That’s a question with an embarrassing answer! Short of going way back in history, which we should have learned from, let’s remember that back in the late 70’s, we helped Taliban fight the Russians! Why? We knew perfectly well what an absolutely idiotic religion the Taliban ascribed to, and how they treated women, young and old, so why didn’t we stay out of it and let the Russians try to handle an impossible problem? Did we help the Taliban because, after all, they were “religious”, kind of, while we considered the Russians “godless”? Was that decision religion based, too?
Then, after 9/11, the Bush administration decided to attack Afghanistan, mainly because they couldn’t deliver Osama bin Laden! What could we expect from a country mainly consisting of tribes, without a functional central government that could be trusted? On top of that, Bush & Co turned their back to Afghanistan and attacked Iraq instead, based on lies!
Considering the enormous problem the world has today, what would, and could, have been different if we had been wise enough to stay out of that troubled area? How many lives would have been saved, American as well as soldiers from all the countries that stood loyally with us, not to mention civilians?
Have we learned anything, or what? Already forgotten VietNam?
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Jorg,
Your first line is; That’s a question with an embarrassing answer!
I’m searching for an embarrassing answer, but the answer to “Why did we help the Taliban” is easily found in history books.
To summarize, the Cold War was underway, and Afghanistan is a gateway to US ally Pakistan, and Pakistan is gateway to India, being courted by the Soviets at that time. Your reference to religion evades me.
And since you asked, that was the same Cold War that led US politicians, most notably LBJ, into the disastrous Vietnam debacle.
Your interpretation of why the US attacked Afghanistan after 9/11 is not correct.
The fact is that Afghanistan was the base of Al-Qaeda operations and planning.
Bush and our allies could not leave them undisturbed to freely continue to mount additional Al-Qaeda terror attacks on the West, especially in view of the World Center attack in 1993, East African embassies in 1998, and USS Cole in 2000.
In 2011 US Navy Seals killed Bin Laden, over the objection of VP Joe Biden.
Why did President Obama not then order an orderly retreat form Afghanistan immediately following that?
Oh, that reminds me of your question with an embarrassing answer.
That question is; “Why didn’t Biden order an orderly retreat?”,.
While Osama bin Laden obviously was the primary target, any part of Al-Qaeda was of course automatically included. However, George W. Bush soon lost interest, leaving it to President Obama to track down and destroy bin Laden.
Under Bush, Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan was destroyed.
Thanks to the NSA, CIA and the SEALs, Bin Laden was killed under Obama, but no effort was put forward for complete US withdrawal.
Trump campaigned in part on the idea of getting US forces out.
With the military, Trump planned an orderly withdrawal, to be started in March of 2021.
Biden took office and threw Trump’s plan out, because it was Trumps.
Let me suggest that you click on some of the icons that appear under the text. Perhaps you might learn a thing or two.
My error, sorry, Trump’s withdrawal date was May 1.
You can be sure that the first step in Trump’s plan was not to abandon Baghram airbase
I don’t see any icons
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