An Empty Anniversary for Afghanistan's Displaced - President, Refugees International

For Afghans, the back-and-forth over negotiations, reintegration of combatants, and a future U.S. withdrawal are a secondary concern. What they need now -- and have needed for at least the last twenty years -- are the essentials: health care, shelter, clean water, and a chance to better themselves. And while it is clear there can be no prosperity in Afghanistan without security, current U.S. efforts to protect displaced Afghans are woefully inadequate.

So as policy-makers in Washington, Kabul, and elsewhere consider the future of Operation Enduring Freedom, I ask that they take time to reflect on the plight of these most vulnerable Afghans: to consider how their security forces can better protect them and how further displacement can be prevented. -- An Empty Anniversary for Afghanistan's Displaced - Michel Gabaudan