Afghan War: 8th Anniversary Photo Retrospective

Wednesday marks the eighth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The notable date comes as the United States fiercely debates the future of its involvement in Afghanistan.

Below is a photographic retrospective on the war.

Were you personally impacted by the war in Afghanistan? Share your story.

 

Find a picture, click the participate button, add a title and upload your picture

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • A US Marine from Fox Company 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines wears a mask that reads 'kill' as he sets out from his base in Farah Province, southern Afghanistan, on October 6, 2009.

Click above to share your stories about how the Afghanistan war has impacted you personally, or read below for the most recent Afghanistan news and blogs.

For more, check out HuffPost's Afghanistan Big News Page.

Comments

[sposton]

I knew we are screwed when I read today that NATO is asking Russia for help in Afghanistan!

[take10]

Bring back the draft system! Our wars without real cause would end immediately. Everyone who wants wars of choice should have to enlist a young family member to help fight it. America is becoming a serial war monger. No other nation is engaged in unilateral assault and aggression. The abuse of military might has always resulted, at some point, with the aggressor having deep regrets for having decided to bully smaller countries. Looking at the escalating costs of the wars we are engaged in, the dire situation we face economically, and no clear mission with a point where we can declare victory, what's in it for us. This isn't a football game played in quarters!. Our young men and women are losing life and limb, and for what? Mean while, China is selling us lead ladened tooth paste and toys and WalMart rules!

[trollslayer]

If the draft was brought back, there would be no more wars.

[lillibelle]

Right you are.

[cpt b]

If they're serious about winning these wars they have no choice to institute the draft. I'm speaking after having done two 15 month tours and looking at a 3rd in my 6 years as an officer. It sucks but the Army and Marine Corps are a little stretched, an increase in their sizes might help. But this is something that needed to be started 5 or 6 years before the war not 8 years after.

[Mogamboguru]

America is not "Schroedinger's Cat" and Afghanistan is not a black box. There is no ambiguity. Everything boils down to two alternatives:

1. Stay in and d.i.e; or 2. get out and survive.

The choice is your's.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

coyote4 Once upon a time, a snitch was a criminal who ratted_on another criminal: now it has become anyone who is concerned enough about the law (or rules or decorum) enough to phone the police.

Gansta society in your house?

**********­**********­****

Can you provide the definition of "gangsta"? That appears to be ebonics. I don't speak ebonics.

Sorry.

[peacekitten]

Once upon a time, there was a sinpleminded man named George W Bush, who, for some godforsaken reason, became the King of AMERICA...

A long time ago, he visited a far away land called "RUSSIA" & met it's king. His name was Treacherous King PUTIN. He was smarter than Simple King George (christ.. EVERYONE was smarter than Simple King George... but I digress).

Treacherous King PUTIN was a master chess player.

Simple King George had to cheat at tic-tac-toe.

Simple King George saw into King Putins "soul" & decided that he could be trusted.

He couldn't.

Years went by, & Simple King George waged wars in other far-off lands... wars he waged for GOLD (although he told his subjects that it was for "JUSTICE".. which was a lie).

ONE of these far-off lands was called "Afghanistan"... a VERY poor nation.. but it DID have one thing that everyone wanted... it had a "golden roadway" called the "CASPIAN SEA PIPELINE".

This "golden roadway" was the ONLY means that Russia had to get it's GOLD to market.. & control all of the OTHER gold markets in the area.

Alas, Simple King George wasn't able to conquer this land, as he was too busy NOT conquering another GOLD-filled land called Iraq.

Things got BAD for Simple King George at home.... all of the GOLD he had THERE was gone... stolen by his friends or spent on silly wars... & his economy was swirling down his THRONE.

[peacekitten]

PART II

Soon, Simple King George's subjects were pissed enough to get rid of him & crown a king.

Good King Barack.

Good King Barack didn't have to cheat at tic-tac-toe...

Good King Barack was a MASTER CHESS PLAYER himself... even better than Treacherous King Putin.

So when Good King Barack realized that Simple King George was DUPED by treacherous King Putin, he had a choice to make.

He could leave the land of Afghanistan & allow Treacherous King Putin to fill the vacuum, thereby monopolizing the majority of the OIL in the region... & causing AMERICA to reel in it's already weakened economic state..

OR

He could STAY in Afghanistan to keep Treacherous King Putin away from the Golden Highway... until AMERICA could become energy independent so as to make the matter MOOT.

Good King Barack KNEW that BOTH of these choices were terrible ones... but he was left with them because of Simple King Georges STUPIDITY.

Guess which choice he HAD to make?

If I were Good King Maxwell.... I'd destroy the "golden highway" & get the helll out of there.

[Agent86]

^^^ SORRY, folks.. that was ME...

I didn't see that peacekitten was logged on.

[KC45]

Agent 86....can you advise a newbie, please. My 'I am a fan of KC45' disappeared. Can you advise PLEASE? Hard to wind friends and fans, without it! :)] Thanks

[HumeSkeptic]

1. Why are we in Afghanistan?
Because Bush didn’t do what he was supposed to do in 2002.

The President's goal in Afghanistan basically consists of two parts:
(i) Deplete al Qaeda capabilities and support in Afghanista­n/Pakistan­.
(ii) Create conditions (through economic aid and training) that minimize the chance of al Qaeda re-grouping in that region.

2. No one has succeeded in occupying and ruling Afghanistan.
True. But that is not the U.S. goal.

3. Al Qaeda is a movement. How can we defeat a movement?
A movement didn’t k!ll on 9 1 1. People did. It is true that military force alone cannot defeat al Qaeda, but it must be a part of the strategy.

4. Al Qaeda is in many countries. (Why attack Afghanistan?)
Afghanista­n/Pakistan is their stronghold.

5. None of 9 1 1 hijackers were Afghans. (Why attack Afghanistan?)
True. However, Afghanistan was al Qaeda stronghold. That is where their leadership was. It is now largely in Pakistan.

6. Why are we fighting Afghans and not just al Qaeda?
A faction among Tal-iban (who are Afghans and Pakistanis) support al Qaeda.

7. Why spend money on the war when we need the money here?
We can do that, but that wouldn’t reduce the threat of terr0rism.

8. What would be victory?
Nothing. It will just be an end to military action.

9. Why can’t we just pull out?
We can, but we must find another way to minimize terr0rist threat.

[Rapier]

#4 is incorrect. They do not have a stronghold in either country. A few leaders are hiding out in Pakistan without many followers. Of course they have sympathizers but they are all over the world. For an analysis of arguments for and against, see the Oct 7, 2009 piece at

http://ofthisandthat.org/Commentary.html

[HumeSkeptic]

Increasing number of attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan is evidence that your assertion is incorrect.
Stronghold doesn't meant that they are dominating those countries. It means that al Qaeda and their supporters are the strongest in those two countries than anywhere else on earth.

[Paula Ann]

did you deliberately leave out to enririch war profiteers as a reason to be in Afghanistan?

[KC45]

Welcome back, Hume. There were a lot of folks missing you last night!

[gdcormany]

Out. Now.

[foxisms]

It's incredible how the comments and comment updates slow down to a stand still at the end of the working day, isn't it? Talk about a tough day at the office.

[ktchvl]

Best comment of the day.

G0d Bless America.

[ChangeurMind]

Why is the USA using US soldiers to aid a fradulent and corrupt government?

[Disuberence2]

I was asking that for the entire last administration! What a coincidence.

[mamakris]

Ask Bush...He got us there, now we are just (hopefully) gonna get out...

[Bitsko]

Good point. From now we only invade and support God-fearing clean Christian nations like Utah.

[Disuberence2]

Put sanctions on their magic undies.

[Agentlady007]

Should we not also include the poet society from Colorado who are Born-Again Christians?

[BarakCarpathia]

ok i gotta go.
good banter, allofya

[Disuberence2]

Get help soon. I will direct someone to pray for you in my absence.

[mamakris]

Ouch!!!! lol

[BarakCarpathia]

http://www.dittowire.com/.a/6a010534d2b08f970b010535bc9f4b970b-800wi

what do you think of this.
uncanny resemblence.
comeon honestly?
i think its cool

[Bitsko]

http://joeshaw.org/junkbarn/separated-at-birth.png

[BarakCarpathia]

nice one, ya'll can have him, btw

[SuperBunny]

Not really. The resemblance is in your mind.

[Bitsko]

Is Rush now saying Ralph Ellison is the President's real father?

[BillyPilgram57]

Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground
Mother earth will swallow you
Lay your body down

Stephen Stills

[Bitsko]

I read the other day that Stephen Stills and Manassas have a new cd out..

[shivasquest]

Why did consrevatives allow afganistan to get so out of control?
They were counting their tax cuts borrowed from china that their kids get to pay back.

[LooktotheLeft]

Eight full years. From time to time I try to step back from the conflicts in which we are involved in an effort to make sense out of any of it. I try to put a human face on them to understand better why such conflicts should mean anything to me.

Being retired military, I used to work out at a gym at a base in Southern Virginia. Everyday I'd see this group of maybe ten Marines, my 23 year old son’s age or younger, in there cutting up, looking for all the world like little boys on the playground. Except, with all their youthful vigor and child-like impetuousness, these guys were rock solid, hard-a*s machines. Knowing full well that some of these guys were destined for Afghanistan, I remember how much I wanted to just go up to them and tell them how much I was against these wars but how proud I was of them and how I wanted them to be safe and come back in one piece. I never did do that.

One day I came in they were gone and I never saw them after that. When I step back from this, I’ll never be able to reconcile sending these young men, whom I was unable to see as anything but children just starting out their lives, off to some place so far away, knowing they might not return. This is my way of keeping these wars in perspective…a horrible perspective.

[GeekGirl]

So you're the one all the posters were raving about. I could see why, you rock

[ThunderclapNewman]

Doesn't he though?

[Bitsko]

LTTL is one of those family members who keep us grounded and on target.

[LooktotheLeft]

that's really sweet of you...thanks

[LastOfTheMohicans]

Welcome back. How did you enjoy your "timeout?"

[LooktotheLeft]

hey dude....a s*exual high like nothing I've ever experienced. I'll talk about it more tonight

ruh roh...I'm already pushing my luck

LOTM has a nice ring to it, btw

[shivasquest]

Well said...it is heartbreaking.Even if they do come back...so many horrible wounds ,mental and physical.

[FestivusMaximus]

Best thing I have read all day. Thank you for posting. And welcome back, I believe!

[LooktotheLeft]

thanks Fest'

[BarakCarpathia]

it was boring, i believe.
When i see a soldier i go up and tell him/her/ them, that i am adopting them for today because i am missing my son and soninlaw. i give them a hug when i leave too, our military loves the south, we dont preach, spit, whine, or try to make a political statement

[FestivusMaximus]

You just did the exact opposite of what you claim.