War in Afghanistan far from being over

Ousting the bloody Taliban regime from Afghanistan was just one aspect of the war on terrorism launched by President George W. Bush. Indeed, Bush himself said on many occasions during the early days of the campaign after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on America's mainland that bringing democracy to war-torn Afghanistan would require more than just aerial bombings and troop deployments.
The president talked about giving the Afghan people a chance to rebuild their lives once the Taliban and their ally, the Al-Qaida terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden, were eradicated. The mopping up is still going on, but an interim government has been installed and democratic elections are being discussed. Although bin Laden, the world's leading terrorist, and some members of his inner circle remain free, the political situation in Afghanistan is a far cry from what it was pre-9/11.
Millions of refugees
Now, the time has come for Bush's talk to be put into action. With millions of refugees streaming back into their relatively safe country, poverty has become the enemy.
America and its allies in the war on global terrorism must know that communities gripped by hunger and despair are the breeding grounds for terrorists. When fathers and mothers see their children dying of hunger and disease, when families are ill-clothed and lack adequate shelter to protect them from mother nature and when the promise of aid remains just that, a promise, hope takes a holiday.
President Bush, who has earned the world community's appreciation for his leadership in the war on terrorism, must lead the the war on poverty in Afghanistan.