or so …" yes, I know.
But there are people whose job it has been this whole time to plan for this moment. Or at least, there should have been. What went wrong? (A lot.) Or is this exactly what they predicted, and there really wasn't a better way? (I doubt that.) Is it possible that Western foreign policy experts and military planners really have learned NOTHING in the past century or two? (Probably not … but it would be nice to see a little more evidence.)
I guess I'm rambling a bit now, too. It's hard not to when there are dual concerns of getting everyone out safely AND preparing for what might come next. But I'm writing this a few days before the deadline for withdrawal. Maybe my sense of foreboding is unfounded. For now, I guess I'll cling to that hope, and wait.
Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com