Journey to Jalalabad

Today we visited Jalalabad,  a noisy, bustling city of rickshaws, bikes and pickup trucks.  People in stalls selling just about everything from dried fruits, tobacco to household goods.  Some people sell their wares on blankets spread over the sidewalk.  Afghan boys jumping into the filthy canal water to wash off and bathe showing that the basic living conditions are miserable and atrocious - one of the poorest countries in the world.

Jalalabad is a critical location because it is close to Pakistan where a lot of the Taliban are hiding out.  The rugged borders are difficult for NATO vehicles to patrol but very permeable for insurgents who can travel on foot and donkeys.

That's why it is critical for NATO to train the Afghan police and army. It is extremely critical for the long term success of Afghanistan for the Afghan National Army continues to grow in both strength and skillsets.

Indeed, The ANA has shown tremendous growth since July 2007, when the first commandos graduated from a grueling three-month training.

But the biggest concern in Afghanistan is not security.  There will always be violence and suicide bombers.  Just like organized crime in the US,  the insurgents can never be completely wiped out.  The Taliban can always run and hide across the border. The biggest concern and the element that will best defeat the insurgents is a strong government and reducing the amount of corruption especially amongst high-level officials.  The existence of the heroin trade, unsecured borders and informal markets create conditions for administrative corruption. After more than two decades of conflict, Afghanistan is facing a complex set of political, economical and social challenges.  Will she pull through?


Fair Share in NATO
And with most countries in NATO not providing their fair share of the requisite number of troops and equipment, it is even more critical that America train the Afghans properly and expeditiously.

But as casualties rise to record levels, the overall support of the war may soon plummet.  It is now more imperative that we train the Afghan army and police so that they can continue to fight the Taliban for us.

And once again, the narcotics problem is feeding the Taliban to buy weapons which are used to kill our Troops.  However, the narcotics effort cannot be won by our Troops alone.  It is a law enforcement problem and one that must be contained by Afghan security forces.


Here is a video posted by Inayet showing a typical busy street in Jalalabad.