Beltway Confidential

We don’t need troops in Afghanistan to keep us safe from terrorism

By Daniel DePetris
Published August 15, 2019 6:20pm ET
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We don’t need troops in Afghanistan to keep us safe from terrorism
This June 10, 2017 photo provided by Operation Resolute Support, U.S. Soldiers with Task Force Iron maneuver an M-777 howitzer, so it can be towed into position at Bost Airfield, Afghanistan. Sixteen years into its longest war, the United States is sending another 4,000 troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to turn around a conflict characterized by some of the worst violence since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. They are also facing the emergence of an Islamic State group affiliate and an emboldened Taliban, who by Washington’s own watchdog’s assessment now control nearly half of Afghanistan. | (Sgt. Justin Updegraff/AP)

The United States is closer than ever before to withdrawing from Afghanistan and putting this 18-year, $841 billion misadventure behind us.

The framework of a potential deal has been well-known for quite some time: In exchange for the removal of American and other foreign troops, the Taliban would ensure Afghanistan doesn’t represent a terrorist threat to the American people. Taliban leaders would also sit down with other Afghan stakeholders for comprehensive talks on the political future of the country and agree to a cease-fire (or at least a significant reduction in violence). The details have been the subject of intensive negotiations for weeks.

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Tag:

Afghanistan Al Qaeda China Iran Russia Terrorism War in Afghanistan