Tanya Cariina Hsu: Was Afghanistan Worth it? 11 Years Later!

October 7 marked the eleventh anniversary of the US war in Afghanistan. More than 2,000 American soldiers have now been killed, and as the US presidential candidates debate each other to lead the most dominant power on Earth, perhaps it is time for someone to ask them: Was it worth it? On September 11th 2001, 2,977 people were killed, as well as 60 police officers. Only 291 bodies were ever found intact. Over half of the families who lost loved ones that day received not a single piece of remains. Within three months 300 fire fighters went on leave due to respiratory problems, almost half a million New Yorkers are being treated for post traumatic stress disorders, and 1,000 first responders have since died from acute illnesses related to clean up activities. Wall Street shut down for 6 days, and as a direct result of 9/11 more than 146,100 people lost their jobs. Within the first month New York City alone exceeded $105 billion in economic losses. Was it worth it? America then went to war. But not just Iraq and Afghanistan: Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia have also been attacked. So have the citizens of the United States: Freedoms, privacy and civil rights, once taken for granted are gone, in the name of national security. America then went to war, but not just Iraq and Afghanistan: Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia have also been attacked. So have the citizens of the United States: Freedoms, privacy and civil rights once taken for granted are gone, in the name of "national security." Operation Iraqi Freedom officially lasted for eight years and eight months. By December 2011, 4,486 US and 318 non US troops had been killed fighting in Iraq, more than who died on September 11th. However, according to the New York Times, a year after operations ceased US Special Operations have quietly begun re-entering Iraq at the behest of the Iraqi government. In Afghanistan, the war that begun on October 7th 2002 still marches on. Operation Enduring Freedom is not due to end until 2014, an exact century after the onset of World War One. So far Afghanistan has taken the lives of 3,196 soldiers: 2,130 American, 433 British, and 158 Canadian.