Arguably the most horrifying U.S. pullout in American history, the debacle in Afghanistan ended after a 20 year military occupation dating back to September 11th, 2001. There is a deep and complex history regarding the political and ideological factors that caused the U.S. to enter, leading to a prolonged war until just last year. 

On September 11th, 2001, America watched in horror as the 9/11 attacks were unveiled to the world. These attacks were not just intended to take down high-profile government buildings and U.S. citizens; they were a purposeful attack on democracy, inspired by hatred of the American values and our way of life.

America had not been attacked on foreign soil since Pearl Harbor, nearly 60 years before. President George W. Bush and a united bipartisan Congress immediately called for action. Operation Enduring Freedom was the official response to declare the war on terror. America’s mission was clear: find and kill the terrorists who directed the 9/11 attacks and establish a presence strong enough to defeat any terrorist rising up in the future. After the CIA began finding more intelligence on the attacks, it became clear it was a radical islamic terrorist group known as Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, who was harboring under the hospitality of the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to Britannica. Bush immediately declared the terrorists be turned over, but the Taliban refused. This led to 20 year occupation of Afghanistan as the U.S. fought the Taliban for Afghanistan, gained control, and killed Bin Laden along with prominent figures from Al Qaeda such as Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who later succeeded Bin Laden.

Under Barack Obama’s presidency, troop numbers in Afghanistan were at their highest until 2011 when Bin Laden was killed, according to Aljazeera. Since then, troop numbers have been decreasing under the remaining term of Obama and during Donald Trump’s presidency. 

Fast forward to 2021, Joe Biden is inaugurated and halfway through his first year of his presidency, Afghanistan is in a relative state of stability. Previously, Trump had made a deal with the Taliban, which stated the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan would go from the current 2,500 troops to be increased until the stable Afghan government was ready to function on its own. In turn, the Taliban would be upheld to no longer harbor terrorist groups and not make any disruptions against the Afghan government.

The problem with the government is the way they pulled out of Afghanistan, not because they pulled out of Afghanistan. There were mixed opinions on the response on whether the U.S. should have pulled troops from Afghanistan or not. According to pew research, a large majority (71%) of Americans say the Biden administration has done a poor job, while only 26% say that Biden has done a good job. In the past 20 years, a total of $83 billion has been spent on the war in Afghanistan according to Forbes. Under the current political leadership, the troops were pulled out of Afghanistan all at once with no plan, leaving behind an estimated $10 billion in military equipment, according to Maine Wire. 

Quoted from Maine Wire, house congressman and veteran Jim Banks (Republican, Indiana) states

“The Taliban now has more Black Hawk helicopters than 85% of the countries in the world…But it’s not just weapons. They have night vision goggles, body armor, and unbelievably, the Taliban now has biometric devices which have the fingerprints, eye scans and biographical information of all of the Afghans who helped us and were on our side over the last 20 years. There is no plan by the administration to get those weapons back. There is no plan to account for any of this equipment or these weapons.” 

It is important to remember the money left behind came directly from the tax dollars of the American people. Even worse, there are 9,000 Americans who were left behind in Afghanistan according to the DailyWire, because the Taliban are not allowing them to leave, not counting the green card holders. Some Afghans were so desperate to evacuate they were climbing aboard moving airplanes to escape rather than take their chances with the Taliban.

Anyone who is associated with the United States who is stuck in Afghanistan will be tortured for information and murdered. Millions of women and children will be put into sex slavery. They will also live under Sharia law, which prohibits women from free speech and limits them to the house and covered, often having little control over their lives, according to mwcoaliltion. It is difficult to watch a supposedly kind pro-civil rights administration allow this law to be implemented on these women. This doing was directly from the decisions of Joe Biden, who went against the advice of his generals to pull the troops out without any plan, according to Politico.

America looks weak and divided. Now, Russia has moved on Ukraine, and the west has done little to react. The western sanctions have not stopped Vladimir Putin from advancing. China is eyeing Taiwan, and will look to expand into the south-east pacific isles. Iran is becoming more aggressive against Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden and the democratic party has to reassert control of their foreign policy or else they will be completely wiped in the midterms and eventually 2024. 

The conclusion is simple. America cannot be soft on foreign policy issues. They have to show that America is a strong nation that is worth respecting and fearing, and not viewed as a “paper tiger.” 

Let me be clear, all of the American soldiers in Afghanistan fought with honor and admirability, and there is no blame among them in their efforts over the last 20 years. The nation thanks them for their service and what they have achieved. 

The war in Afghanistan was not a complete waste. America was able to track and kill Bin Laden and the other terrorists in Al Qaeda from the attacks of 9/11. Afghanistan found peace for a time without harboring of any terrorists that could cause significant damage to Afghanistan or the US. 

It is unfortunate how the debacle in Afghanistan ended. But it is even more unfortunate if it continues to happen in other U.S. allied countries in which there are far greater consequences. This makes it essential that the US reevaluate how we handle foreign policy and how we present ourselves to both our allies and our enemies.