Our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan War - Term Paper Example

Our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan War Introduction Afghanistan and Iraq have been facing serious political and humanitarian crisis since the height of terror campaign that ended with ousting of their dictatorial regimes in power a few years ago. Since then, security has been a thorny issue in the two neighboring countries. Various strategies have been advanced to militate against the resultant effects of the two wars. Several years after the fall of Taliban and Saddam Hussein regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively, the coalition forces led by US and Britain are still battling remnant forces of the two regimes. The wars have been compounded by the influence of Al Qaeda and foreign fighters who have infiltrated in the country. These have seriously complicated the war on terror as a result of suicide attacks and kidnappings they employ. These have dealt a big blow to the reconstruction efforts being undertaken in the two countries and also continue to pose a big threat to the global security. This is due to extremist tendencies which they seem to have perfected the world over with adverse effects to mankind. History of the crisis Iraq woes started with discovery of oil and the subsequent scramble for oil by the US and Great Britain in 1930s. Since her independence in 1931, the country’s political arena has been characterized by a series of coups and other political upheavals that led to the coming to power of Saddam Hussein in 1979 (The Iraq crisis, n.d, Para 5). Saddam, on coming to power immediately embarked on consolidation of his dictatorial powers and an ambitious territorial expansion campaign that led to one of the longest battles in Asia involving Iraq and Iran. Iraq later went on to invade Kuwait in 1990 and occupy it which led to its fierce confrontation with US alongside its NATO allies. Iraq was defeated and withdrew from the country. Saddam later went on to develop nuclear weapon facilities, a move that set him at odds with international community. Sanctions were imposed on the country after it refused to cooperate with the UN arms inspectors. This protracted competition eventually culminated into the US invasion of the country. The ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 led to a stream of devastation in the country caused by widespread looting and civilian bombings by pro -Saddam militias. This caused adverse effects to the countries infrastructure and a serious humanitarian crisis that called for urgent remedies. A civilian government was later installed to replace the fallen Saddam government. The move was expected to instill calm but achieved modest success due to lack of acceptance by the Iraqi people. In its counter attacks, the Iraqi forces put up fierce resistance and also attacked bases in Kuwaiti according to Lee (2009, Para. 8). Both the new government and the coalition forces continue to face heavy casualties as a result of attacks by the remaining insurgents helped by al Qaeda fighters. Afghanistan has also had a series of uprisings since independence the most difficult period being the mujahedeen war against Russian communist occupation in 1980’s. This formed the very foundation of Al Qaeda through the inspiration of the then US backed Osama Bin Laden. This makes the renegades a creation of US blunders in their strategies. Taliban did not pose serious threat until they embraced Osama as their financier in exchange of allowing him to set up a base in the country. Osama capitalized on the underlying rugged terrain to build the fierce Al Qaeda network that Culminated to the bombing attacks of US interest in East Africa and the deadly 9/11 attacks. The US and its allies responded by mounting pressure on the Taliban administration to surrender the Al Qaeda leaders a move that they snubbed. This led to the US military attack in 2001 that led to the ouster of the Taliban government from power. Since then the Taliban and their Al Qaeda counter parts have put up spirited attacks against government officials and the allied forces that are often deadly. In Afghanistan emerging evidence by senior intelligence analyst suggest that the Taliban are already blaming their loss of power on Osama and Al Qaeda especially after the events of the 9/11 attacks as Porter (2009, Para. 5) reports. The reports further suggest that the Taliban blame the Al Qaeda for their misfortunes and have largely severed their relationship with them leading them to form new bases in northern Pakistan. This makes it unlikely that they might forge back lasting ties that might deal a cropper to the relative order achieved so far. However their threat can not be underestimated and the US and allied forces must always be on look out. Effects of the war Although the period of actual combat operations was short, confrontation between insurgents and the government troops backed by the coalition troops are still rife in the two countries. The insurgents continue to employ deadly strategies in their attacks which include suicide bombs, car bombs and rocket propelled grenades directed towards civilian and military targets. Aerial attacks by coalition forces on the insurgents have yielded deadly casualties on civilians. A nationwide survey carried on 988 households in Iraq revealed that about 100,000 people wee killed in the battle between 2003 to 2004 most of whom were women and children. Combatant deaths, injuries and illnesses are also rampant across Iraq. Official figures in US indicate that 1139 coalition troops perished in combat while 4194 and 3536 major and minor injuries respectively had been reported by 2004. The figures have been spiraling up since then. The insurgents’ side could be worse when one considers the poor access to medical services. Civilian injuries and illnesses as a result of terrorist bombing are estimated to be as high as ten times the number of deaths. The burden of future disabilities is expected to rise as the war intensifies. 10,000,000 land mines are estimated to be spread across the North Iraq a situation that is expected to claim several civilian casualties. In 2004, the ministry of health reported alarming increase in magnitude of communicable diseases according to MedAct (2004). There has been high deterioration of water and sanitation services which have increased vulnerability to communicable diseases and malnutrition. Basic hygiene is usually nonexistent to the poor households which compound the situation. Child mortality rates are very high in the same country as a result of poor healthy care and lack of accessibility to health services. Diseases such as measles, pumps and typhoid which are manageable through vaccination are increasing across the countries. These justify the military intervention by US and coalition members. The two countries have also experienced heavy economic downturn as a result of years of war that have ravaged the country. As a result of heavy infrastructural damage, there was rampant loss of employment and reduced productivity. Afghanistan experienced the collapse of basic social amenities, the government infrastructure and rampant food shortage struck the country (Humanitarian consequences of war: Afghanistan, N.d, Para. 1). Many industries collapsed due to damages and loss of market as a result of the massive instability in the market. Many skilled energetic workers were killed leading to a massive shortage of human labor while others migrated abroad in search for better working environment. This has nearly brought the economies to a halt. The financial market also literally collapsed crippling the ability to finance the economy. This has led to biting shortage of capital. Justification for the support As a result of the humanitarian crisis that has befallen the two, it seems only reasonable to maintain the soldiers in the countries. The rampant disorganization of the society and their ways of life has rendered them in dire need of humanitarian aid along other supporting frameworks like infrastructure. Due to the fluid situation around them, this is only possible with the help of the UN security forces. Distribution of rations items and other material is usually very difficult under the current prevailing circumstances which add to the suffering of the many in need of aid. Medical care has also to be provided under heavy security to deter attacks. In a region where most of the government services have literally collapsed and heavy shelling claims many casualties while leaving others wounded, it becomes necessary to maintain a regular supply of humanitarian aid and which must be delivered on timely basis. This is usually hampered by military confrontation and attacks from insurgents. The humanitarian aid workers and construction personnel have to be kept under close surveillance to protect them from insurgents’ attacks and kidnaps from the terrorists who often hold them hostage for ransom. In addition, the deteriorating security conditions facing the nations combined with related threat of civil war calls for the continuous presence of the soldiers to avert the possible occurrence of civil war. The fragile conditions in the country have created a breeding ground for terrorist activities and planting of the terrorist cells which poses a big threat to security. Pellegrino (2006, Para. 15) says that the absence of security and political volatility of the country makes education, aid and infrastructural development practically impossible. The US soldiers are often deployed to guard government facilities, civilians, workers and personnel from attacks. The fall of the previous regimes left many dangerous arms under civilian hands which further compounds the security situation in the countries. In respect to these glaring attacks, more troops were expected to be deployed in Afghanistan by mid last year boosting the numbers from 28,000 to 32,000 soldiers according to Montero (2008, Para. 3). Having for long be a training hub for Osama, the coalition forces can not afford to walk away of the country without being wary of far reaching consequences and leaving America in vulnerable conditions like the one that happened in the infamous September 11 (After eight years, no end in sight in Afghanistan, 2009, Para 1) In another sense, America can not be able to instill the rule of law and democracy without its presence in the countries. Without a marked military presence in Afghanistan for example, the Taliban forces might reposition themselves thereby reclaiming back most of their lost territory thus destabilize the country’s growing democracy. This would even be worse if they linked up forces with Al Qaeda thereby reestablishing their training and coordination camps where they could launch back their attacks as Pellegrino (2006, Para. 12) feels. Further more, the only means of establishing a secure, responsible and legitimate government in the countries is by first securing the nations’ people. Before contemplating withdrawal, America must first facilitate an efficient and effective civilian run military and police force in the two countries. Conclusion The situation in Iraq and Afghanistan is still volatile and the coalition forces can not afford to give their backs to the nations by abruptly withdrawing their forces. Till relative peace returns to the two countries and there is a strong and efficient domestic military and police units capable of guaranteeing security to the countries civilians and government, the stage is not yet ripe for the departure of he coalition forces. The situation still calls for the developed countries to step up their support though troops and humanitarian aid to ensure that the countries citizens and the rest of the world are safe from terrorism. In addition, the rebuilding process calls for concerted efforts from development partners to marshal up their resources to ensure the countries economies are back on their feet. Work cited Humanitarian consequences of war: Afghanistan. Humanitarian consequences of war: Afghanistan. N.d. http://www.care.org/newsroom/specialreports/victimsofwar/afghanistan-war.asp Accessed on October 27, 2009. Lee, Roger A. The Iraq Crisis: The War in Iraq. The Third Persian Gulf War. 2009. http://www.historyguy.com/GulfWar2.html. Accessed on October 27, 2009. MedAct. Enduring effects of war: health in Iraq. 2004. http://www.google.co.ke/#hl=en&num=30&q=Effects+of+Iraq+war+of+2003&meta=&aq=f&oq=Effects+of+Iraq+war+of+2003&fp=e79fb5fc0fd5afa Accessed on October 27, 2009. Montero, David. More troops for Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Department says: An Army general warns of strain on deployed troops. 2008. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0227/p99s04-duts.html. Accessed on 27 October 2009. Obama needs to clarify purpose, commitment in Afghanistan. After eight years, no end in sight in Afghanistan. 2009. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-afghanistan-editorial-m10070sboct07,0,4779811.story. Accessed on October 27, 2009. Pellegrino, Anthony Del. The Case for Freedom Winning In Afghanistan.2009. http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977814799. Accessed on October 27, 2009. Porter, Gareth. Pro-Afghan War Officials Play Up Taliban-al Qaida Ties: Analysis. 2009. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/13/pro-afghan-war-officials_n_319102.html. Accessed on October 27, 2009. Read More