Ten years ago today, President Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom, the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan.
It was the first in a series of military interventions that continue to define our country's war on terror. The original mission -to topple the Taliban and kill or capture al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden - has been replaced by a futile policy of nation-building.
Despite the rhetoric of his 2008 campaign, President Obama has done little to end the wars of his predecessor.
Waging war is expensive. To date, the government has blown about $460 billion on the war in Afghanistan and about $798 billion in Iraq.
Considering our government's troubled finances, it doesn't seem wise to have wasted $1.2 trillion dollars on one of the most destructive state pursuits. Staggering as the financial cost of the wars is, the human cost is far more sobering.
For 10 years, our soldiers have been enmeshed in the tangle of tribal allegiances and state corruption that characterize Afghan politics. In the last four years, U.S. casualties have risen at an alarming rate, but the hardships suffered by the Afghan people are even more disconcerting.
The United States has suffered about 1,500 casualties in Afghanistan alone. When Iraq is included, the total climbs to about 40,000 United States troops killed or wounded. Civilian deaths in the war on terror are estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands.
The extension of a bloody and pointless war is inexcusable. As the 10th year of America's longest running war concludes, we must push for an end before 10 years of war becomes 11.
I urge you to take a stand against the war on terror today on the Plaza of the Americas with UF Libertarians and Students for a Democratic Society. Ten years of war is 10 years too long - it's time to stop.
William Tew
UF Libertarians president
