by Joshua Mccracken

Created on: May 28, 2009   Last Updated: June 01, 2009

The pictures painted by the media in regards to the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan are often far from accurately reflecting the realities on the ground. After 9/11, operation Enduring Freedom commenced as a US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan, further destabilizing a nation already rife with conflict.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda Guerrillas initially fled US and Allied forces as they were overtaken and a semi-functional quasi-democratic government was installed. For many Americans, this is where the story stops. In Afghanistan however, for coalition soldiers, civilians, and guerrillas alike the story is far from over. Many of the surviving Islamic extremists fled Afghanistan for Pakistan, where they regrouped outside of the grasp of US Allied forces while the Pakistani government feigned cooperation by handing over a few terrorists. Though Pakistan appears to be largely interested in working toward a resolution with US military leaders, their efforts were hampered by a populace that holds extremist views. More recently, Pakistan negotiated directly with Taliban officials, surrendering territory which was already under Taliban control. Pakistan has been in an uproar, leaving Pakistani official's hands tied as it is unlikely they can provide much assistance to US led forces without sparking a civil war. Emboldened by their victory, Taliban insurgents began taking new territories by force, murdering suspected informants as their tyranny began to grip the nation they had invaded. Ultimately, this resulted in the balance of power shifting once again. The Taliban could no longer maintain their iron-clad grip over the Pakistani countryside as those whom they oppressed began to rise up and fight back.

As Pakistan became increasingly unsafe for fleeing enemy combatants, we have witnessed the return of insurgents who rapidly began to take back their lost territories. Their disorganized military structure has served to cloak their activities as a faceless enemy began to mount attacks on the embattled lands that they had lost only a few years earlier. US-led forces seemed to have been caught off-guard by the sudden re-emergence of Taliban forces and their swift and decisive attacks that have resulted in the loss of numerous captured territories to the hands of the Taliban power structure.

Taliban leaders and Osama Bin Laden have long maintained that the war is far from won by the US-led coalition which celebrated a premature victory in the face of the toppling of the

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