A falling capital’s final hours: Fear, havoc, and gridlock — then eerie silence...
In Kabul, hunkering down and fearing the worst as the Afghan capital changes hands…. The war in Afghanistan has spanned the administrations of presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump…. Bush was president in 2001 when he ordered the invasion of the country, a short time after the Sept. 11 attacks. Members of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, took responsibility for the attack. They trained in Afghanistan, where the U.S. alleged the Taliban provided them sanctuary….The US invasion of Afghanistan became the first phase of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present). US President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and expel al-Qaeda; bin Laden had already been wanted by the FBI since 1998…. Research by Brown University estimates losses in the Afghan security forces at 69,000. It puts the number of civilians and militants killed at about 51,000 each. More than 3,500 coalition soldiers have died since 2001 - about two-thirds of them Americans. More than 20,000 US soldiers have been injured…. As of April, the U.S. has spent $2.261 trillion on the war in Afghanistan, according to the Costs of War project housed at Brown University's Watson Institute and Boston University's Pardee Center. (GOOGLE Search)
I am not a Military Professional. I am not a Politician. I am not a Huge Corporation producing articles made to wage war. I am not a Historian. I am not a Pacifist. I am not a War Monger. I am not an Afghani Civilian. I am not hiding from the Taliban. I am not a Militant. I am not Bankrolling a war for profit. None of these PARTICULARS identify me. All of these PARTICULARS, however, concern me, worry me, and beg more questions from me.
3 presidents, 20 sessions of Congress all invested somehow in exerting American Exceptionalism overseas, exhibiting American Patriotic actions, enacting Democratic principles, and the honest question must be asked, EXACTLY for what? Many more questions I must ask/ How many of the political leadership of the last 3 presidents, and 20 sessions of Congress have felt the weight of war on their physical selves and the duress on their mental selves? Of those who profited from the War in Afghanistan, how many of those have felt more than the pangs of a winning or losing BOTTOM LINE? How many of those initiating war, have ever served in a war zone, in a battle, had to ever run for their lives, watch the lives of those they love either suffer or die? I am not judgmental, because I too have NEVER felt the sweat, the sweltering singe of rot and ruin, running for my life, staring into doom that war can bring. But with 3500 dead Troops, 20,000 injured troops, and over 51,000 Afghani’s dead, as a HUMAN I must ask and ask WHY AND WHAT FOR!
