- There are now more than 64,500 troops from 42 Western countries involved in the war and they are spread throughout the country. Check this interactive map to see the international troops in each Afghan province.
- There are nearly 100,000 Afghan soldiers, recruited from the poorest and least educated segments of Afghan society. The government hopes to more than double the size of the army in the next two years. The average salary for Afghan solidiers $200 a month.
- There are more Department of Defense contractors (68,197) than soldiers in the country. Contractors made up 57% of DOD's workforce in Afghanistan. This is the highest recorded percentage of contractors used by the Defense Department in any war in U.S. history.
- Afghan soldiers are often recruited "from the mostly illiterate and often drug-addicted pool of young men needing jobs."
- "There are nearly 100,000 soldiers in the Afghan army, which is projected to grow to 136,000 next year."
- "Karzai's allies are calling for up to 240,000 soldiers"
- "[O]f 94,000 Afghan soldiers trained so far, 10,000 have defected, and an estimated 15 per cent of the armed forces are drug addicts."
- "[A]verage salaries . . . [are] $200 a month."
- The Afghanistan conflict has cost the U.S. over $275 billion. The costs are increasing fast-for fiscal year 2010 alone the budget is $105 billion. Check this interactive calculator that shows real time costs for the war.
- The cost of sending one U.S. soldier to Afghanistan for one year is $1 million versus an estimated $12,000 for an Afghan soldier.
- There are 18 special entitlements offered to U.S. soldiers who serve in Afghanistan. Some of the entitlements include special rations; "Hostile Fire Pay/Imminent Danger Pay" and "Hardship Duty Pay"; Combat Zone Tax Exclusion; Family Separation Allowance; and Re-enlistment Bonuses. Check the Congressional Research Report on "Military Pay: Controversy Over Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay and Family Separation Allowance Rates."
- The suicide rate among American troops who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq is now higher on a per capita basis than the general American population. They are taking their lives in record numbers (statistics have only been maintained since 1980 so it's not possible to compare them with those from earlier conflicts such as Vietnam). In 2008, there were 128 confirmed suicides by active army personnel and 41 by marines. Another 15 army deaths are still being investigated.
How People Live
- The average life expectancy for men and women in Afghanistan is 44 years.
- As of 2007, the average wage for Afghan workers was a little over a dollar a day, $376 annually. That was up sharply from the 2003 study in which the average salary was $300. Meanwhile, for westerners looking for work there, the average salary is $117,000 a year, about 17% higher than for the same work in Iraq.
- More than half the country lives below the poverty line, and 29% are illiterate
- "Despite the fact that only 12 percent of its land is arable, agriculture is a way of life for 70 percent of Afghans and is the country's primary source of income."
- The Islamic food prohibitions are followed in Afghanistan. Meat is only eaten from animals that are slaughtered according to Islamic law; alcohol and pork are not consumed, and alcohol is banned. Everyday fare includes a popular flat bread, lots of diary products, and tea, the national drink.
- More than half the men are illiterate, and 88% of women can't read or write.
How People Work
- Eight in 10 Afghan workers are farmers but agriculture accounts for only one-third of the country's gross domestic product, about $12 billion. The illegal poppy crop is worth as much as $3 billion annually to warlords and the Taliban. Starting in the spring of 2010, the Marines began paying cash to farmers not to grow opium.
- As of 2006, Afghanistan had only an estimated 1,000 Internet users out of a population of 31 million.
Afghanistan History
- Afghanistan did not become a modern sovereign country until 1919, when the British finally gave up colonial control. The term "Afghanistan" means "Land of Afghans." Afghans is an alternative name for Pashtuns, the country's founders; they form the largest ethnic group. Click here for an interactive map of Afghanistan's ethnic groups and where they live. Also, the National Geographic has one of the best online maps of the country
- Afghanistan, together with Iran, had thriving Jewish communities in medieval times. Today, there is only one Jew left in Afghanistan, a former carpet salesman who runs Kabul's only remaining synagogue.
- The height of the Talban's radical approach to other "infidel" religions came in 2001 when they destroyed, with artillery, two ancient giant Buddhas in Bamian, carved into a mountainside outside Kabul. The destruction was ordered by religious leaders, who regarded the figures as idolatrous and un-Islamic. The international community expressed outrage and condemnation.
- Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, was founded in 330 BC by Alexander the Great, when his armies sacked the country. It was originally named after him as Alexandria, a name he gave to many of the cities he founded during his conquests. Because of its strategic location in Southern Asia, it holds the dubious title as Afghanistan's most conquered city.
Snapshot of Public Opinion (Spring 2010)
- Only 7% of Americans think the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the most important issue facing the federal government, according to PollingReport.com. That compares to 47% who think the top priority should be the "economy and jobs." The Afghanistan war ranks below the deficit (15%) and terrorism (8%). (Note: A Gallup poll places concern with the deficit at 8%.)
- 49% percent of Americans approve of the way that President Obama is handling the conflict in Afghanistan, while 39% disapprove. And 61% believe that "eliminating the threat from terrorists operating from Afghanistan is a worthwhile goal for American troops to fight and possibly die for."
- Although Obama has support for how he's conducting the war, the public is evenly divided over whether the U.S. should be there at all: 48% in favor of the war, 48% opposed, and 3% undecided.
- The public favors Obama's approach to the war in Afghanistan (46%) over the congressional Republicans' (27%).
- 78% of Americans think it is "extremely important" or "very important" that the president and congress address the situation in Afghanistan during the next year.
- As for Obama's plan to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, 59% of those polled approved. But the second largest group, 23%, wanted an immediate withdrawal.
- When asked who is winning the war, 18% said the U.S. and Allies, 15% picked the Taliban, and the vast majority (67%) said it was a stalemate.
