President Biden Moves to End the 20-Year War in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the longest war in American history.

Helicopter gunner over snow covered mountains Photo by Tim King, Salem-News.com (2007) This gunner is ready for any possible enemy action with his machine gun locked and loaded. The CH-47 Chinook is frequently used to drop off soldiers in combat areas and pick them up after their mission is complete.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Recently, President Biden stated that he intended to bring the last of the US troops home from Afghanistan this year.

He said their combat mission was over, and he also essentially stated that the US could not be there indefinitely. When he brings the remaining troops home, it will conclude a 20-year war, the longest in American history.

Many Americans fail to realize we’re even still at war in Afghanistan. The conflict has continued for so long that it long ago ceased to dominate the headlines.

Supporting the troops was very much in vogue right after 9/11, but a lot has happened in America since then. Very few people spend much time thinking about Afghanistan at all these days, let alone the men and women still fighting there.

Let’s talk about what this war’s end means, both to America and Afghanistan.

How the War Began

That’s an indication of how little most people are thinking about that conflict now.

As a reminder, the US sent troops into Afghanistan back in 2001, shortly after the World Trade Center attacks. That event undoubtedly changed American history forever, as it brought about the Patriot Act and an era of Muslim-American hostility.

America also sent troops into Iraq, though that was not the terrorists’ country of origin. The president at that point, George W. Bush, insisted that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction or that he might even have them operational already.

The US never found those weapons, but they did manage to capture Saddam eventually, and he was summarily executed.

As for Afghanistan, American troops have remained there, fighting the Taliban, for 20 years. The Taliban are hardline Muslim extremists who want to implement Sharia law, a harsh system of governance that punishes women, ethnic minorities, homosexuals, and others.

What American Troop Withdrawal Means for Afghanistan

The troops have also armed them with modern weaponry.

The initiative has been successful, for the most part. Most of the Taliban resistant fighters who remain, following the US using missile strikes and ground troops to take out several of their key leaders, have fled into the desert. However, Biden himself has acknowledged that if we withdraw, the Taliban will regroup and marshal their forces again.

The US backs the government led by President Ashraf Ghani. He is in power right now, but tenuously so.

Once the US leaves, it is more than likely that the Taliban will try to take over Kabul and implement Sharia law. They are dead-set on doing that, and they’re only waiting for the US to leave, just as they’ve waited for the past twenty years.

What Troop Withdrawal Means for America

They didn’t feel like then-president Bush had shown ample reason for wanting to go back into Iraq, and indeed, the American military contingent never found those weapons of mass destruction that Bush insisted were there.

Fewer people protested the war in Afghanistan, though. They knew the Taliban claimed responsibility for attacking the US and that they based themselves there.

Americans also knew that there were plenty of Afghan citizens who, while being Muslim, were much more moderate. They did not want the Taliban in charge, nor did they want Sharia law implemented.

Still, probably no one at the time would have thought that the war was going to go on for twenty years. The US found and killed Osama Bin Laden, who masterminded the 9/11 terror attack. At that point, it became less clear what the US was doing in Afghanistan and what we could gain by staying there.

Viet Nam Comparisons

The major similarity is that at some point, you have to look at these long, drawn-out conflicts and realize that there is no longer any main objective. The last two presidents, Trump and Obama, neglected to pull all the troops out of Afghanistan because they felt like the region would destabilize if they did so.

They were unquestionably right about that, and when the US troops leave later this year, the Taliban is probably going to attack Kabul with renewed vigor. They don’t have planes, but they do have weapons and know how to fight in that region since they’ve been doing it for so many years.

The bottom line is that while the US has damaged the Taliban in the past twenty years, it’s nearly impossible to eradicate them. That’s because, even if we take out their leaders, we’re almost sure to kill innocent civilians in the process. Our actions radicalize those who remain, and they respond by replenishing the Taliban’s ranks.

It’s not necessarily right or wrong to go to war with any country, and you will always have people who oppose the notion or support it. What seems clear at this time, though, is that there will never be a “right time” to leave Afghanistan. A perfect moment is never going to present itself.

President Biden acknowledges this and has essentially stated as much. There will be Americans who support ending this war or going on with it, but one thing is certain: The troops who will be coming home soon are almost all going to be glad this part of their lives is ending.

SEE ALSO: Salem-News.com Afghanistan articles

Source: Salem-News.com Special Features Dept.