Stop the sacrifices for Afghanistan

Bob Jack, North Las Vegas

Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.

The current count this year is 51 NATO soldiers dead in Afghanistan at the hands of trainees in the Afghan forces. One is all that should have been tolerated by our military leadership and commander in chief.

This is intolerable. We should withdraw now from Afghanistan.

American objectives were achieved shortly after arriving in Afghanistan in 2001, and most American troops should have been removed shortly after their arrival.

Al-Qaida had been dismantled and the Taliban routed. Nonetheless, focus drifted to Iraq; the focus in Afghanistan was lost for some time.

This was a significant mistake, as was believing that a counterinsurgency strategy by NATO was to be adopted instead of a counterterrorism strategy that relied on special forces operations and airstrikes.

We must realize that Afghanistan will return to Taliban rule once America leaves. This region is corrupt and will never be a democratic society.

The current regime will be eliminated after NATO forces withdraw. Cutting our losses and departing now is the wisest course in the long term.

If America is judged to have lost the Afghanistan war, it is essentially because we remained too long. The sooner we leave the better.

Too many American heroes are being asked to continue to sacrifice for a cause with significantly diminishing returns.