With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 a mere month away, the war in Afghanistan came home to America over the weekend: Taliban insurgents shot down a US Chinook helicopter in the Tangi Valley west of Kabul, killing 30 Americans -- including 22 Navy SEALs -- and seven Afghans.
Casualties are part of war, but the sting of Saturday’s losses is particularly painful: The SEALs were from Team Six -- the same ultra-elite unit that took down Osama bin Laden in Pakistan earlier this year.
What lessons are to be taken from the tragedy?
It’s important to recall why US forces are in Afghanistan in the first place. They are there precisely because the Taliban, which essentially ran the country a decade ago, had virtually ceded it to al Qaeda -- which, in turn, used it to stage numerous terrorist attacks, including 9/11.
It is no accident that no comparable attacks have occurred since US Special Forces dispossessed the Taliban in the weeks after the World Trade Center attack.
Now America is looking to leave -- precipitously, it seems.
In April, the Fourth Brigade Combat Team turned over its only Tangi Valley combat outpost to Afghan forces -- who clearly weren’t ready.
But that debate is for the weeks to come.
Today, it’s necessary to remember the dangerous and heroic job that US forces -- the SEALs, in particular -- do every day. And not just in Afghanistan, but around the world as well.
There’s no doubt that America, beset by staggering, intractable economic problems, has grown profoundly weary of seemingly ceaseless military conflict -- of what former President George W. Bush prophetically termed “The Long War” on terror.
But as long as the terrorists have not wearied of their war on civilization, it will be necessary to resist them.
Two months ago, SEALs took out America’s Enemy No. 1 -- Osama bin Laden. Everyone returned safely.
This time they were assisting in another key raid, and their luck ran out.
Their work was necessary, and their sacrifice profound.
America will be forever in their debt. |
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