Army General David H. Patraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, has foreshadowed intense struggles to accomplish missions in Afghanistan in the near future, as thousands of U.S. troops are deployed and redeployed to the war torn country. He stressed that the same tactics that worked so well in Iraq are not likely to get the same results in Afghanistan, striking down the theory that the surge tactic is a solution to any military problem. “We do believe we can achieve progress, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better” he said. Gen. Patraeus pointed out the social, economic, and cultural differences between the two countries. These differences will really become evident after this second surge has come into affect. He was also quick to show that after the initial surge in Iraq, violence spiked as a result of increasing pressure on terrorists and insurgents, before the violence subsided to its lowest levels of the war.
This statement by the commander of U.S. Central Command should serve as a warning to all Americans that the fight in Afghanistan is far from over and that it will get worse before it gets better. This information should be made more available to U.S. citizens so that when the worst does happen, they will not be screaming for heads to roll in Washington and an immediate withdrawal. This fight against terrorism is a fight which has never been attempted on such a large scale in history and will require extreme patience on behalf of the people.
