What are we even doing in Afghanistan?

What the heck are we doing in Afghanistan right now?

I ask this very important question because President Donald Trump’s senior advisers are proposing sending thousands of additional US troops there so they can “start winning” again, according to one official who spoke with The Washington Post.

That would be great if the word “winning” could be defined.

Let’s put this into perspective: Since October 2001, the United States has had a military presence in Afghanistan.

Over nearly 16 years of war, more than 2,200 service members have been killed, and more than 20,000 have been wounded. We have spent almost $1 trillion there.

We have paid a heavy price for a loosely defined end.

After 9/11, we went into Afghanistan to root out Al Qaeda and the Taliban so we could deny them a safe haven. But in 2004, when I was on the ground as a US Marine, the job I was given was a simpler one: drive around in the hope you get shot at. That’s how we found the enemy.

A reality check

For years, we have been offered rosy assessments from the military’s top commanders in Afghanistan. Gen. John Abizaid said in 2005 that “interesting progress” had been made.

 

Read the whole story from Business Insider.

Featured image courtesy of Reuters