There are no longer any U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.
But mark my words: U.S. forces will one day return to this war-torn nation. Perhaps sooner than we expect. The U.S. withdrawal has already created a power vacuum that will be utilized by al Qaeda, ISIS, China, Russia, and Iran.
It’s a prospective haven from which to plot another 9/11. Contrary to what the Biden administration claims, the United States will have a weak over-the-horizon capability. Presence is necessary to gather intelligence to target terrorist threats. Moreover, with billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment, the Taliban have the means to dominate the country. We will soon see a return to the 1990s when women and others were oppressed. Our allies face a dire fate.
What will we do?
Sanctions on the Taliban should be increased to the maximum. Humanitarian and other assistance to Afghanistan must not be handled by Pakistan or the Taliban but rather by a trustworthy third party. The U.S. should also attempt to rescue the remaining Americans and Afghan allies. Of course, this will be a lot harder now that the U.S. military has departed.
The notion of “endless wars” is a farce. What is endless is America under threat. In Afghanistan, that threat is about to grow exponentially. Soon, we’ll be forced to return.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
