A Review Of The War In Afghanistan -- January 7, 2009

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber from the 34th Expeditionary Squadron flies a combat patrol over Afghanistan on Dec. 10, 2008. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

The Merchants of Misery -- Strategy Page

January 7, 2009: The Taliban are a lot of things, but the one thing that annoys most Afghans is the Taliban hostility to education. Since the Taliban were drive out of power eight years ago, the number of children in schools has gone from 900,000 to over six million. Only about 35 percent of the students are girls. In the Pushtun south, the Taliban use violence against schools for girls, and in many areas, schools in general (because the Taliban only accept religious schools, that concentrate on studying the Koran). Thus in each of the past three years, the Taliban shut down 500-700 schools, killing or wounding several hundred students and teachers as well. But that was out of over 8,500 schools in the country. Moreover, the lower number of girls in school is largely a matter of limited resources. Only about half the eligible children are going to school, and the boys are given preference, because they will be the main earners for families. The destroyed schools are rebuilt, the closed ones reopen as soon as the government can get police stationed in the area, or the local tribe organizes a militia large enough to keep the teachers and students safe.

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My Comment: Another excellent review of the current situation in Afghanistan from the Strategy Page. A must read for those who wish to know on what is the current status in Afghanistan.