Should the U.S. have started the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan?

Question

I'm asking since Osama bin Laden is "the most wanted man in the world". why did'nt this country go there first, have our battles, kill/oust bin Laden and al Qaeda. Then as past of the U.S. could have exited SWA (South West Asia) via Iraq. Remember this... the first President Bush (being "ill advised) had the opportunity to take out Saddam in 1991, but he stopped the Gulf War on "the road of death"! Going after retreating Republican Guards with what was probably the best allied coalition since WWII.

Answer 1

FYI, that's exactly where we "started" about four months after 9-11.

Unfortunately, it's where we never inserted anywhere close to the forces we needed, and we did not pursue Bin Ladin in his known strongholds. Now, we are battling a regrouped Taliban who we didn't fully supress like we should have.

Why not? GW BUSH, DICK CHENEY, AND THEIR WHOLE ROTTEN ADMINISTRATION.

Do I sound a little pissed? You bet. Good men went to fight a just cause in Afghanistan, and many died. For what? Just to see Bush send the troops all into Iraq and leave Afghanistan to dangle?

The war on terror began as a fight to root out the bases of Al Qaida in Afghanistan. How strange that we never put in the forces needed to do that job, and instead went into Iraq.

Answer 2

What? We had spec ops in Afghan within 30 days of 9/11 & didn't invade Afghanistan until well after operation anaconda. They did a great job & our only mistake was maybe moving them around a bit, but it doesn't change anything about getting bin laden.

Anyway, you do have to accept that while bin laden & his network were responsible for 9/11, they are just one little group of all militant islamic America/freedom-hating extremism. You have to defeat the whole thing or another group will just rise up in its place & be at least equally as strong. You can't defeat terrorism the tactic, and you can't defeat an idea with force, but if you're really good you can change a culture so the next generation won't listen to these whack jobs. That's what we have the opportunity to do by changing Iraq & making it an example to the world. Saddam is just a symbol of the past & was a slight speed bump on the long road of changing the world. I'd say we're doing a very good job so far.

By the way, we couldn't do it in 91. The Arab portion of our coalition would have decentigrated into factions of their instenal sunni versus shite conflict & desire for balance. We'd have been standing in the desert alone realising we'd have to run back to the Kuwaiti border & make Sadam look like he won something. We did all we were capable of doing & all we set out to do. It's too bad we couldn't have taken him out then, but the opportunity was just out of reach.

Answer 3

Pax Americana and the neo-cons influenced the US to go to Afghanistan to hunt down bin Laden and brought other sympathetic countries along for the ride. This all leads up to America wanting to be the world's police force but this plan is the balloon flying into the sky only to pop and be eaten by an animal. So what I am saying is yes it was a good plan to keep the world entertained

Oh and by the way bin Laden confessed to this crime he probably did not commit!
But america had problems with the middle east to start they just needed motive to go to Afghanistan

Answer 4

No, we should not have gone into Afghanistan in the fall of 2001.

"Do not engage in a non-nuclear war in mainland Asia!" as General Douglas MacArthur told John Kennedy in September, 1961. Still good advice.

We should have pretended to be stupid and not identified Osama bin Laden as the culprit behind 9/11 until we had him in a cage on an airplane for the U.S.

We made a mess.

As for Bush Sr and the first Gulf war, he was a dithering incompetent administrator who lost his next election.

Answer 5

The smart thing to do would be to not announce any sort of counteraction and collect as much intelligence on all terrorist leaders and their followers, when we know where they are and when, send in highly trained special forces to decimate all such targets simultaneously in a matter of minutes, wherever they may be, without anybody knowing it was us. The result is a whole lot of dead terrorists and a whole lot of people wondering what the hell happened. A cheap effective war against a cheap effective enemy. Just an idea, but with a little work, can be made to be effective. If you wanna catch bees, you don't kick the hive, you just fill it with smoke until they go to sleep, and then put the whole hive into a bag.

Answer 6

Are you blind and deaf? Where did the war start?
9/11 ring a bell in your head? Afghanistan falling and now thriving on democracy slip your tv channels somehow?? Are you the dude who was thawed out in Encino? No wait, that was Brendan Frasier. Don't pick specific dates and ask questions, do a little research, no wonder this country is divided, you obviously have internet access, do unbiased searches, read different points of view, not just propagandi from democrats, be careful on your research. Especially at this time, democrats want to take back the majority, pay attention.

Answer 7

First of all, the US did not start the war the Terrorists did when they attacked us. Second, we did go to Afghanistan first! I know my husband was there, then went to Iraq. You should maybe try getting your facts right before you go and start making accusations about something. As for rather we should have gone into Afghanistan...YES! Would you want us to just sit back and let them attack us like former Pres. Clinton did! He knew about Bin Laden, let him attack us and get away with it, way before and was told that he needed to take care of him and he didn't. I am glad that we finally have a President that is man enough to stand up and fight for our safety.

Answer 8

1. Afghanistan was a good move that could've been executed in a more effective fashion.

2. Poppa Bush could've easily taken out the Republican Guard and Saddam's regime in '91. Popular oppossition at that time was rising, and US/international assistance could've led the establishment of a better Iraqi regime there and then.

Answer 9

Funny, I remember things a little different, they started the war on Sept,11,2001.

The Govt in Afghanistan at the time not only knew that Bin Laden was there but supported him.

after several requests to give Bin Laden up, (they basicly kept telling us to take a hike.)then we went to war in Afghanistan.

Answer 10

It's all about"Blood for Oil" as far as I'm concerned. Throw in a few terrorists here and there to add some excitement.