OK, I don't think too many folks still think the Iraq War was a good idea, but Afghanistan under the Taliban had OBL in 2001. So we went in. OBL escaped through the mountains, and there were were. We stuck around for ~20 years 'nation-building', training the military and police, building schools, making drone strikes on the Taliban. At the cost of 2,400 Americans, 200,000 Afghanis and other US-allied soldiers/civilians (plus ~50K Taliban). Cost: $3-4 trillion by the end.
But finally we left, and it collapsed in days, with the Taliban taking control yesterday. Karzai has left the country and US personnel are evacuating as we speak.
What was the answer? What should we have done? I don't think this is a liberal/conservative question, BTW.
But finally we left, and it collapsed in days, with the Taliban taking control yesterday. Karzai has left the country and US personnel are evacuating as we speak.
What was the answer? What should we have done? I don't think this is a liberal/conservative question, BTW.
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