What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement?

This was going to happen. All signs pointed to it. It is very similar to Vietnam. Bottom line, the US spent billions on the Afghan defense. We lost lives. Yet in the end the Afghan defense ran away. They did not want to fight. They wanted the US to continue to do it for them. We cannot continue to be the forces for every country out there. Afghan is now facing the ramifications for their worthless defense forces. It is a shame it happened, yet they have nothing to cry about. They did not care enough to defend their own country, well then you lose it.

No nation has ever won against the Taliban

*** AND remember this, it was the USA that armed and trained the Taliban.

God bless our brothers and sisters! I wish I was there Help!

fuck this president

Unfortunately, we can't give the Afghan army what we paid for, trained and built, which is the size of Germany's, France's, or Italy's army; we cannot give them the will to fight for their own freedom... We tried for 20 years. Of course, we should always love, respect, and support out troops, but there is nothing they can accomplish in Afghanistan except to continue doing the job we trained the Afghans to do, which they won't do. They don't want it bad enough to fight for it, but they will take it if we continue to fight for it for them.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings. I've been there twice. The first time I was told I was going to fight the Taliban. The second, I was told I was assisting in getting the Afghans ready to defend their land. I've lost friends in that country, part of it feels like it was for nothing. But I tell myself the work I did there was for those Afghans who want to fight and protect their land.

From a political standpoint it's more complex to me. Of course 20 years is way too long. After our objective of going after those responsible for 9-11 we established an occupying presence in the country. I don't fully blame Biden, I blame Trump, Obama, Bush, and their administrations. Western Politicians ignore the fact that regions like the Middle East operate a little different and they can't just put puppet presidents in and think democracy will spring up overnight. There was also the MIC that had a hand in stretching out the last two decades.

I definitely see parallels between Saigon and Kabul, not to take anything away from what Vietnam Era troops experienced. I also see a future where other groups will refuse to work with us seeing as how we left a lot of those who will face death for working with the Americans.

Yes, it's their country and they need to defend it. Yes, we've spent billions in that war. Yes, we've lost way too many lives there. But I think the withdrawal could've happened so much better.

The noises of outside my room. I am surprise they have room with the space my internal thoughts are taking. I think of those sleep to never be awaken. There lives taken. One by natural means with the earthquake in Haiti and the other by force in Afghanistan. In the end, it is just life gone in my mind, too soon. And, as days march on, there will be lives saved not a moment too soon but mostly there will be death. I think of that as I try to sleep. Praying my thoughts won’t keep, replaying death. Hoping to find meaning of all this death. Found none yet.

It’s gone on to long and to many have died for a people that we couldn’t trust from the civilians to the Afghan President. This was negotiated and they didn’t keep there word. There’s no surprise there. Our President did the right thing. It’s over!

Brings back memories of the 75 pullout from the Embassy in Saigon. I'm feeling for the Afghan people

Flew many an airlift downrange to Afghanistan carrying in troops and supplies. I was initially supportive of the mission to eradicate the Taliban and eliminate Osama Bin Laden. I often believed that once OBL was eliminated, the mission should have ended and withdraw our force. Any student of history realizes that while Pakistan supported the Taliban (permitting cross border access and safe havens, much like Cambodia/Laos with the NVA), the Taliban could sustain its operations indefinitely. A mission that put it all in perspective for me was an MEDIVAC mission I flew transporting a 28-year old 10th SFG sniper from Bagram with a fatal head wound back to Landsthul, Germany so his parents could be with him during his final moments. It was at that moment I knew the mission was more for the Contractors ($28.00 cases of water) and Flag-rank leadership punching their ticket for the next promotion. Regrettable waste of blood and treasure!

I will echo the sentiment that this was the inevitable result of a full withdrawal without having first secured the trust of the populace. We are not unique in our ability to create our own enemies, but we seem oddly blind to it much of the time.