The Three Step Plan to Destroy the Taliban

When Barack Obama campaigned around the nation, he made it incredibly clear that his focus would be on Afghanistan and not Iraq. Iraq was not the central location of the War on Terror and, therefore, it was not worth the billions of dollars as well as the considerable number of soldiers. He appreciated the need to finish the war there, but with his eyes set on finishing the war in Afghanistan, it quickly became apparent that he was going to allocate the necessary supplies to finish that war.

President Obama has already affirmed that thirty thousand soldiers are going to be sent to Afghanistan to build up the attack force there. But, there is speculation over whether or not this move is really going to prove anything. Thirty thousand soldiers is a considerable number of men, but is it enough to battle the growing Taliban? Their growth is quickly becoming a problem, not only in Afghanistan, but in neighboring Pakistan.

With this growing problem, how can President Obama hope to attain victory in a nation that has never taken lightly to having foreign forces in it? Let us not forget that Alexander the Great attempted to conquer Afghanistan and it cost him a large chunk of his army and stability in the region. The Soviets tried to hold it for some time, but all that came from that was the Mujahedeen. For there to be success in Afghanistan, there needs to be a three part plan.

The first step is the strong push by the United States to persuade NATO to commit more soldiers. This war isn’t going to be fought and won by America alone. We cannot afford to allocate that many soldiers to the war, especially with Iraq still going on. Because of this logistical problem, the need for NATO soldiers has never been greater. By providing more soldiers, the allied forces can do more than just control the large cities.

With more troops on the ground, the economy of the Taliban can be destroyed for good. For too long, the heroin trade has been a multi-million dollar business that gave them the money they need to continue their war. By destroying this market for good, it would disable the flow of supplies needed to continue their insurgency against NATO. This objective is probably the most difficult because of how much land would need to be covered to effectively destroy all the poppy fields. But, if it was done, it would bleed the Taliban dry.

There needs to be a strong diplomatic agreement between Pakistan and the United States on how to deal with the Taliban. Pakistan needs to realize that the Taliban is growing stronger every day in their territory, especially in areas that are within distance of the capital. For the Taliban to be destroyed, it needs to be hit hard from both sides. NATO could hit hard from Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the use of the tribes in the area, could effectively push the Taliban.

When we look at history, we see that time and time again, armies that are forced to fight on two fronts don’t fare well. The biggest example is Hitler’s army in World War Two. Hitler opened a second theater when he invaded Russia and by doing this, he was forced to fight the onslaught of the United States as well as the furious Soviet Union. Waging war on two fronts is an impossible task, but if NATO and Pakistan use this tactic against the Taliban, it can destroy them for good.

One of the biggest mistakes America can do is think that we can win this war in Afghanistan alone. This isn’t a war against a sovereign nation. It is a war against an ideological group that can cross borders with ease. Because of this, America needs to attack the Taliban in a different manner. Huge displays of armor won’t win it. By bleeding the Taliban of all its supplies and providing a strong enough force to destroy them for good will win the war. Only then can America say that they’ve reached their goal in removing the Taliban and making an impact on the War on Terror.