US to have role in Afghanistan even after coalition forces gone

On the first anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, the world’s leading terrorist, President Obama secretly flew to Afghanistan where he signed an agreement with President Hamid Karzai that lays out a new relationship between our two countries.

The foundation of the agreement is the withdrawal of American and NATO forces by 2014, at which time the Afghans will be responsible for their own security.

But the president, who spoke to the American people Tuesday evening from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, also said the war-torn nation will not be abandoned.

The agreement signed by Obama and Karzai sends a clear message to the Afghan people, Obama said: “As you stand up, you will not stand alone.” In that regard, the agreement includes shared commitments to combat terrorism and strengthen democratic institutions.

“It supports Afghan efforts to advance development and dignity for their people,” the president said in his fairly brief address. “And it includes Afghan commitments to transparency and accountability, and to protect the human rights of all Afghans — men and women, boys and girls.”

Given the history of Afghanistan under the iron-fisted rule of the Islamic extremist Taliban, there is concern that the democratically elected government of President Karzai could fall victim to the Islamists if they are allowed back in. There are ongoing talks with Taliban leaders who have indicated a willingness to cooperate with the government in Kabul.

By the same token, there already are members of Parliament who are expressing the belief that Sharia law, a mainstay of the Taliban, should prevail with regard to the rights of men and women.

President Obama, who must flesh out his Tuesday night speech with details of his vision for that country, can’t ignore the fact that the Karzai government is not on solid ground and there could be a tendency for the Afghan leader to make compromises that are counter to democratic principles.

The withdrawal of American troops has strong support across the board in the United States. People are tired of war. The invasion of Afghanistan was launched soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on America’s mainland. Most of the terrorists had been trained in camps in Afghanistan operated by bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network. Former President George W. Bush was right in targeting the war-torn nation, but when it came time to capture or kill the murderous leader, Bush redeployed American troops to Iraq.

U.S. Navy SEALS

It was President Obama who gave the green light a year ago for U.S. Navy SEALS to conduct a secret mission deep in Pakistan where bin Laden had been living for six years. He was killed, and since then the U.S. has successful killed or captured 20 of the top 30 leaders of al-Qaida and its affiliates.

The terrorist network no longer has the cohesiveness it did when bin Laden was actively involved, but that does not mean al-Qaida has abandoned its goal of visiting death and destruction upon the West.

That is why Afghanistan’s future is so important. Any weakness in the government in Kabul or the military will be seen as an opportunity by the Taliban and al-Qaida.

The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces is necessary, given the opinion of the American public. But, Afghanistan deserves to have allies willing to support its experiment in democracy.