Memorial Day: Mourn and Honor Those Who Sacrificed for American Independence and Freedom by Defeating Terrorists

Memorial Day is the day to mourn and honor those who have sacrificed their lives in service to the United States to safeguard American independence, liberty and representative government. Since last Memorial Day, the only Americans killed in service were those killed by the Islamic State terrorists in Afghanistan, during the completion of the disastrous Trump-Biden withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces. The forces were there after overthrowing the Taliban regime that had provided safe harbor to al-Qaeda Islamist terrorists who committed the deadliest terrorist attacks in history, the September 11 Terrorist Attacks on New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, among other attacks, and sparked the global War on Terrorism, of which Afghanistan was the first major campaign. The Islamic State is an offshoot of al-Qaeda. Despite a minimal number of troops remaining in a non-combat advisory and support role for the Afghan government to prevent a return to power of the Taliban, Donald Trump negotiated a deal with the Taliban in which they promised not to harbor al-Qaeda again. The Taliban, which is intertwined with Islamist terrorists, is again harboring al-Qaeda, which advised it on its offensive that allowed it to take power last year after the Trump-Biden withdrawal and is continuing to advise it. Al Qaeda is now better able to recruit, fundraise and train for more attacks. It is vital to prevent it from becoming internationally operational again. As I posted recently, U.S. forces are returning on a longer-term non-combat mission to support the Somali against a powerful al-Qaeda affiliate there, which is encouraging. It is better if allies in the War on Terrorism can be supported with advice, intelligence, training and materiel with a strategy of defeating the enemy, instead of only preventing the enemy from regaining power, and proving a safe haven for terrorists, than if Americans must risk their lives, but, if necessary, as throughout American history, Americans may again have to sacrifice for our security to prevent more deaths of civilians and even more troops to defeat a persistent enemy, or else the sacrifice of those who have already died will have been in vain.