President Joe Biden was adamant early this month when he aimed to convince the American people and the world that there was nothing left for the US to do in Afghanistan and the time had come to end the 20-year war, in which Al-Qaeda’s bases in the country were destroyed and its leader Osama bin Laden killed in Pakistan, leaving a heavy weight on the shoulders of the weak Afghan government.
“The United States did what we went to do in Afghanistan: To get the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and to deliver justice to Osama bin Laden, and to degrade the terrorist threat to keep Afghanistan from becoming a base from which attacks could be continued against the United States. We achieved those objectives. That is why we went,” Biden stated from the White House.
As per Biden’s orders, US forces have largely deserted their bases in Afghanistan two months ahead of the set deadline, ignoring the growing concerns of the US intelligence community about the future of the country and the shape of the government that will oversee the war-torn nation. Despite the warnings of several military commanders, politicians and terrorism experts that the Afghan government will not be able to limit the growing influence of the Taliban without the backing of American firepower, Biden is leaving the matter to the Afghans.
For months, high-level representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban have been holding talks in the Qatari capital Doha in an attempt to find a peaceful solution and shape the political future of the country, but no progress has been made. However, the radical Islamist movement, which once provided a haven for Bin Laden, is moving rapidly and has taken control of more than a third of Afghanistan’s 407 districts, displacing more than 270,000 people since January.
In the meantime, Taliban fighters are tightening their grip on the outer edges of Kabul, waiting for the right moment to confront the Afghan security forces. Some regular troops have already surrendered to the radical group in different areas around the country.
After 20 years, a trillion dollars spent and 2,448 dead and 20,722 wounded US soldiers, the Taliban have won.
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