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

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What we learned is the Taliban ideology of Sharia Law is the Center of Gravity. Ideology can be impossible to break.

I say we need to get educated about why this happened in the first place. Why did 9/11 happen? OBL literally told us. So go read what he said. It's because he saw our bombs dropped on Lebanon in 1982 and he wanted to do the same to us. I was born a decade after that war even happened--still, I want to know the truth. Iraq happened because Israel didn't like a strong neighbor. That's all it was. I want truth. Not to bathe in lies and "hasbara." Please read, folks. Look up "john perkins confessions of an economic hitman."

Why we try to fix countries that have nothing to offer us as a country. Every time we "fix" these places, they become our enemy. We do repetitive wars expecting different results. Our politicians don't seem to get it

I didn’t serve in Afghanistan I retired before I got a chance. But I have lots of buddies who did. And it really hits home when u see ur fellow vets feeling down because of such shameful act. But in the end it’s not up to us to dictate policy. But it is up to us to vote out the incompetent politicians in Washington.

It is extremely frustrating to see just how far the 'far left' 'snowflake' mentality has taken our foreign policy. In order to appease the noisey micro minority, and the similarly minded media, we've allowed a foul up of colossal proportions to take place. I cannot place the blame anywhere except on the senior leadership of the govt's bending to this clearly naive group of people who, I am assuming, have never been in the 'real world'. It disgusts me.

I can never get a good grasp on what to call the Dem's worst atrocity. Do we call it Hillary Clinton's lack of response in Benghazi? Or perhaps Biden's withdrawal from the region, leaving not just very valuable equipment behind for the enemies to seize, but also our personnel?! Is this to be our modern-day Bay of Pigs?

Our troops are trained well. And for the most part, they are equipped well. Our troops have our allegiance, our faith, and our moral doctrine to back up upon. But I ask: Do the Afghans? Will they rally to their own defense? Will they fight for their own Independence Day? Will they fight for their freedoms, against their own tyrannical oppressors? Or will they wallow back down into their old lifestyles, hoping another Hero will come save them, while not becoming their own heroes by fighting for themselves?

We fought alongside many of them for many years. Hopefully they will now continue their own fight. If Democracy doesn't succeed over there after we leave, at least we can honestly say that it wasn't becuase of our lack of assistance.

Sorry to say your feelings don't mean nothing.

[Author's note: I had originally replied to SSG Madden's post in October, 2021. He had asked me to add it to this discussion post, and I am only now just responding. My apologies for the belatedness.]

It's a tragedy and a travesty both at the same time. We don't have a lot to show for 20 years of irregular and asymmetrical conflict in a place that's rightfully known as the Graveyard of Empires. Did we do some good there? We certainly did. Do we need to change some business practices and do some serious soul-searching before we engage in any further, open-ended, ill-defined conflicts? Yes, we absolutely need to do that. It in no way, however, diminishes the sacrifices and service of the men and women, both in and out of uniform, have contended with over the last two decades.

The ANA were garbage. No real discipline. Barely soldiers. Afghanistan has always been a tribal nation & will always be it. They probably will never be a democratic nation. But the events that happened that day are a betrayal to everyone that served & gave their lives there.
A planned withdrawal I think we all could have lived with. Not leaving civilians there. Brining out our allies that helped us. Those things should have been done. Then we could have left. All done without the loss of life.