Casualties are mounting in the ongoing military offensive in Basilan. The latest skirmish cost the lives of 15 soldiers, including 5 junior officers. This brings the total count of losses to 57.
57 soldiers have already died fighting the Abu Sayaff. Why continue fighting? Why send more to their deaths? Let's just halt the offensive; stop this war and bring our soldiers home.
Let's heed the call of the bishops, civil society, congressmen and the media. Stop wasting lives and recall the Marines. Call off the airstrikes and silence the artillery.
Withdraw all troops from Basilan and Sulu. Send in humanitarians instead; doctors, teachers, engineers. Send in food and supplies for those displaced by the fighting.
Yes, let's back down from the fight, for peace is the only way.
But wait, aren't we forgetting something?
Something like the 300 or so terrorists calling themselves the Abu Sayaff?
What about them? Should we leave them in peace? Should we leave their group intact, their cause alive? Why did we send 9,000 troops to the South in the first place?
Why the hell did 57 soldiers die?
They died doing their job. They died fighting the enemy. They died protecting our freedom. They died for us.
And yet there are some among us who couldn't care less about the soldiers' sacrifice; those who balk at the mere thought of bloodshed, those who wish to surrender to the terrorists, those who want to coddle and abet terrorism.
These people seem to forget that we are in a war, and in war, people die. This war is no exception. If we want to rid ourselves of the terrorists, we have to crack down on them. Hard. That is the job of the Army, of the Air Force, of the Navy, and of the Marines. A war without casualties to our side would be most welcome, but we must remain open to the idea that some of our soldiers may never come home.
The root cause of terrorism is terrorism, for the radical ideas spawned by terrorist leaders are not born out of poverty and social inequality. Rather, they feed upon and exploit these ills of society, and they actively work to sustain their largest source of manpower and resources regardless of the loss of life and property.
If we don't want this weed to spread and wreck all that we have built and created we have to uproot it from the ground with full force. And once it's out of the ground we have to burn it, incinerate it and scatter the ashes to the wind.
No amount of economic development and humanitarian aid can deter these terrorists from sowing chaos and confusion; we would end up sending unarmed civilians to unsecured areas. The Abu Sayaff won't stop their violent ways unless their goals are attained, and you can be sure that those goals don't include a peaceful and prosperous Mindanao.
If we want a true and lasting peace in the South, we must act now and completely destroy all traces of the Abu Sayaff and Jemaah Islamiyah. Then, and only then, when the islands are secure and combat has ceased, can development and aid flow in to secure an even stronger peace.
57 soldiers have already died fighting the Abu Sayaff. Why continue fighting? Why send more to their deaths? Let's just halt the offensive; stop this war and bring our soldiers home.
Let's heed the call of the bishops, civil society, congressmen and the media. Stop wasting lives and recall the Marines. Call off the airstrikes and silence the artillery.
Withdraw all troops from Basilan and Sulu. Send in humanitarians instead; doctors, teachers, engineers. Send in food and supplies for those displaced by the fighting.
Yes, let's back down from the fight, for peace is the only way.
But wait, aren't we forgetting something?
Something like the 300 or so terrorists calling themselves the Abu Sayaff?
What about them? Should we leave them in peace? Should we leave their group intact, their cause alive? Why did we send 9,000 troops to the South in the first place?
Why the hell did 57 soldiers die?
They died doing their job. They died fighting the enemy. They died protecting our freedom. They died for us.
And yet there are some among us who couldn't care less about the soldiers' sacrifice; those who balk at the mere thought of bloodshed, those who wish to surrender to the terrorists, those who want to coddle and abet terrorism.
These people seem to forget that we are in a war, and in war, people die. This war is no exception. If we want to rid ourselves of the terrorists, we have to crack down on them. Hard. That is the job of the Army, of the Air Force, of the Navy, and of the Marines. A war without casualties to our side would be most welcome, but we must remain open to the idea that some of our soldiers may never come home.
The root cause of terrorism is terrorism, for the radical ideas spawned by terrorist leaders are not born out of poverty and social inequality. Rather, they feed upon and exploit these ills of society, and they actively work to sustain their largest source of manpower and resources regardless of the loss of life and property.
If we don't want this weed to spread and wreck all that we have built and created we have to uproot it from the ground with full force. And once it's out of the ground we have to burn it, incinerate it and scatter the ashes to the wind.
No amount of economic development and humanitarian aid can deter these terrorists from sowing chaos and confusion; we would end up sending unarmed civilians to unsecured areas. The Abu Sayaff won't stop their violent ways unless their goals are attained, and you can be sure that those goals don't include a peaceful and prosperous Mindanao.
If we want a true and lasting peace in the South, we must act now and completely destroy all traces of the Abu Sayaff and Jemaah Islamiyah. Then, and only then, when the islands are secure and combat has ceased, can development and aid flow in to secure an even stronger peace.
So, let's end this war. Withdraw the troops, and give the Abu Sayaff some breathing space. Let's surrender to the terrorists, and watch and wait for more terrorists to arrive at the pushover which was once the Republic of the Philippines. Let's bicker among ourselves instead of wholeheartedly supporting the troops in the South; let them see what they're fighting for, and watch as demoralization sets in.
Or we can continue the offensive. Push hard and never let up on the terrorists. Keep them on the run and maintain the pressure. Hound them to their graves, and pursue the mission to its true end.
Let's end this war, but only when the enemy is completely and utterly destroyed.
The quickest way to end a war is to lose it. --George Orwell
No comments:
Post a Comment