There are many definitions of winning. Most don’t apply to Afghanistan which is not really a nation, but a series of cities and small towns in a land called “Afghanistan. They are united in only a couple things - producing heroin as a cash crop; tribal and/or religious cult ruling and competing groups; many wanting to live in the 18th century, and a few more modern people who actually want an education, an end for female genital mutilation, for religious tolerance, an end to the fighting, no Islamic extremist domination, and a real peace.
If there is any country that can be designed not only a “failed state” but a religious extremist shithole, it is Afghanistan and they carry a curse that is both ancient and deadly.
The best we can do is to try and cripple the leadership of the worst groups and bring the survivors to a conference table where the country can be divided up among the contestants.
We had a successful program going on like that in Iraq until Obama surrendered and took out stabilizing forces out.
Afghanistan is much worse but to abandon them now would be like what the Democrats did to Cambodia and Laos, not to mention SVN, in 1973-75. And you know how many decent people were murdered in the ensuing Communist genocide and slave labor camps.
We need to unleash our air force on the Taliban and Haqanni network, reducing their strongholds to dust regardless of civilian casualties. Then, and only then, is there a slight chance of some kind of peace coming to that poor country.