March 13, 2012

It was just a few months ago when President Obama made a public statement calling for 33,000 troops to be withdrawn by the end of 2012. It seems that this time frame is still expected to stay in place, even after the recent slaughter in Afghanistan. Sunday, March 11, 2012, a U.S. soldier murdered 16 Afghan civilians, inclusive of women and children.

Reports have confirmed these actions were of a renegade soldier. President Barack Obama immediately contacted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to extend his condolences and offer support for the bereaved families. It is imperative that the United States convinces Afghan leaders that actions such as these will not be tolerated by anyone, in an effort to minimize backlash.

Many fear there still may be some consequences resulting from this and The Taliban has already promised to payback for those innocent lives taken. As we are in the midst of scaling back troops, tensions are beginning to rise. Some governmental officials feel that this incident should not affect the already instituted timetable of withdrawing troops. Troop withdrawal has become a very sensitive subject in Washington, D.C.; it is one of the vital promises of President Obama’s campaign.

What are your thoughts? Should we continue with the proposed withdrawal or does this act justifies a longer stay in Afghanistan?

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