On the 8th anniversary of war, Afghans opine on security conditions

Critics of President Obama´s Nobel Peace Prize say the Administration's continuation of the Afghanistan War is antithetical to the spirit of the award, which founder Alfred Nobel intended as a way to honor people who fight to end war and militarism. As the world marks the 8th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, the Obama administration is considering sending even more troops there. This week in our coverage of the war's anniversary, we heard from veterans, peace groups and policy analysts. Today, we're going straight to Kabul to hear from people on the ground.

Thirty-three-year old Aziza Salihi lives in the Taimani area of Kabul. She said the security has worsened over the last eight years and bomb blasts and suicide attacks are the daily routine.

“How much can we continue to worry about daily, routine insecurity? Everyone´s worried about this, when we come out of our homes we just pray and can´t guarantee if we´re going to be back home safely or not. People are losing their morale. We cannot afford to move to another place and must tolerate the situation. The people responsible for these attacks are enemies of humanity and Islam.”

But opinions are divided, and 25-year old high school student Matuillah argues that the foreign troops have done some good things.

“We have gotten many things in the last eight years. We have schools and life is getting better day by day. In the Taliban days it was hard for us to take a patient to the doctor, but after the Americans came we got asphalted roads and we can now bring a sick person to the hospital in the middle of the night. We want foreign troops to stay here until peace comes to our country.”

One of the biggest concerns for Afghans and anti-war activists alike is the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan. Although NATO General Stanley McChrystal has pledged to change military policy in order to avoid civilian deaths, many, including 28-year-old Mohammad Nabi, are skeptical.

“What is the difference between the Taliban and foreign forces? They both kill us. The international forces are not doing anything to improve our lives. It is better to ask them to leave our country before all the people turn against each other.”

Estimates for the number of civilians killed as a direct result of US-led military actions vary from 8,000 to 28,000 people. One of the deadliest attacks on civilians occurred last May. Some 150 people were killed in the village of Granai in Farah Province because of mistakes made by the US military.