Kabul, September 11: U.S. troops in Afghanistan donned shorts and laced up sneakers Friday to run in memory of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, as they fight a war that was born of that day but which has seen waning public support.
More than 1,000 service members ran 9.11 kilometers (about 5 1/2 miles) at the main U.S. base to commemorate the anniversary and remember troops who have died in nearly eight-years of fighting.
The U.S. and allies first invaded the country in October 2001 to oust the Taliban regime for sheltering al-Qaida leaders who planned the attacks. The Taliban were quickly routed, but the militants regrouped and have mounted an increasingly strong insurgency over the past three years.
Organizers of Friday’s race suggested it is an act of defiance against insurgents who have killed more American troops this year than in any other since the beginning of the conflict. August was the deadliest month for U.S. troops so far, with 51 killed.
“Our soldiers are running in the heart of Taliban territory, where the attacks on America were planned,” according to a military statement on the run, which was held at at least two other bases as well. A run in the Kansas City was planned for the same time, with runners starting simultaneously at 8:45 p.m. local time in Olathe, Kan., to show their support for the troops.
Soldiers participating in the early morning run at Bagram said their mission has grown much beyond those autumn days of 2001 when priority number one was to get Osama Bin Laden.
“It’s more about establishing Afghanistan’s government and the freedom of the Afghan people,” said Army Capt. Jeremy McHugh, 38, of Petersham, Massachusetts. He says he’s still fighting terrorism, just very indirectly.
The attacks of eight years ago have faded into the background with U.S. forces here. It’s unclear if Osama Bin Laden is even in Afghanistan, and few say they’ll be ready to declare “mission accomplished” if he’s caught.
Some of it is the military mentality that you sign up to do a job and don’t talk about the reasons behind it, but some of it is also a sign that U.S. forces are nation-building in Afghanistan, even if they do it in the name of preventing terrorism.
As soldiers stretched for the race around base and snacked on oranges and sports drinks afterward they talked about getting medical supplies out to nearby villages, or training Afghan counterparts or improving the government.
But the memory of the attacks is there, and on a very personal level. For many on base, the Sept. 11 attacks prompted them to sign up for the military, or to re-enlist. The years since then have been a mixture of the frustration of back-to-back tours and pride in serving.
Sgt. Joshua Applegate was in high school when the planes hit those towers, and said he wanted to sign up right away. When he finally enlisted two years later, it was with that day in mind.
“I like my country too much not to,” said Applegate, who arrived in Afghanistan in April. He facilitates transport and other logistics on base.
A memorial service was also planned at Bagram later in the day, timed to coincide with the moment when the first plane hit the World Trade Center in New York.
President Barack Obama ordered a surge in troops to Afghanistan this year as he shifted focus away from Iraq to a conflict that worsened while money and troops focused elsewhere. But as violence and deaths continue and officials suggest more troops may be needed, public opinion polls in the United States suggest Americans may be tiring of a conflict that now seems far removed from the effort to find Osama Bin Laden and which some analysts say may be unwinnable.
In mid-July an AP poll indicated that 53 percent of Americans were opposed to the Afghanistan war and 44 percent supported it. In August, an ABC News-Washington Post poll found 51 percent who said the war was not worth fighting, while 47 percent said it was worth it.
Among the soldiers though, it’s hard to find people who say they feel that draining of support. Their family members just want to know that they’re safe. The public opinion polls are something they hear about on the news. Following orders in Afghanistan is their daily reality, with just a small break on a day like this one to remember how they ended up here.
–Agencies