AFGHAN ARMY

We are all appalled by the devastating intellectual blight that will doubtless destroy the lives of thousands of Afghans, women being the main victims.

Despite its ultimate failure, our intervention in Afghanistan provided 20 years of freedom and the opportunity for millions of Afghans to become educated.

A statistic in Trudy Rubin’s Sept. 13 op-ed, “After Afghanistan, what is America prepared to fight for now?” took me aback: “Seventy percent of the recruits couldn’t read.”

The Afghan army was not composed of the newly enlightened and westernized. Its lightning failure is no real surprise.

I am reminded of W. B. Yeats’ poem, “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death:" Those that I fight, I do not hate. Those that I guard, I do not love.

– Martin Motes,

Redland