The War on Terror and the Afghan Stalemate

Abstract

The present campaign of war on terror led by the United States of America in Afghanistan seems to be an intractable involvement. Justification for the invasion of the country has generated lots of debate over time.  Afghanistan has a history of being a theater of war for centuries. This paper joins the discussion by reviewing the background to the rise of the Taliban and the al-Qaeda network that the present campaign tries to dislodge.  The work also examines submissions made by observers on the real motive behind the onslaught of the two groups.  Findings show that interest in securing oil deals by the US and Taliban’s lack of cooperation might have resulted in the hostilities.  There seems to be a convergence of views that there is a stalemate and it would be difficult for the war in Afghanistan to be won by the US and her allies.  This paper concludes that America’s involvement in Afghanistan has led to the dispersion of the al-Qaeda network with many sympathizers in other parts of the world who adopt terrorism to assert their views and challenge American interests..

Key words: Afghanistan, United States of America, War on Terror, Taliban, al-Qaeda,