Afghanistan My Last Tour

The past few weeks in my spare time I have been reading about counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine and advice.  I am trying to get a better grasp of the mentoring process and hone some of my problem solving skills.  There was one piece of advice that really stood out to me in reference to problem resolution.  The author said “If you do not understand relationships, people, cultural economics, human terrain, and all those related issues, you will only see the symptoms rather than diagnosing the problem.”  I have taken this to heart and agree with the author on this subject.  The current situation in Afghanistan is very fluid and we are attempting to tip the balance of the scales by winning the hearts and minds of the people.  This is so much easier said than done, specifically when you discuss the dynamics of using non-kinetic forces.  In COIN, killing the enemy is easy, but finding him is often nearly impossible unless you have the cooperation of the villagers and the citizens.  Ultimately our goal is not to kill all of the insurgents, but rather have the people take back their country’s security so we can eventually leave.
I keep reflecting back on the words of a brave 8-year-old boy I met during my travels.  He risked his life just to talk to me.  The Taliban threatened to cut off anyone’s head and parade it around the village if they gave information to the Americans.  It’s as if he was destined to deliver his message to me.  For his age, he was pretty direct with his delivery and it caught me off guard.  He said, “Some people in my village support the Americans, but most of them support the Taliban out of fear.”  Chinese Chairman Mao Tse Tung once said “Kill one and you will frighten a thousand.”  I guess this still holds true today.
The boy further explained “Today the American forces are providing security and medicine to my people. The Taliban knew you were coming and they left the village. But after you leave who is going to provide security to me and my family?  You don’t have to live here, but I do.”  I was rather dumbfounded and at a loss for words.  I desperately wanted to explain the complexities of the COIN strategy and detail about the progress we are making in his country.  I thought about describing the dynamic vision of my military leaders and his government officials in attempt to alleviate his fears.  Perhaps if I detailed the strategic goals of the coalition forces in winning the hearts and minds, this would help him understand. But instead I kneeled on the ground and stared into the eyes of this young boy and could only mutter “I understand .”  He nodded his head in agreement and walked away.
So now I find myself being haunted by my response.  Was this the right thing to say?  I have dissected his statement  “You don’t have to live here, but I do” and then referred back to the advice mentioned above.  In my attempt to understand the enemy I have delved more into the culture of this country and studied their history to include the rise of the Taliban.  I read a few books and regularly read the local newspaper translated into English in my feeble attempt to understand the Afghan culture and this invisible enemy.  For example:  It really bothers me when I read about the schools being intentionally destroyed.  Why would the enemy want to blow up a school and what was their motivation?  Last year the Taliban put out a $500 bounty to kill a teacher and $1,000 for a female teacher.  Then it was like a light come on and the pieces of the puzzle started to fit into each other.  The Taliban do not want people educated, especially the female population.  An educated person might refute their ideology and disagree with the direction of the local Mullah or cleric. Since the majority of Afghanistan (85%) is uneducated, they rely on the Mullah for advice and how to live their lives.  The Koran is written in Arabic and even if it was transcribed in the native language, only a small percentage of the citizens would be able to read, let alone interpret it.
So perhaps one of the answers to winning this war is to educate the people, especially the young children, because they are the future of Afghanistan.  I know this is a long process, but I think this is one of the essential keys in winning this war and finding a permanent solution.  From personal observation, the children want to be educated and they want to learn.  It doesn’t matter that its 100 degrees outside and they don’t have air conditioning or even windows in their classroom.  They have an unquenchable   thirst for knowledge and fervor for learning.  For them just owning a notebook and a pen that writes is a really big deal.  This would explain why they mob us when we hand out these supplies.  I read in the local paper where a local school was built recently.  It will house 10,000 students.  It cost the Afghan government a mere $156,000 to build!  They will have to schedule and teach the children in shifts to accommodate them.  In the US we complain when there are 30 children in a classroom.  Imagine having 50-60 children crammed into a room half the size of an American classroom.

Site of the explosion - photo courtesy Reuters

Tragically today 16 Afghan school children were killed as they were the victim of explosives hidden on a truck.  Apparently a truck was carrying firewood and it overturned in a ditch.  The police and the children on their way to a secondary school gathered around the truck and the explosives were detonated.  Four policemen, 16 school children and 4 bystanders were killed by this explosion that scattered debris almost a mile away.  This is such a cowardly act from the insurgents.   Children are so innocent.  In addition, two US soldiers were killed yesterday as the result of a roadside bombing and seven soldiers died on Monday.

In hindsight, I should have told the little boy to have faith.

For more about the attack read New York Times: Afghan Truck Blast Kills 16 Children