Deinonychus antirrhopus

Afghanistan Update

In the post below about how the Bush Administration loses focus, there is a discussion about the state of Afghanistan. One of the things Robert Crawford and Robin Roberts have been arguing is that Afghanistan has always been a mess pretty much since the Taliban were defeated (and I think most would say Afghanistan was a mess prior to that as well). Anyhow, I wanted to know what was being done to keep Afgahnistan from slipping back into a state that would allow the Taliban and Al Qa'ida to take over again. Well Robin points to this article.

The article supports the notion that Afghanistan is and has been in a precarious situation, but that the solution is to help build the infrastructure of Afghanistan.

Further, according to the Afghan ambassador this is precisely what is being done according to the article.

There is also this from the White House.

There is also this on restoring the infrastructure of Afghanistan from USAID.

Here are some of the things being done:

1. Reopened the Salang Tunnel and made preparations for keeping it open during the winter. More than 1,000 vehicles and 8,000 people use the tunnel every day. Seventy percent of the fuel for Kabul passes through it.
2. Completed demining, grading, and leveling through 51 miles of Kabul-Kandahar-Herat Highway, and will begin asphalting soon.
3. Completed over 6,100 water-related projects, including wells, irrigation canals, karezes, dams, reservoirs, and potable water systems.
4. Supported over 225 spot reconstruction projects such as government buildings, schools, roads, bridges, irrigation systems and other community projects that provide local workers with thousands of days of labor.
5. Will rebuild thousands of schools, irrigation systems, and other vital infrastructure in villages adjacent to reconstructed highways.
6. Is rehabilitating 2,500 miles of road, is reconstructing 31 bridges, and has kept open an additional three mountain passes.

There is also this information on the building of a 750 mile road that will connect Kabul, Harat, and Kandahar.

So it does look very much like there is an effort to get Afghanistan back on its feet, and to prevent the situation from degrading back into what let the Taliban first take power. Hopefully it will succeed.