Who can forget the image of former U.S. president George W. Bush triumphantly declaring victory in the Iraq war from the deck of an aircraft carrier—a “Mission Accomplished” banner waving conspicuously in the background.
We now know, of course, that the war was far from over as thousands of American troops were killed in the bloody months and years that followed.
Fast forward to Afghanistan, where Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday basically said “mission accomplished” as our soldiers prepare for the end of Canada’s combat role next month in favour of a training one in the quieter north until 2014.
There’s no question our troops have done a tremendous job in rooting out insurgents from the former Taliban stronghold in the Kandahar region, and helping to improve the lives of the Afghan people. And it’s come at a terrible cost: 156 soldiers killed, along with one diplomat and a journalist, not to mention the countless others wounded.
But the prime minister raised eyebrows with his bold declaration that Afghanistan no longer poses a threat to the rest of the world. While it’s true the country is not the training ground for terrorism it was under the Taliban, the jury definitely is out on whether the fledgling Afghan government, army, and police force can hold onto the gains our brave soldiers have made since 2002.
One cannot fault Canada and other NATO countries, exhausted from nine years of fighting, for pulling out their troops. There are legitimate fears, however, that Taliban insurgents and al-Qaeda operatives simply will move back in once we’re gone—making our sacrifices all for naught and leaving open the very real possibility of us having to return there down the road.
Frankly, the job isn’t done in Afghanistan and Mr. Harper jumped the gun by declaring victory.
Despite our hard-fought successes there, “mission accomplished” remains to be seen.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
