Marines watch on as Afghan National Army mortarmen practice at the mortar range. Photo courtesy of defenseimagery.mil

According to USA Today, the Afghan Taliban recently announced its intentions to launch attacks against the Afghani government, which is currently being assisted by the U.S. government and nearly 10,000 service members currently serving the war-torn country.

This news comes as no surprise to myself. As a former Marine with separate tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, I assisted partnering teams on both occasions, whose goal was to support the country’s military and police forces in the fight against the Taliban.

During my time at Camp Blackhorse in Kabul, Afghanistan, I was attached to a group of Afghani military police and assisted in providing training in several areas they desperately needed it. The training covered everything from weapons handling to radio equipment.

While training the soldiers, we were advised to have our weapons on us at all times. There had been several reports of Afghan soldiers turning on their American counterparts and making attempts on their lives. While I never experienced this atrocity personally, the threat was ever-present. The Afghan soldiers on base were allowed to come and go as they pleased. It was far too easy for an insurgent to offer money to an Afghan soldier in exchange for information about the Americans, or even worse, to commit acts of violence against them.

This is not to suggest that all of the Afghan soldiers meant to do harm to the Americans. Some felt a sense of pride in their country and wanted to see it overcome the difficult times. But they were living in an impoverished area and rarely paid on time. When they were paid, they would routinely leave for a few days and take the money to their families.

The financial hardships they experienced made them susceptible to the persuasion of insurgents. Their desire to care for their families drove them to commit acts they might not have had they been paid adequately.

Considering their financial hardships, as well as several other contributing factors, I was consistently reminded of a simple fact: The Afghan forces were not ready to take control of their country. As the forces assigned to train them, we were on strict deadlines and forced to expedite the process while providing the most adequate training we could accomplish.

Soon after my return from Afghanistan in late 2011, I heard of the plan to remove U.S. troops from the country. While I understand the desire of the American people to bring service members home, I was against this withdraw. I knew the Afghan soldiers were not ready to defend their country. They lacked a strong military infrastructure that could provide them with all the necessary training and materials. The military had been stood up in a rush with the intention to hand the responsibility of defending their country back to the Afghan government, where it rightfully belonged.

In our haste to withdraw, we left too soon. With a new president promising the return of American service members, the American people voted in favor of bringing everyone home.

In some ways, I was relieved to hear of the withdrawl. It was nice to know I wouldn’t have to experience more friends and acquaintances falling victim to the violence of the insurgents. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends just wanted their loved ones back home. Had their loved ones made it back, they didn’t want to think about them leaving again. They were tired of service members dying.

But an overlying thought was always present in my mind. I knew the Afghan forces weren’t ready and I feared we would have to return. I feared cities that had once felt a little bit safer because of the American presence would fall back into the hands of those who would do harm to it’s people.

Soon after the withdrawl, areas once occupied by American forces began falling. One by one control was regained by insurgents, making the need for assistance from America evident once again.

Now we’re back in Afghanistan. Back at square one. Attempting to rebuild the country and pick up the pieces of the Afghan forces. Maybe if we hadn’t left in the first place, the country’s government would be stable enough to use its military effectively, ensuring the safety of the Afghan people.

I sometimes become angry when I think about the cities that fell to the insurgents. American lives were lost securing the area with the intention of driving out the insurgents and bringing peace to the area. I refuse to believe these men and women lost their lives in vain. They died in the service of their country and their sacrifice deserves to be honored.

I am not advocating for war or asking for you to agree with me on the war in general. I ask only that you support the men and women defending our nation, and to stay strong when times look grim. My hope is that, this time, America finishes the job and successfully stands the Afghan government up, so that it may protect its interests without the assistance of the American service members.

We are a powerful nation, and as such, it is our job to defend those who cannot defend themselves. So let’s finish the job and bring our service members back when the country is stable and the time is right.

Matt Eidson is a columnist for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]