A Victory for Afghan Security

Earlier this week, the Taliban staged what has been described by media sources as a daring raid. I'm of the mind that this gives undue credit to the Taliban, as high profile raids are no substitute for support from the populace and the military superiority required to stage militarily costly attacks on an enemy. The Taliban boasts neither widespread voluntary support from the Afghan population, nor the military capability to openly challenge ISAF or Afghan forces. Raids like the one that took place earlier this week serve no military purpose, and are purely designed to give the appearance of strength to those who don't know to read between the lines. Unfortunately, what high profile raids lack in military effectiveness, they more than make up for in propaganda value.

The security situation in Afghanistan isn't promising. Good news is scarce, and bad news is plentiful - like the latest example of troops behaving inappropriately with Afghan human remains. The aftermath of the raid produced some rare good news, because Afghan security forces in Kabul repulsed this latest attack with minimal support from their coalition partners. I doubt this is the paradigm shift that wins the war, but it's at least encouraging. It will take a lot more stories like this for this conflict to end in anything other than a protracted continuation of the conflict.

Ironically, this story comes in the wake of Russian concerns over NATO's stated 2014 withdrawal deadline. Russia's vocal concern is ironic, given that Russia has made no attempt to volunteer its support, and has actively complicated ISAF's efforts to establish redundant supply lines in Central Asia. Afghanistan's fate could have a greater direct impact on Russia's national security than on America's, which makes Russian statements and policies all the more ironic.