The war in Afghanistan has completely lost all purpose. The tip of the iceberg was publicly demonstrated on the 19th of April this year, when new legislation was produced which effectively legalises rape against Afghan women. On that day, the women marched against such damaging legislation to deliver a petition to parliament, when men pelted the women with stones, spitting at them and chanting ‘long live Islam’. Earlier that week, one of Afghanistan’s leading women’s rights activists was murdered at her home. A number of women have received death threats for speaking out against the Shia Family Law. After eight years of fighting in Afghanistan, does this sound like progress has been made?^[1]

1. ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/women-protesting-at-prorape-law-attacked-by-afghan-men-1669296.html

With the ever-growing number of civilian deaths constantly increasing, Western presence in Afghanistan is actually having the opposite effect. Thousands of deaths have been caused as a result of insurgent and foreign military action and tens of thousands of deaths indirectly: from disease, lack of medicine and care, the crime and lawlessness that has evolved from the country. Last year, the world was shocked when a wedding in Afghanistan ended in tragedy during the Kamala bombings, when most of the bridal party (including women and children) were killed by the US military. A protest against the government and foreign occupation took place afterwards: a display of such open emotion, grief and anger at what had happened that western countries doubted whether we were helping, or hindering the situation in Afghanistan. We are yet to conclude the outcome, but hopefully, the thousands of deaths will not be in vain. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/16/afghanistan-taliban-us-foreign-policy

This statement may appear a little unfounded, but news reports that occur out of Afghanistan are in response to the numbers of civilian deaths therefore, support for the Taliban and resentment of the western soldiers is growing. It is hardly surprising when women and children are being killed by foreign soldiers, when without their presence they would still be alive. Afghans are not just angry about the bombings, but also the raids on their homes, the shootings of civilian in the streets and at checkpoints, and the failure to address those issues over the course of the war. The Taliban are taking full advantage of this and highlight such tragedies for their own cause. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18660068.htm

Whether it was ever really the case or not, we were sold the Afghanistan War on the basis of the "war on terror". We were going into Afghanistan to hunt down Osama Bin Laden. When was the last time that was mentioned on the news?