The Cost of War

Waited a few days and pondered posting picture of a dying US Marine, Joshua Bernard, in Afghanistan.

While respecting the right of any family to grieve in private, nevertheless the press and the public at large in the US remain blissfully insulated from the real cost off war: the horror and pain and death that comes with the slogans and rhetoric.

The photo shows the reality of war.

People die.

"AP journalists document world events every day. Afghanistan is no exception. We feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant and brutal that sometimes is," said Santiago Lyon, the director of photography for AP.

History tells us the tribes and clans of Afghanistan have warred for centuries, with each other and since 19th century also with various European powers.


The Pashtun tribes, found in Afghanistan and Northwest Frontier Pakistan, still do not accept the Durand line as the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

And support for the Taliban comes from mainly the Pashtun tribe. As an example, consider what Juan Cole wrote on his blog, Informed Comment, "Kunduz, a northern mixed province of 1.5 million, has only 1,000 policemen. One-third of it is under Taliban control (which is to say, the Pashtun-majority districts are almost entirely controlled by the Taliban.)"

As questions mount over the recent Afghan election, US policymakers should realize our military cannot defeat but only contain a guerilla movement by the Taliban, preventing the reestablishment of Al Qaeda bases.