We are out of Afghanistan

[jbartle1]

After 20 years, equipment de-militarized, all military gone.

[Topspinmo]

And I hope we learned another valuable lesson again? Don’t get into to these useless never ending wars where people won’t fight for their country or even want us in their country. IMO we never should of set foot in Afghanistan, Iraq, or VN. Also IMO not one American life was worth it. Course, when I was young and dumb I believed all the B_s indoctrinated in me while I was in military for 20 years.

[manaboutown]

Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban'''s new U.S.-made war chest | Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/planes-guns-night-vision-goggles-talibans-new-us-made-war-chest-2021-08-19/)

[tvbound]

Mixed emotions. While almost 2,400 brave American heroes lost their lives in the last 20 years there, as even the Brit's and Russian's found out before us, there is no way to "defeat" a country that really isn't a country - but just a lot of individual warlord fiefdoms. As a reminder, our original reason for going there in the first place was to go after Al Qaeda which planned and accomplished the attacks on 9/11. From that perspective, we were successful and those lost lives - were not in vain.

However, since Al Qaeda operated with the implicit support of the 'old Taliban,' we'll just have to see if ISIS (of some sort) or another similar terrorist group is able to eventually do the same with this supposedly new Taliban. The ONLY other option to leaving, was to stay there forever and continue to lose our brave men and women - in perpetuity.

[Velvet]

I can’t tell you how happy I am about this. I know I’m a bit selfish, but our plein air painting group in Hawaii has a member who was deployed 5 times to Afghanistan. He went back even when his son was born. When we asked why, he said he sent his men out and they sometimes returned badly injured or with missing limbs. He could not leave these people behind.

Stress was very high where his group was. He got most of them to paint the Afghani sky and landscape to relax. We would send so much art supply to his troop that he finally had to ask us to stop. Now he is back in Hawaii! Finally.

[golfing eagles]

After 20 years, equipment de-militarized, all military gone.

Or rather, OUR military gone, Taliban and ISIS remain. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

[MrFlorida]

Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Will we ever learn ?

[billethkid]

The rhetoric allows stating we met an arbitrary date.
We will see in the coming days if we are really out.

[BoatRatKat]

Technically we left Americans and a our allies behind. The American government refuses to let any one help. They left behind the service dogs to starve in cages! This is a national disgrace! The Taliban was given names of all the people who helped and the Americans. May God protect them.
Agreed, an absolute disgrace!

[Villages Kahuna]

We should have learned from history. Since the 1800’s the English tried unsuccessfully to occupy Afghanistan three different times, the French and Russians once each, and now our long and expensive attempt costing incredible blood and treasure.

Afghanistan has been returned to harsh, brutal Islamic rule. As one Taliban commander once said, Our invaders always have more weapons and money but they always forget—we have more time.

[SacDQ]

After 20 years, equipment de-militarized, all military gone.

I suggest everyone read the portion below of of Dwight D Eisenhower’s speech on the influence and control of the Military complex.


Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

[Billy1]

Praise the Lord, we are out of Afghanistan, God is good.

[lwmilo]

And I hope we learned another valuable lesson again? Don’t get into to these useless never ending wars where people won’t fight for their country or even want us in their country. IMO we never should of set foot in Afghanistan, Iraq, or VN. Also IMO not one American life was worth it. Course, when I was young and dumb I believed all the B_s indoctrinated in me while I was in military for 20 years.

Amen brother....Namvet 1968

[TNLAKEPANDA]

I don’t believe the equipment was de-militarized. We can no longer believe everything we are told. Why the hell did they leave all that equipment behind in the first place??? Terrible decision by our Government!

[nob77@comcast.net]

Here we go……

[Lindsyburnsy]

I’ve heard all this debunked BS on Fox News. They are not a news organization.Technically we left Americans and a our allies behind. The American government refuses to let any one help. They left behind the service dogs to starve in cages! This is a national disgrace! The Taliban was given names of all the people who helped and the Americans. May God protect them.

[mk1126]

Yes, but why did it take so long to make the move to get out?

[Luggage]

We had fought the war differently? Or we had pulled out 10 years prior after killing bin laden? Another so what I have is did we really stop terrorism for the last 20 years only the FBI and CIA will truly know that. Lastly we keep several hundred thousand troops in Japan, and Europe to stop aggression from Russia and China. If we had kept 5 10 or 20,000 troops in Afghanistan would it have been so bad? Of course I feel sorry for those that have died overseas but I'm just asking the question. The US is going in and then pulled out of many places after some casualties but we are the so-called police of the world as the UN does very little. Remember we have not had world war 3 in 70 years specifically because we have kept troops everywhere else. Perhaps the terrible price we paid is the thousands of young men who have died in Afghanistan keeping us safe for 20 years stopping terrorism in its tracks

[Luggage]

Plus it's estimated we had spent $2 trillion dollars over 20 years fighting this war. I wonder how many schools we could have built or lower our taxes

[Dana1963]

Be assured that our Military Industrial Corporate interest is already working covertly to reestablish a supply chain to service Afganistan to turn a buck

[MDLNB]

So, once again a civilian lead war has failed. Didn't we learn from Vietnam that civilians should not make military strategy? One thing they should know is that when we enter a war, there are victims that suffer and the enemy profits, even if they lose the war. And they do not seem to lose wars against us anymore. Notice how well countries do after we leave (retreat) with our tails between our legs? Just look at the countries' economies we were at war with, and how well they are doing now. Look at how much money we have invested in war that we will never get back. Not to mention the young we have lost.
Next time, and there is always a next time, let the military make war decisions and just equip them to do their jobs. Keep the bureaucrats out of it. The wars will be shorter and more successful. Sure, our bureaucrats will not become as rich if we have shorter wars, but maybe we won't lose as much in the form of young and our treasures.

[MDLNB]

Plus it's estimated we had spent $2 trillion dollars over 20 years fighting this war. I wonder how many schools we could have built or lower our taxes
Guess we will find out soon, with the next multi-trillion dollar budget.

[Larchap49]

After 20 years, equipment de-militarized, all military gone.

I also am glad we are out but I dare not say what I think about the process and result. God Bless America and the ones left behind

[fastboat]

We should have learned from history. Since the 1800’s the English tried unsuccessfully to occupy Afghanistan three different times, the French and Russians once each, and now our long and expensive attempt costing incredible blood and treasure.

Afghanistan has been returned to harsh, brutal Islamic rule. As one Taliban commander once said, Our invaders always have more weapons and money but they always forget—we have more time.

That's the key. We think of the future in terms of weeks, months or even years. These Muslim barbarians think of the future in terms of decades and centuries. They don't give a damn how long it takes, just who's standing at the end.

[Rooklift]

The Equipment was not demilitarized. Your statement is NOT TRUE.

[Don Ferguson]

Whether we should be in Afghanistan is a valid and debatable subject.

However, the national shame is in the manner in which we left. Even our greatest ally, Great Britain formally held our President "in contempt" for the "catastrophic" and "shameful" way we did this. (Unanimous by the British Parliament August 18th) It was the worst military exercise in the history of our country.

I am a retired Army Officer, and I can assure you that a first year Girl Scout would have made better decisions than our politicians that now occupy General Officer billets, as well as the incompetent civilians now in our chain-of-command!

[jbrown132]

Over the last 20 months we had not lost a single soldier in combat as we had transitioned to a support role. It is not how long we are there but what we have to do to keep us safe at the lowest possible cost. This is why we still have soldiers is South Korea, Germany and other areas around the world. We forget for political expediency that we may not be at war with radical Islam but they are at war with us. I’m afraid it will only be a matter of time before we have to go back. I keep seeing the comments about Viet Nam and Iraq. For those who fought in Viet Nam we forget that war essentially won after the Tet Offensive, and Iraq was stable. It was when the politicians got involved that both went to h—.

[Moderator]

We're still amazed at how many people don't understand the no politics rule. We've deleted about 20 posts. Thread closed.

Moderator