Report Says 92 Percent of Afghan Men Have Never Heard of 9/11 Attacks

(Nov. 19) -- It's been nearly a decade since the United States invaded Afghanistan in response to 9/11, President Barack Obama has said U.S. troops will remain there for at least another four years, and a new report indicates that a vast majority of men in the key southern provinces of Afghanistan have never heard of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The report, by the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS), found that 92 percent of 1,000 men surveyed in Helmand and Kandahar provinces -- where the military surge against the Taliban has taken place -- have no knowledge of the 2001 attacks, Reuters reports.

In a war for the hearts and minds of Afghans, this presents a serious impediment to U.S. goals.

"The lack of awareness of why we are there contributes to the high levels of negativity toward the NATO military operations and made the job of the Taliban easier," said ICOS President Norine MacDonald.

As the war enters its 10th year, the study only adds to the doubts about its ultimate outcome. Violence is at an all-time high, the American-backed Afghan government is mired in corruption and the Taliban controls large swathes of the country. And while military commanders are lauding a new heavy tank deployment, they may have forgotten that tanks are the lasting image of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, which ended in colossal failure.

Read more at Reuters.

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