Tuesday, October 9, 2001

Subtle Success
Officials must disclose information
The question was never really if the United States was going to retaliate for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, more so when and how the America would ignite the war on terrorism.

And now we have our answer.

The Associated Press reported 50 cruise missiles were fired Sunday on Afghani air defense sites and airfields. Britain war ships provided a hand in the assault.

Monday, the Pentagon said five long-range bombers, 10 sea-launched warplanes and 15 Tomahawk cruise missiles struck an undisclosed number of targets, including early warning radars, Taliban ground forces and military command sites. A single jet also dropped one bomb near the Kabul airport before dawn on Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

United States officials are claiming moderate success in weakening the Taliban’s ability for air strikes. They say the military campaign is meant to paralyze terrorist infrastructures of al-Qaida’s operations inside Afghanistan. These campaigns will set the stage for opposition groups to put further pressure on the Taliban which will eventually topple the religious militia.

As the retaliatory strikes continue, Americans must remember the purpose of these military actions.

News reports will continue to include how many weapons were deployed and how many targets were destroyed.

However, the number of missiles and bombers and warplanes fired won’t be able to quantify victory in a war against an idea. The enemy in this war on terrorism is largely unknown and extremely elusive.

Success will not be as recognizable as it was in past conflicts, and for this reason United States officials need to be upfront with mainly with the public and press about their intentions, their success and importantly their failures.

Information is a powerful weapon, and a well-informed public will lead this nation into the greatest victory of all — the preservation of basic human freedoms.

Support the nation’s leaders as they endure this battle, but don’t relinquish the same rights the entire free world has banded together to defend.