The death of a Green Beret in Afghanistan

While the world seems to have turned topsy-turvy in 2019, the war in Afghanistan has just ploughed on, taking lives. The latest American soldier to die was Sergeant 1st Class Michael Goble. He died from a roadside bomb in Kunduz province in the north. He was 33. He was the 20th American soldier to die in Afghanistan this year. Nearly 2,400 US military personnel have died in this wretched war since it began in 2001. A thousand more coalition troops have died. Statistics are relentless. And each death means tragedy and grief and the constant nagging question: has it all been worth it? The only answer has to be, yes, many things have changed for the better in Afghanistan, but the killings and injuries never stop. Next year is surely the year when this war must finally come to an end. The US wants to start withdrawing its troops from around the world, including from the Middle East and West Africa, according to the New York Times, but Afghanistan has to be at the top of the withdrawal list. But the death of Sergeant Goble from 1st Battalion 7th Special Forces Group is a reminder that no one in the White House or Pentagon can give the order to leave until the right political circumstances have been negotiated and set in concrete. He and all the others died for a purpose, they died to give Afghans a better and more stable life. So it's the responsibility of the US and the Afghan government and possibly Russia and Pakistan to make sure that the Taliban, many of whom have known nothing but war all their lives, agree and abide by an honourabe peace settlement. 2020 must be the last year of the Afghanistan war.