Well, most are at any rate.
ISAR wrapped up its flag, held a ceremony, declared success and left. About 13,000 soldiers (mostly American) remain in the country to Operation Resolute Success but this looks a lot like the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.
I guess we should be happy that it did not look like Saigon in 1975....
Declare victory and go home is usually an admission of failure.
Afghanistan is a place that simply does not work for anyone--Afghans included. US and Soviet military forces proved impossible to defeat but if the people are not with you, then the opposition simply has to wait you out. Afghanistan has nothing but time.
Will the Taliban sweep back into power? If so, does the US go back in? If so, what is the objective?
The original plan back in 2001was to toss out the Taliban, set up a friendly government, and leave. The only US forces there would be Special Forces running around at night hitting the Taliban, making sure it does not recollect. It was kind of like stirring up pond water so mosquitoes don't lay eggs.
Somewhere along the line, "mission creep", as usual, showed up with 140,000 NATO troops (mostly American, as usual) determined to create Jeffersonian democracy in a place that was barely out of the seventh century.
Maybe it works. It probably won't. Hopefully, Afghanistan keeps its insanity to itself.
Good buy and good riddance to it.
If someone wants to order US forces back into that nuthouse, make sure they are on the leading edge.
I bet they will think twice.
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