U.S. mission in Afghanistan changed

Does anyone remember why we went to war in Afghanistan? Not many in Washington, apparently. The mission was very clear at the time. It was to hunt down and bring to justice the perpetrators of the horrific attack on our country now referred to as 9/11. It was expected to be swift and decisive, and probably would have been had it not been for those in Washington who thought going to war in Iraq was a good idea.

Now more than 10 years, thousands of lives and billions of dollars later, we are still there. Osama bin Laden is dead, mission accomplished. Right? Somewhere along the line the mission changed, though. Now they say the goal is to leave behind a stable Afghanistan.

A stable Afghanistan? It certainly wasn’t stable when we got there. When was there ever a stable Afghanistan? Haven’t others tried that before? Bad things happen regularly in Afghanistan, things that hurt our country and tarnish our image around the world. The killing of women and children by an American soldier is the most recent example. Bad things will continue to happen as long as we continue to fight this war.

Ron Flowers

Elk Grove Village