Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is a non-fiction book by Robin Doak. The book tells the story of these two wars and answers many questions about them. How did the wars start? When did the wars start? Why is the US even at war? The book lists the important battles and events, from the Persian Gulf War to today. It also lists the timelines of the Middle Eastern wars. I learnt that although 82% of the US supported US military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, now less than 50% percent think the US is winning. I agree with them.
The Iraq conflict started when, on August 2 1990, Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, invaded his neighbor, Kuwait. Saddam wanted control of the nation’s profitable oil fields. Saddam declared Kuwait part of Iraq. Days after the invasion, the US began deploying troops to Saudi Arabia. This was to prevent an Iraqi invasion there and to try to scare Iraqi troops out of Kuwait. The deployment – Operation Desert Storm - was a multinational mission. 39 countries contributed to the coalition of troops. After the coalition troops gathered, the UN issued Saddam a warning: leave Kuwait by January 15 or suffer the consequences. Saddam refused. On January 17, coalition troops waged war on Iraq. On February 27 1991, Kuwait city was declared secure. It had taken just 100 hour to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
The conflict in Iraq didn’t end there. Operation Iraqi Freedom started on March 20 2003. Many world leaders disagreed with Bush’s idea of once more going to war with Iraq but Bush ignored them because he thought that Saddam was hiding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and he wanted to find and destroy them. Although Saddam was caught and executed later, it wasn’t any easier to stabilize the young democracy of Iraq. Insurgents continue to attack coalition forces through terrorist tactics such as kidnappings, roadside bombings etc. In 2004, American rock trio Green Day published an album called American Idiot. The album criticized Bush for invading Iraq and causing thousands of deaths. This album is my favorite Green Day album. Today, more than six years on, U.S troops still are in Iraq and the country’s security situation is still dangerous in many parts of the country.
September 11, 2001 was a normal day for America. The day quickly turned to horror when nineteen terrorists hijacked four airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Days after 9/11, the US debated on what to do. Many were in favor of an immediate attack on Afghanistan, the country harboring Osama bin Laden, the man believed to be behind the 9/11 attacks. Others believed that now was not the time for war. On September 20, Bush demanded that the Taliban government in Afghanistan to surrender bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders to the US. The Taliban refused, saying that they wanted proof that the Saudi Arabian was behind 9/11. On October 7, 2001 the US attacked Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom began with a massive air bombardment of Taliban targets. On November 13, US forces overran the capital, Kabul, and drove the Taliban and Al-Qaeda out of power. They hid in the mountains which the US is still combing to find them.However, the situation in Afghanistan has not improved. There is an insurgency similar to Iraq, led by the Taliban that attacks coalition forces and makes the country dangerous and unstable.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been raging on for several years. Muslims are being discriminated everywhere because many people think that to be a Muslim is to be a terrorist. Shah Rukh Khan, a famous Indian actor, was detained by immigration authorities in New York because he was Muslim. I think that these wars aren’t doing any good. Terrorist attacks across the globe still continue. I think America should withdraw its troops from the region and stop bloodshed.
The Iraq conflict started when, on August 2 1990, Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, invaded his neighbor, Kuwait. Saddam wanted control of the nation’s profitable oil fields. Saddam declared Kuwait part of Iraq. Days after the invasion, the US began deploying troops to Saudi Arabia. This was to prevent an Iraqi invasion there and to try to scare Iraqi troops out of Kuwait. The deployment – Operation Desert Storm - was a multinational mission. 39 countries contributed to the coalition of troops. After the coalition troops gathered, the UN issued Saddam a warning: leave Kuwait by January 15 or suffer the consequences. Saddam refused. On January 17, coalition troops waged war on Iraq. On February 27 1991, Kuwait city was declared secure. It had taken just 100 hour to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
The conflict in Iraq didn’t end there. Operation Iraqi Freedom started on March 20 2003. Many world leaders disagreed with Bush’s idea of once more going to war with Iraq but Bush ignored them because he thought that Saddam was hiding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and he wanted to find and destroy them. Although Saddam was caught and executed later, it wasn’t any easier to stabilize the young democracy of Iraq. Insurgents continue to attack coalition forces through terrorist tactics such as kidnappings, roadside bombings etc. In 2004, American rock trio Green Day published an album called American Idiot. The album criticized Bush for invading Iraq and causing thousands of deaths. This album is my favorite Green Day album. Today, more than six years on, U.S troops still are in Iraq and the country’s security situation is still dangerous in many parts of the country.
September 11, 2001 was a normal day for America. The day quickly turned to horror when nineteen terrorists hijacked four airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Days after 9/11, the US debated on what to do. Many were in favor of an immediate attack on Afghanistan, the country harboring Osama bin Laden, the man believed to be behind the 9/11 attacks. Others believed that now was not the time for war. On September 20, Bush demanded that the Taliban government in Afghanistan to surrender bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders to the US. The Taliban refused, saying that they wanted proof that the Saudi Arabian was behind 9/11. On October 7, 2001 the US attacked Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom began with a massive air bombardment of Taliban targets. On November 13, US forces overran the capital, Kabul, and drove the Taliban and Al-Qaeda out of power. They hid in the mountains which the US is still combing to find them.However, the situation in Afghanistan has not improved. There is an insurgency similar to Iraq, led by the Taliban that attacks coalition forces and makes the country dangerous and unstable.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been raging on for several years. Muslims are being discriminated everywhere because many people think that to be a Muslim is to be a terrorist. Shah Rukh Khan, a famous Indian actor, was detained by immigration authorities in New York because he was Muslim. I think that these wars aren’t doing any good. Terrorist attacks across the globe still continue. I think America should withdraw its troops from the region and stop bloodshed.
1 comment:
I'm glad you got so much out of this non fiction book, Madhav. It appears you enjoyed writing this up, as it is far beyond what is expected for a simple blog entry of a book you've read. Expectations is a short summary and a little more extensive on the best part. Keep reading good books.
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