EDITORIAL

There was a very good reason why Osama bin Laden picked Afghanistan as his base of operations. The country is full of inhospitable mountain terrain, combined with extreme weather conditions, turbulent politics and a religious base that is anchored in medieval times.

It was unfortunate that America got detoured into Iraq when we should have just kept bombing Afghanistan until it was reduced to a pebble pile, as was the World Trade Center. No troops, just bombs.

Eight years later, the mastermind of 9/11 is still operating, cloaked in the stealth and safety provided by Afghanistan and the Taliban. To ensure his free movement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Pakistan government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across much of northwest Pakistan.

This is being done by Pakistan in concessions aimed at pacifying the Taliban insurgency spreading from the border region to the country's interior.

Such is the chaos that will greet the U.S. Armed Forces. While this country fights like a gentleman following Marquess of Queensberry rules, Al Queda uses every deceptive, underhanded and evil practice known to man.

To make matters worse, the troops must be supplied and the supply route goes straight through Pakistan. The route has already been disabled, so new thoroughfares must be found to feed and supply more than 30,000 troops.

President Barack Obama is beefing up the forces deployed in Afghanistan, but a strategy hasn't as yet been announced. We hope there isn't some misguided plan to bring "democracy" to Afghanistan.

That would be the biggest waste of time, ever. The country is ruled by tribes—each of whom hate the other— and would fight to the death for reasons Americans could never understand. The only way they would bury the hatchet is by planting it firmly in the other person's skull.

On top of that, the Taliban imposes laws and penalties that reflect primitive thinking—such as no education for women; punishment by flogging for consumers of alcohol; death by stoning for adulterers (a fate usually reserved for women); and amputation of an offending limb for thieves and robbers, unless execution is deemed to be deserved.

They seem to take great delight in beheading people and filming the savage acts.

The British Army in the 1840s was defeated by Afghanistan. After nine years of war, the Soviet Army also left with its tail between its legs in 1989. The U.S. was part of that defeat, since we foolishly armed the Afghanis in a misguided effort to defeat communism.

Now here we go again—engaging merciless hordes that fight unencumbered by any rules of war and civilization. Let's hope President Obama understands the full brutality of the enemy.

Bombs away would be the best defense against this barbaric nation.