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Editorial: Candor, not secrecy, needed on Afghanistan

 
Published Jan. 29, 2015

President Barack Obama may have ended America's combat mission in Afghanistan, but the nation has committed thousands of troops and billions of dollars to the next phase of the Afghan security effort. With lives and resources at stake, Americans have the right to know how this undertaking is going. There is no other way to have an informed public debate over continuing the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

For years, this oversight role was ably administered by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the U.S. government watchdog that examined everything from the readiness of the U.S.-trained Afghan army to the corrupt use of American reconstruction aid. But in a policy change, the U.S.-led coalition has now classified data that the inspector general has used for the last six years to publicly detail the performance of the Afghan security services and the record of the Afghans' anticorruption activities.

In a memo to the inspector general, the U.S. commander of the coalition forces, Army Gen. John F. Campbell, declined to say specifically why he barred the future release of such material. He offered only that with "lives literally on the line," he did not want to publicize information that could help insurgents "sharpen their attacks" on allied forces. That is not a satisfactory answer.

The American public is under no illusion after the longest war in its history — and with the Afghan government still teetering in the fight against Islamic militants — of the dangers and costs involved with maintaining a U.S. presence. But it seems a stretch to suggest that the insurgents suddenly have a way to weaponize data that has been provided to the public and Congress on a quarterly basis for the past six years.

As the general said: Lives are "literally on the line." After a war that killed 2,356 Americans and injured another 20,000, doesn't the public deserve a clear and honest perspective on this latest mission? Are the Afghan forces prepared and remaining at their posts? How safe are the 9,500 American troops still there, and the 6,000 coalition forces, after a year in which six insider attacks killed four Americans, including a U.S. Army major general? Three civilian U.S. contractors were shot and killed Thursday in Kabul in what an Afghan air force official characterized to Reuters as an "insider" attack. And having spent $65 billion to train the Afghan forces, and with the allies committing another $16 billion this year, how will the United States ensure that its future billions are responsibly spent?

With civilian casualties last year at an all-time high, and with Afghan leaders still stumbling to form a new government, the United States is entering an uncertain new phase in the Afghan war with a seriously discredited partner. Americans in this environment need to know more — not less — about this nation's commitments going forward. Obama should reverse the secrecy. Americans have every right to know how the Afghan government is using this nation's continued support.