| With little fanfare, Afghanistan War drags into 13th year [message #126200] |
Tue, 08 October 2013 09:59 |
CyberkNight
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Monday marks 12 years since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, and for a conflict that's been seemingly forgotten by most Americans who've grown weary of war, it seems fitting that the anniversary should be overshadowed by a domestic story: the federal government shutdown.
More than a decade since the U.S. launched Operation Enduring Freedom on Oct. 7, 2001, there are still 54,000 American troops in Afghanistan. That is more, by far, than at any time during the first seven years of the war, yet these days, they garner scant news coverage. Most recently, Syria's civil war and the use of chemical weapons as well as the federal government shutdown have buried Afghanistan news, even as Americans continue to die -- four were killed within a week in so-called insider attacks just at the end of September.
"There is a bloody war happening, and no one is talking about it," said Ahmad Majidyar, an Afghanistan expert at the American Enterprise Institute and a frequent adviser to the U.S. Army.
The U.S. role is diminishing and casualties among members of the U.S.-led international coalition are down as the Afghan security forces take over more of the fighting. But Americans are still fighting -- and dying.
With nearly three months left in 2013, at least 102 U.S. troops had died in Afghanistan as of Oct. 1, according to The Associted Press -- more than during any of the first six years of the war. The military is whittling forces down to approximately 34,000 by February and the number of coalition bases has gone from a high of 800 to about 100 now. But combat troops will be there for another 15 months, so we are likely still a long way from the last U.S. casualty in Afghanistan.
Full article: http://www.stripes.com/with-little-fanfare-afghanistan-war-d rags-into-13th-year-1.245181
Megalextoria
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