Yes, we are still in Afghanistan and yes, it is still going pretty much the same as it was the last time you checked. The U.S. forces are going after certain pockets and having minimal success- the Taliban are still in the mountains and not coming out or surrendering anytime soon. I mean, it’s been 10 years. Sometimes you sit back and think, what is going to change now? Why can’t we just exit the war… oh, wait, we’re doing that next summer. But in the meantime, we are increasing our troop levels, and that may have something to do with an increase in the civilian death rates in the country.

A statement issued by the presidential palace said Obama agreed in a video call to start talking about a review, which Karzai also proposed in a letter.

Apparently Obama agreed with Karzai during a video call to review how the war is being conducted- why? Because Karzai is concerned about the rise in civilian deaths recently. A valid concern.

According to a statement from the presidential palace in Afghanistan: "The two presidents agreed that discussions regarding a strategic review of the more effective ways of fighting terrorism should begin. The war on terrorism should not be won in the villages of Afghanistan, there should be a strategic review of the method of fighting terrorism.”

Karzai is not having a smooth run as president- he is under pressure to show that he is independent of the West, and there is a new election for parliament this year. There is much at stake, and Karzai asking for a review could be as much for show as it is for the belief that something could actually be done about it. Though it is clear that Karzai doesn’t want the war to continue and that he instead wants the Taliban re-intergrated into the society. He has already offered them incentives like money and work to come out of the mountains, (the foot soldiers, not the leaders) in addition to amnesty. I don’t think it’s been a huge success, and I wouldn’t expect it to start anytime soon.

"Both leaders agreed that the United States and Afghanistan should continue to work together to keep the pressure on the Taliban and to build Afghan capacity," the White House said in a statement.

So how much are civilian deaths up? A recent U.N. report says they are up 31% in the first 6 months of 2010- 1,271 Afghan civilians killed. It sounds like a statistic until you realize this is like your neighbor being killed, even though they are not part of the conflict. That’s too much- somebody on your block being killed just for no reason. The statistics show that 3 out of 4 of those civilian deaths come from the Taliban forces, not from the U.S. forces. But does it really matter to the people who are dead? Of course not. And will another review from Karzai or Obama really have an effect? Will issuing another tactical order to stop the air strikes when possible really keep people from dying?

I hope so. But forgive me for thinking it’s all election-year politics.

Photo Credit: jmtimages