Gen. Petraeus Lauds Afghan War as ‘Success’

Admits Upcoming Goals 'Will Not Be Easy'

Over eight years after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, it is non-controversial to call it a disaster. Al-Qaeda’s leadership is long gone and the US has no idea where they are, while Afghanistan is collapsing under the force of a growing insurgency and record violence. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent, and soon the size of America’s occupation force will near 100,000.

Don’t tell that to CENTCOM commander General David Petraeus, however. The eternal optimist who led the Bush Administration’s train-wreck of a war in Iraq announced today in an interview from Kabul that the war has “been successful” overall.

The only problem General Petraeus sees with the Afghan War is the failure to capture bin Laden, despite “significant focus.” He insists however that other “top 20 extremist leaders” were killed, which made the war a success.

No mention was given to the ever rising death toll. No mention of the Taliban seizing control over an increasing portion of the country. No mention of the cost. The war is still all about bin Laden.

Petraeus did, however, admit that the upcoming goals of the administration “will not be easy,” though even then he was awfully vague about what those goals actually are. It seems a sure bet however that as war opposition continues to grow this endless champion of overseas debauchles will become a go-to guy for selling its continuation.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.