Afghanistan: America's Bleeding Wound

The war in Afghanistan is becoming more and more expensive for the American budget

The international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda resumed the work of its camps used to train terrorists in Afghanistan. This was informed by Newsweek magazine, which conducted its own probe in Afghanistan. According to the information from the magazine, there are more than a dozen of terrorist camps operating on the territory of Afghanistan. Yemen and Chechen nationals are reportedly working there as instructors.

The magazine informed that hundreds of terrorists have trained in those camps by experienced instructors. The terrorists were taught how to handle grenade launchers, fire guns, lay mines, and use various kinds of bombs. The magazine wrote that terrorists basically disappear among the local Afghan population after two weeks of training. The magazine predicts a growth in the number of terrorist acts and armed attacks in Afghanistan.

The report of this respectable magazine would not cost a thing before. However, the humanity is counting the last days of peace at the moment, so the revelation costs a lot. The Americans failed to conduct a blitzkrieg in Afghanistan. They defeated the Taliban forces, but then they got stuck in a guerrilla warm, and it must be confessed that they are losing the latter.

PRAVDA.Ru has touched upon this issue numerous times recently. Here is a short quote from our recent article "Unlucky Americans in Afghanistan": “Numerous operations like Anaconda or Harpoon brought no considerable results (just few ammunition depots were discovered, and several dozen fighters were liquidated). As the operations proved ineffective, they were given up in the end. From now on, if operations of this kind are to be held, they will be carried out by the Afghans themselves under the US’s strict guidance.”

Until recently, information about Americans’ situation has been concealed by the American press. What’s going to be next? This is a natural question to ask for the average American tax payer. There has not been any answer given to it yet. The Pentagon is busy with Iraq, and the American leadership doesn't really care about Afghanistan now, yet American can't get out of Afghanistan that easily.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is coming to Afghanistan. The official goal of his visit is to conduct negotiations with the leadership of Afghanistan. Senior American official is to discuss the restoration of economy and infrastructure of the country, which has been devastated by a civil war that lasted 23 years. Furthermore, O'Neill is intends to determine the efficiency of the international financial help for Afghanistan and its distribution in the country. This help is provided by the United States, first and foremost. As the US embassy in Kabul informed, Paul O'Neill will go to see the reconstruction of a highway between Kabul and Kandahar. The USA has assigned some $80 million for that project. Go figure.

Dmitry Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov