The Disastrous American and Allied Withdrawal from Afghanistan

The unnecessary withdrawal of American-led NATO forces from Afghanistan has been disastrous, shameful and outrageous. I have repeatedly posted of the need to continue the War on Terrorism and particularly to prevent the Taliban from returning to power in Afghanistan, where they would once again harbor their terrorist allies, al-Qaeda, who were responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, the bloodiest in history, among other attacks on Americans and others around the world. The Taliban came to power in most of Afghanistan in 1996 and provided safe haven to al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorists until the United States led a coalition after September 11, together with Afghan allies, such as the de jure government that had retain power in the northeast, that removed the Taliban from power. U.S. President George W. Bush recognized that those who harbor or finance terrorists are thereby terrorists. American forces have led a mission of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which invoked its self-defense provision for the first time, to work with Afghans to defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a return of power of the Taliban. Afghanistan, which became a constitutional parliamentary state in which all ethnic groups and Muslim sects were represented, also provided a base to target al-Qaeda in the neighboring tribal areas of Pakistan, where they were able to operate freely. After Bush’s presidency ended in 2009, there was little to no talk of defeating the Taliban, only of continuing to train Afghans militarily and providing them some degree of support and then exiting, as public opinion turned against the dwindling American troop presence in Afghanistan, even though the U.S. was not suffering heavy losses in only sporadic fighting. His successor, Barack Obama, had promised as a candidate to “end” wars, not to win them, as isolationists on the left and far right complained of “endless” wars, failing to heed Bush’s warning that the war would be long and to recognize that Islamists, who think in terms of centuries, would never tire of fighting, as well as Bush’s prediction that Afghanistan would return to being a safe haven for terrorists to plot, train and recruit in the absence of U.S. military presence to prevent the Taliban from returning to power. Islamists believe in spreading Islam by whatever means necessary, including force and even terrorism (the murder of innocents to intimidate the populace to give into their demands). They believe that God favors their conquests, as military victories are seen as a sign that a caliph has divine blessing. Therefore, defeating Islamists militarily is essential. Obama announced an end to the military mission in Afghanistan by 2014 and a transition to a support role while continuing to conduct strikes on al-Qaeda in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Donald Trump succeeded Obama with a similar view from a different perspective and similarly never spoke of defeating the Taliban, but of withdrawing U.S. troops. He slowed the pace of military operations and withdrew more troops, despite warnings from security experts of the consequences. Trump then legitimized the Taliban terrorists by negotiating with them, while undermining the Afghan government by cutting them out of the discussion about their country’s fate. Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw by May of 2021 in exchange for a worthless pledge by the Taliban, who are intertwined with Islamist terrorists, not to harbor terrorists. The surrender agreement set up negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to share power. No American had been killed in Afghanistan since February of 2020. By 2021, there were only 3,500 U.S. troops and 8,500 NATO troops remaining. Instead of abandoning Trump’s surrender agreement, Biden extended the withdrawal deadline until the end of August, but pulled out shortly beforehand. The Taliban, with the support of al-Qaeda, which is sworn to follow the leadership of the Taliban’s lead mullah, had launched its offensive after the original May1 withdrawal deadline. After making stands in some provincial capitals, the morale of Afghan forces decreased as the Taliban advanced, as especially after the U.S. stopped proving air support. Contrary to the premature argument that Afghans should be able to provide for their own defense, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital by mid-August, having conquered all but one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, capturing materiel left behind by the U.S. and its allies and releasing prisoners. The withdrawal from Afghanistan, despite Americans not being involved in heavy combat or taking losses and only having a relatively small force signals to enemies that they need not even kill many Americans in order for public opinion to force the U.S. to withdraw, as from Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia and Iraq, even after having been attacked on our own soil. Determined enemies, such as Islamists, who never become weary of war, only have to outlast the patience of the American people who think even a small sacrifice of blood or treasure is not worth preventing more attacks. The withdrawal also sends a message that the U.S. is an unreliable ally, as it once again betrays its friends who risked their lives to fight alongside the Americans. Afghanistan will now once again become a safe haven for al-Qaeda and other Islamists. Coupled with a withdraw of an even smaller force from Somalia, the U.S. is signaling that the War on Terrorism will instead revert to an ad hoc response to terrorism focused only on individuals responsible for particular attacks, instead of a war to defeat organizations intent on attacking Americans, such as Islamist terrorists. Furthermore, the premature withdrawal from Afghanistan damages the moral of American troops who fought to defend their Afghan allies. The U.S., NATO and their allies should not recognize the Taliban regime and should pressure it not to revert to tyranny based on strict Islamic law, while destroying the materiel captured by the Taliban. They should use means from outside Afghanistan to continue to attack al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State, and other Islamists, as well as continuing to fight terrorists in other theaters of the War on Terrorism. The U.S., its allies and other States with interests in Afghanistan, such as India, Takistan and Uzbekistan, should consider providing support to the anti-Taliban resistance that has already emerged. The American people and the people of other NATO members must remain vigilant against terrorism and not allow weariness to provide opportunity to determined foes to plot attacks against them.