This week my article was on the record-breaking amount of civilian deaths in Afghanistan. The article stated that in 2018, 3,804 civilians, including 927 children, were killed. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that civilian deaths have increased a whopping 11 percent since 2017. These casualties aren’t caused by starvation or persecution in their country Afghanistan, but by the U.S. lead aerial attacks and suicide bombings. There has been a constant ongoing war between the U.S. and Afghanistan over in Afghanistan. This has been the longest war the U.S. has ever been involved in because it has been going on for over 17 years. Since I can remember, we have always had troops Afghanistan because they have always been troubled and a threat to the U.S. Afghanistan is also home to major terrorist groups like the Taliban, who bombed the Twin Towers. Which is why, I was not surprised when I read this article. Recently, there were talks of the U.S., Pakistan, and Afghanistan meeting to discuss peace between the countries. But despite the greatly progressing peace talks, the conflict is intensifying. It’s horrible to think that so many civilians are losing their lives due to negative effects of this one major terrorist group in Afghanistan. Currently the Taliban, in Afghanistan, are more powerful than they were back in 2001 when they bombed the Twin Towers. They control over half of Afghanistan. I feel that the U.S. hasn’t thought their plans through enough before air striking the Taliban. However, I can see why the U.S. continues to fight and attack. Because if they don’t, the U.S. could suffer greatly. There are still over 14,000 troops in Afghanistan and they, and the rest of the U.S. are constantly in jeopardy. The article stated that the only way to save these innocent lives is to stop the fighting, and I agree. But it’s easier said than done because there is no trust between the U.S. and Afghanistan. If the talks keep progressing, and both sides willingly cooperate with one another, then hopefully this time next year the amount of casualties will decrease.
