Gun violence and control

After the 9/11 incident, in which over 2,600 Americans were killed, the Bush administration decided to invade Afghanistan and also attacked Iraq because it believed that the Iraqis were supporting Al-Qaeda and had weapons of mass destruction. The US still has troops in Afghanistan, making the Afghanistan war the longest in the US history. The mistakes that the US made in Vietnam are being repeated in Afghanistan because the superpower believes that fancy weapons and money will win the war. The Trump Administration is trying to pass the blame on to Pakistan for the latter’s lack of success in defeating the Taliban.

The US government believes that the Taliban are being provided support and sanctuary in Pakistan. The US is repeatedly asking Pakistan “to do more.” But what is ironic is that while the US invaded and destroyed two countries to avenge the death of 2,600 people, every year 33,000 Americans are killed by guns which are easily and freely available to all, even to those who are mentally unstable. Shouldn’t the US government be ‘doing more’ to protect its citizens from other citizens whose use guns to kill?

Syed Hussein El-Edroos

Islamabad