Effective Counterinsurgency Strategy Necessary For Victory In Afghanistan, Says Expert

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service

In a presentation Friday, President and CEO of the Institute For the Study of War Dr. Kimberly Kagan said that in order to accomplish President Barack Obama’s stated mission in Afghanistan, which is to defeat, dismantle and destroy al-Qaida, then the U.S. must continue counterterrorism strategies and implement a counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal’s assessment of the War in Afghanistan stated that “the mission requires a better application of existing assets, but it also requires additional resources.”

A report released Friday by ISW states that there are not currently enough forces in Afghanistan to execute a proper counterinsurgency strategy and, in addition to requiring more forces, the U.S. must prioritize it’s objectives within Afghanistan.

According to ISW, counterinsurgency must focus on “critical population centers” including the central Hemland River Valley, Kandahar City, Tarin Kowt, Khost, Paktia and the region known as Greater Paktia.

A Research Analyst at ISW, Jeffrey Dressler, presented his report on Securing Hemland and said, “a comprehensive population-centric counterinsurgency strategy is actually what’s needed to gain the initiative, to secure the population and then to defeat the insurgency. This is going to require additional resources, time and a united effort between Afghan forces and the international community in Helmand.”

The ISW report also stated that “coalition counterinsurgency operations must be coordinated and mutually-reinforcing to achieve decisive effects and prevent the enemy from fleeing during the operation, only to return to the area later.”

President Obama is currently reviewing the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and General McChrystal’s assessment.