Australia Increases troops, America sets plan for summer

The prime minister of Australia announced that he will send 450 more troops to Afghanistan. He says this will help fight the Taliban resurgence and show that they will not let terrorism continue. Australia already had 1,100 troops in Afghanistan, so this is a 41% increase. The Australian prime minister says they must help fight off the Taliban so terrorists do not harbor in Afghanistan and become a threat to not only Australia, but to the United States and other countries as well. Oftentimes we forget other countries are fighting the war in Afghanistan in addition to the U.S. Most people do not think of Australia as a major force there, but this increase shows their commitment to involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

A parade for the 17th anniversary of the overthrowing of the communist government in Afghanistan has been cancelled. Last year on the anniversary, three people were killed as militants attempted to assassinate President Karzai. In preparation for something like this happening, police were deployed to prominent locations in Kabul, and the parade was cancelled. Many people are upset about this, as they cannot celebrate this anniversary. Mr. Karzai did host a meal for dignitaries for a celebration, but many people are upset that the anniversary is not being treated with enough respect. While President Karzai’s decision to scale down the celebrations this year has been met with some upset people, it makes sense after he was nearly assassinated last year.

This summer, the American military will send thousands of troops to cut off the Taliban’s opium trade. This is the terrorists’ main source of income- as it generates about $300 million a year. This is enough to sustain the group’s operations in southern Afghanistan for an entire year. This number also makes up 90% of the world’s total opium trade.
The Americans think by hurting the Taliban’s opium trade they will be making a huge dent in their income, and crippling their operations. “The Americans say their main goal this summer will be to provide security for the Afghan population and thereby isolate the insurgents.” The three main places the troops will be sent are Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul. About 20,000 marines and soldiers will be sent by August 20th. This operation, if successful, will definitely help take down the Taliban, not only by isolating the insurgents from one another, but cutting down their main economic source.