12 Propositions on the Afghanistan War

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Farah City, Afghanistan

The only long-term solution to the problem of Islamic terrorism is to de-Islamicize the Middle-East (and, thus, I suppose, the rest of the world) - in the same way that we de-Nazified Germany after World War Two. Obviously, there is currently no political will to do this on the part of any Western government.

Short of that, there are still some things that we can do, although precisely which things we can do are by no means obvious. Clearly, what happens in Afghanistan is important. It is a sort of test case for fighting Islamic terrorism without targeting Islam. The only thing that is obvious (to me) is that the right policy on Afghanistan is not obvious.

President Trump's recent commitment to renew and continue the military fight in Afghanistan, involving a change in military strategy as well as a probable (small) troop surge, seems reasonable to me. But I could be wrong.

Here are twelve propositions on the Afghanistan War. Let me know if you agree/disagree with them.

• "Winning" in Afghanistan means being able to leave without the country becoming a base for Islamic terrorism.
• We will never be able to win in that sense.
• This is because aggressive Islam - which is the soil that nourishes contemporary terrorism - remains the religion of the vast majority of the population, and we explicitly have no intention or plan to change that.
• Though secularism appeared to be on the rise in Afghanistan, a few generations ago, there is no evidence that this trend will return again to any segment of the Islamic world, at least in the foreseeable future. In the 21st century, it's more likely that Western Europe will go de facto Muslim than that secularist momentum will return to the Islamic world.
• Even though an Afghanistan victory in the conventional sense is impossible, that doesn't mean that military involvement is useless or inadvisable. As George Bush famously claimed, "it's better to fight them over there than to face them here." While this dictum may be misapplied, it is not false.
• A corollary of the above is that a relatively low-level military commitment may be the best option. Just because more troops won't enable us to win doesn't mean that continuing to invest in a fight involving a relatively small number of troops - minimizing lives and materiel lost - is a bad idea.
• That indefinite military involvement with no possible victory may still be in the national interest cannot be stated publicly by political leaders, (though many Americans may nevertheless understand and agree with it), or, at least, no American leader has tried to state it.
• This is another reason why low-level involvement may be preferable - involvement on a larger scale will be more likely to lead to calls for withdrawal.
• That continuing involvement in a small-scale war may actually be healthy for a military force as a whole - in terms of tactics, training and so on - is a reasonable proposition.
• This also cannot be stated publicly by political leaders.
• American withdrawal from Afghanistan will probably mean that Iran, Russia and/or Pakistan will attempt to fill the vacuum.
• This might be, on net, in our national interest (they would be doing the fighting for us). Or it might not.

BREAKING: American University in Kabul Under Attack - Students and Teachers Trapped

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From the Daily Mail:

American University in Kabul under attack: Gunmen storm campus packed with students as explosions are heard and victims tweet from inside 'I'm wounded and girls cry, please help us'

• 'Complex' raid launched on campus of American University in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul
• Ambulances seen ferrying away the wounded from the assault on the school which is in a western suburb
• University president, Dr. Mark English confirmed an attack has occurred - security forces have responded
• The university was founded ten-years ago and currently has 1,100 students enrolled
• College is styled on the American liberal arts model - 40-percent of students are women

The American University of Afghanistan in the capital Kabul is under attack by militants according to witnesses, with gunfire and explosions heard coming from inside the campus. 

A huge plume of smoke was seen rising above the campus on Wednesday night, where several American professors are inside university buildings, along with hundreds of Afghan students. 

Police spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said security forces have rushed to respond to the attack, while ambulances are ferrying the injured away. Many inside managed to escape the onslaught of gunfire through emergency exits. 

Teachers and students still inside the university are sheltering in place while security forces engage in a furious gun battle with militants inside, with many taking to Twitter to plead for help. 

According to one student, several of his classmate have been killed and wounded, while a number of professors and renowned Associated Press photographer, Massoud Hossaini remain trapped while fighting continues.

 'My class was over and I was planning to leave, then suddenly I heard gunshots,' said Ahmad Mukhtar, a student at the university. 

'I tried to find shelter, but a blast took place and I ran towards a wall and managed to escape by climbing the wall and injured my leg,' he told the LA Times. 

'Several students have been killed and injured; many students and professors are stuck,' said another student according to the LA Times. 

'Some managed to escape, but we are still here. Please help us.' 

Witnesses say that multiple attackers have descended on the university campus and detonated an explosion at the gate to gain entry to the heavily fortified facility. 

The Pullitzer-winning Associated Press photographer Massoud Hossaini is inside the university complex and tweeted that he is trapped along with other students. 

Hauntingly, he added that 'this maybe my last tweets'. 

The president of the university Dr. Mark English confirmed that the campus was under attack, saying 'We are trying to assess the situation.' 

'Several gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul and there are reports of gunfire and explosions,' another official said. 'They are inside the compound and there are foreign professors along with hundreds of students.' 

Ahmad Shaheer, a student at the university, told Reuters by telephone that he was trapped inside the university. 

'We are stuck inside our classroom and there are bursts of gunfire,' he said. 

Another student told NBC News that he had only just finished his class and was walking with friends when gunfire erupted and a 'massive explosion; threw them to the ground. 

'We got up, and in the midst of dust ... kept running to the back of the building and climbed the walls and jumped down on the street,' said the student. 

'I am in a taxi and on my way to hospital.' 

According to Afghan journalist Bilal Sawary, the Kabul's CDR rapid reaction force told him that they are dealing with a 'complex' attack and that special forces are 'en-route'. 

'We have been notified of a complex attack on the American University on Darul-Aman Road,' the commander of Kabul police's quick reaction force told NBC News, adding, 'We still don't know the exact nature of the attack.' 

Two professors, an American and an Australian were abducted from the university - where 40 percent of students are women - on August 8th, when five gunmen dressed in Afghan military uniforms kidnapped them at gunpoint from their SUV.

BREAKING: Houston Gunman Identified

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His name was Dionisio Garza III and he was twenty-five years old. In a tragic and presumably coincidental twist, he was from San Bernardino County, California.

And in an awful coda to this Memorial Day, Garza was reportedly an Afghanistan combat veteran. 

No, he wasn't a Muslim.

According to his father, he recently became attracted to survivalism and believed the United States economy was about to collapse.

In a seemingly random shooting rampage in Houston on Sunday, Garza fatally shot one man and wounded six others before he himself was shot dead by police. Another man, originally suspected to be a second shooter, was among the injured. It is now almost certain he was a good samaritan who merely had tried to stop Garza.

KPRC2 in Houston obtained an exclusive interview with the suspect's father:

Garza's father said his son, although loving, had become increasingly troubled over the last few months and decided to travel to Houston to meet others who believed the United States was on the brink of collapse. 

"On the internet he met some people or some people that believed like him. 

It's better to go to Texas. He was trying to get us all to go over there and you know go live in a compound. That kind of talk, you know? That wasn't my son," the man said. 

Channel 2 Investigates located Facebook and Twitter accounts belonging to Garza. 

On Twitter, on May 25 of this year he posted: 

"When do you think the dollar will collapse? I know this year?" 

Garza's father, a missionary, last talked to his son Saturday, just one day before the shooting. 

"You know he was rambling off about the economy collapsing, you know. And that something was going to happen by Monday, that kind of stuff. Of course you look back now and there were signs. There were signs," he said . . . 

Houston police officers found a military-style backpack Monday at the Conoco gas station that caught fire after a bullet hit one of the gas pumps. 

The backpack contained bullets, a birth certificate and several other items. 

KPRC 2 found the father of the man listed on the birth certificate. He said police have not called him, but he said friends and family members informed him that his son is the suspect in the west Houston mass shooting. 

The father believes his son's PTSD contributed to his strange behavior leading up to the shooting. 

"I talked to my son on Saturday. He said something was going to happen Monday," the father said. 

He believes his son had a mental breakdown.

Read the rest here.

Correction (10:49 CST): I originally wrote that the good samaritan was "shot by police." The news reports suggest he was shot by Garza.

Restaurant Destroyed by Muslim Suicide Blast Was Rated #2 in Kabul by TripAdvisor

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Models at a Le Jardin charity event, shortly after the restaurant's opening in 2012

On New Year's day, a Kabul restaurant was targeted by a suicide blast. Two innocents were killed, though the death toll could have been far higher. The tight security (described in a few of the reviews below) worked, at least to an extent. One source had a bomber detonating a suicide vest as he was being frisked--killing a guard. A car bomb then went off at the entrance, injuring twenty-five. Shrapnel from the explosion killed a twelve-year-old boy playing in the street.

Le Jardin was rated the #2 restaurant in Kabul by TripAdvisor. Is that a more important fact than that two innocent human beings lost their lives? Of course not. But it puts the recent acceleration of violence and terror in the city in perhaps a bit more perspective. Kabul hasn't been a safe city in over a generation, but the last bits of quasi-normalcy are now in the process of being snuffed out.

I've reprinted a number of TripAdvisor reviews--many of them recent--and also included some photographs from the site. These are positive photographs taken by tourists. At the bottom of the post there will be a few not so happy photographs.

With beer at $10 a glass (or rather, with beer at all), some might claim that this is not a place for the typical Kabul resident. If that annoys you, stop reading here. Or maybe you should ask yourself, why shouldn't the typical Kabul resident aspire to be able to (at least once in a while) have a beer in a nice restaurant? Wasn't that what we were fighting for? Or do you think Afghans only exist to pose for National Geographic, play polo with people's heads and get blown up?        

Reading the reviews makes me sad. The restaurant was an "oasis in the middle of a weary city." It seems unlikely it will ever reopen. Indeed, the owners were apparently warned by the Taliban that this would be their fate if they continued to operate. And now, many residents appear to be blaming foreigners and the establishments that cater to them for their current woes, which is of course one reason why the Taliban targets them. 

In the reviews one gets a sense of Kabul life, for foreigners at least--the "compounds"  and "camps" with their different "security policies". One reviewer writes, "If you go nowhere else in Kabul outside your compound, come here." Well, so much for that.

“Western food in a great location”

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Great place to go for western food. Great location in an out of the way place. Just down the street from a senior Afghan government officer so relatively secure. Good security. Building is like a US Southwestern restaurant. Great courtyard for dining out on warm days. Wood fireplaces inside. Very nice.

“An oasis in the middle of a weary city”

Reviewed October 25, 2015

Le Jardin is one of the few western restaurants still open in Kabul and well worth trying for its good food and oasis-like ambiance. My wife and I always look forward to the cheese stick appetizers and usually get the Thai beef salad, the duck dish or the salmon pasta. We haven't had a bad meal here and that's saying something for the options available in Kabul these days. In the summers especially, the garden is full of roses and even various small pet birds and cats strutting around. All-in-all a fine oasis in this tense city.

“BEST BEEF BURGER IN TOWN! ”

Reviewed September 4, 2015

This place serves the best beef burgers in kabul !! Absolutely amazing . If you want to enjoy your lunch or dinner in open air, than this is the best and most stylish French restaurant !

“A little piece of paradise.”

Reviewed July 21, 2015

This is a really lovely restaurant, and offers a delightful selection of food. Breakfast is particularly pleasant with fresh pastries, coffee, juice and hot items. The garden is a delight and offers an escape from the busy city where you can unwind and feel at peace with the world!

“French cuisine in Kabul”

Reviewed July 10, 2015

I went to Le Jardin with a couple of colleagues on a cold winter night. The road leading to the restaurant was bump, as are all most side roads in the city; and when the car stopped outside a big, gloomy building, I though my colleague had lost his mind bringing us to this place. Going in from one security door to another, and I was in utter shock- the interior was absolutely stunning. I had to remind myself again and again that I was indeed in Kabul. They have beautiful kilims displayed on the walls, as well as gorgeous painting by local artists, all of it for sale actually. They were also selling beautiful jewelry and handicrafts from Turquoise mountain which was an added bonus. The food for me wasn't anything special to be honest- I had the chicken breast with tagliatelle, one colleague had a burger and the other a tuna roll. I thought it to be over priced. The restaurant does serve beer (its not on the menu and you have to ask for it), but its $10 a glass (no, not even a pint), but its nice and chilled. All in all the only reason that takes me back is the ambiance and the interior as opposed to the food. But then again, when you have limited options in Kabul, you take what you can get ;)

“Astonishing magical place”

Reviewed November 2, 2013

Security being what it is in Kabul you don't have a wide choice of places to eat. And yet it is amazing that this place is not better known. A large and beautiful garden with a smart, stylish French restaurant, and fantastic carpets all round the walls. I can't think of anything better. There's even a glass of wine if you can afford the steep price for a rather average bottle. But this is Afghanistan after all. The food was excellent, with imaginative twists on traditional dishes (a goat's cheese tart, pumpkin soup, veal fricassee, roast lamb, a vegetarian lasagna), wonderful bread and nibbles. Service was efficient and professional, if a little dour. But the most remarkable thing, apart from the fact that the place exists at all, was the carpets. In many years of trawling from one carpet shop to another (in Karachi, Peshawar, Kathmandu, Marrakesh, etc.) I am used to discovering, perhaps, one fine old rug among thousands of very average new or run of the mill ones. And to find someone who knows and is passionate about carpets, without constantly trying to flog you rubbish is almost unheard of. But this place has a sample of carpets from the Herat Carpet Center on Chicken St (the shop and the street are both well worth the risk), selected by Wahid Abdullah, the owner. There are other handicrafts as well as dried rose petals from the garden. If you go nowhere else in Kabul outside your compound, come here.

“Le Jardin is truly out of this world or Kabul—whichever you prefer.”

Reviewed January 8, 2013

Words are difficult to describe things that are amazing. Well, sometimes after a few months in Kabul a soft donut or a solid road can be considered amazing, but seriously Le Jardin is truly out of this world or Kabul—whichever you prefer. You travel down Street 9 from the main road and it seems like a normal residential area, until the pavement stops and your back on bumpy dirt, rocks and in winter—ice. At first it seems you’re traveling into the familiar local Government ignored portions of the city which are littering Kabul, but quickly the ever so familiar solid steel vehicle gate can be seen and an inviting chowkidda waiting to grant you access to stage 1 of security. Once inside, you’re greeted by one of the restaurant staff and quickly escorted to a table. In the summer or spring months, sitting outside is my preference, but during my recent visit we sat inside amongst beautifully draped carpets on the walls, wonderful high wooden ceilings and next to a wood burning heater. Now, I have tried many things on the menu and have not found anything I could say I do not like. My most favorite are the peppered steak with garlic tortellini and ratatouille and a chicken Caesar salad as an appetizer. If you’ve been craving a real coffee from an espresso machine then you can get your fix here. I had resorted for travelling to Ciano’s on one of the many NATO camps, but I am well satisfied with a coffee from Le Jardin. Take the time and go if your security policy allows you too.

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This is what "Street 9" looked like yesterday. Tragically, TripAdvisor says that Le Jardin is "OPEN NOW".

War did this. America did this. Extremism did this. Islam did this. Take your pick. You know where I stand. But in one sense at least it's academic. Le Jardin is no more.  

Memorial Day

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Afghanistan, 2010

O Lord Jesus Christ, the King of glory,
deliver the souls of all the faithful
departed from the pains of hell
and from the deep pit;
deliver them from the lion’s mouth
that hell engulf them not,
that they fall not into darkness;
but let Michael,
the holy standard-bearer,
bring them into the holy light
which Thou didst promise of old
to Abraham and his children.