"There are many unacceptable reasons for war. Imperialism. Financial gain.
Religion. Family feuds. Racial arrogance. There are many unacceptable motives
for war. But there is one time when war is condoned and used by God: wickedness."
-Max Lucado
at the airport in Kabul where chaotic scenes unfolded after the Taliban took over the country.
Picture courtesy of The Bangkok Times
I have often wondered why our nation invaded Afghanistan in the first place.
In the wake of the nightmare on September 11, 2001 America was stunned
with tremendous grief and loss. People were seeking answers from
our government leaders concerning retaliation against whomever was
responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 innocent people that day.
In his address to the nation in the aftermath of the tragedy,
President George W. Bush insisted that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
had played a major role in the attacks and shortly after this,
American troops invaded both Iraq, and Afghanistan, the premise
of the latter invasion to take out the evil Taliban, which, along with
al-Qaeda, was also deemed as a viable threat to America and the world.
But were thousands of U.S. troops really sent into that war-torn Middle Eastern
nation to drive out the forces of the Taliban? Let's face it, if the government
of the most powerful nation on the earth wants to nail the bad guys of the
world they can do it within a matter of hours or even days, such as in the case of
Hussein, who was dragged out of hiding not long after U.S. forces invaded Iraq.
In 2020, President Donald J. Trump authorized the assassination of
Qasem Soleimani, the butcher of Tehran, who was responsible for the
maiming and murders of hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq.
A year before this, the Trump Administration nailed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,
the notorious leader of the ISIS terror network, who committed suicide
during a raid by U.S. forces on his stronghold in northwestern Syria.
What really bothers me in the wake of President Biden's ill-timed pull out
of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is the number of honorable servicemen
and women who have suffered serious injuries or who were killed there.
Were these brave soldiers sacrificed on the altar of human greed and
selfishness while others have made a fortune investing in the vast
"Fields of Gold" opium crop grown in that much beleaguered nation?
According to the Turkish media, The News Makers, the nation of Afghanistan
produces 90% of the world's opium, despite efforts of the United States
to curb poppy production there.
"Washington is being outplayed by a formidable opponent-and were not talking
about a militant group, but tens of thousands of poor farmers," reports News Makers.
They rely on the cultivation of this often deadly drug for their livelihoods.
So, if a mountain of cash and the world's most powerful military
can't solve the problem, what can?"
Certainly not the Taliban!
International terrorism and drug smuggling go hand-in-hand.
Furthermore, is it only mere coincidence that since we have been
involved in Afghanistan, there has been a massive epidemic
of opium-related drug addictions in the United States?
The decision to pull out from Afghanistan was in a sense like
what happened with the fall of Saigon to the communist forces of
northern Viet Nam in 1975. The forces of the Taliban overwhelmed
the capital city of Kabul within a matter of hours. Both times,
thousands of war-weary, desperate human beings have been
left behind to face an unknown fate at the hands of the enemy.
The brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces,
and the sacrifices they have made while serving in this
long-standing conflict, which now seems to have been all
for nothing, makes them the real heroes of this most
disturbing black mark on human and world history.
May God bless them all.
Please pray for the people of Afghanistan and
our Christian brothers and sisters there.
May the Lord give them daily strength and guidance
and the courage to endure until He comes!
Maranatha!
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