The war in Afghanistan can be easily described as one of the most justified wars the United States has ever engaged in. The assault on al-Qaeda and their Taliban supporters was a warranted response to the worst attack on America in its history.

But 10 years later, the war has gone on much too long and has strayed too far from its original goals.

Today American and NATO forces have decimated al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, have killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and have given the Afghan people a chance to establish a civil society where they can live in freedom.

Despite accomplishing the overarching goal of largely destroying those who were responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, it is estimated there are around 50 members of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the United States remains in Afghanistan under the premise that a stable centralized government can be established. This is where the United States has gone wrong in its mission in Afghanistan.

Nation building is not the purpose of the American military and never should be. The U.S. military cannot instill a love of democracy in the people of Afghanistan no matter how long they are there.

The nation building mission in Afghanistan does little, if anything, to increase the national security of the United States. Instead, it continues to diminish the success that has been previously achieved, through misunderstandings like the improper disposal of Koreans and tragedies like the accidental killing of civilians in military missions. These incidents harden the local population against the United States and its values.

As a nation, the United States must determine if continuing the fight in Afghanistan is worth the price that must be paid.

American servicemen and women and their families have sacrificed more than can be imagined by most in the past 10 years. Soldiers ship out to one of the most desolate parts of the world and experience utter hell day after day, deployment after deployment. When they get home they have to deal with the physical and mental injuries they suffered during their deployment.

Thousands of troops who chose to fight for their country will never be the same. Surely, the current corrupt government in Afghanistan – which has said it will side against the United States in a potential conflict with Pakistan and has continuously stirred resentment against the United States – is not worthy of any of this.

The American people must get involved and reignite this debate to see any change in current policy. Unfortunately, the population seems to have become largely apathetic to this issue. As of Tuesday, 1,895 Americans lost their lives in the Afghan theater of operation and the number climbs weekly.

Everyone owes it to those who have died and those still serving in Afghanistan to contemplate the price that we are asking these men and women to pay on our behalf. This is not a solution to all the problems in Afghanistan, and it will not bring us peace with our enemies, but it is the right thing to do.

The mission has been accomplished. After 10 long years of fighting, it’s time to bring our soldiers home.

Patrick Mocete is a senior political science and policy studies major. His column appears every Thursday. He can be reached at pdmocete@syr.edu.  

Published on March 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm