why did we spend 20 years and even one Americans life in this perpetual war zone?
On 9/12/01, we should have pulled every page from the William T. Sherman playbook, punitively levelled their centers of government with massive B-52, B-1 and B-2 strikes, salted the poppy fields and been done with it.
Joe - in my opinion we started off good. very good.
The USA in 2001 was supported by literally everyone in getting rid of the Taliban and destroying Al Qaeda.
This went off the rails in 2003 by starting the Iraq war II. That diverted resources - we should have invaded Pakistan and killed Osama at that point.
If we had done THAT then
1. No Osama, Al Qaeda headless and destroyed
2. No Saddam gone, leaving a vacuum for both the Sunni Islamic state and the expansion of Iranian power
3. Saudi Arabia focused on Iraq and Iran, with no money to spend on the slaughter in Yemen or sponsoring global fundamentalism (including the Taliban).
4. No dimocrat “we will stop the wars” - so no Obama (or Biden).
Really - in 2002, the USA liberated people in Afghanistan from a horrific regime. we did GOOD, we were loved.
We should have split Afghanistan into its constituent parts (Tajiks to Tajikistan, Uzbeks to Uzbekistan, Hazaras and folks in the west to Iran and let the Pashtuns merge with their ethnic compatriots in Pakistan’s NWFP).
and then LEFT in 2004/2005.
But we got caught in political games.
Deep State’s orders. Military Industrial Complex obliged.