Dear editor,
It has occurred to me that violence happening during the withdrawal of U.S. service personnel from Afghanistan is as trying for the Taliban as it has for the U.S., other than perhaps the deaths of Afghan citizens who supported and aided of our time in-country.
The Taliban is eager for the U.S. to leave the country and certainly wouldn’t want to retard that exodus. Meanwhile, for the U.S. military to remain any longer would be a misstep. After 20 years of trying to train and adequately equip Afghanistan forces, the events of the past few weeks (days) have proved that noble effort’s failure. Afghan forces melted away the minute our support waned, and doing anymore would be a foolish waste of our resources and put an unnecessary burden, perhaps a deadly one, on men and women in our military.
Unfortunate it is that we haven’t accomplished more, but at some point — now seems appropriate — we have to let go.
I am distressed by the untimely deaths of the 13 American service personnel and those who died previously, and the many Afghans, but risking greater losses is foolhardy.
I know President Joe Biden is catching the dickens for what has happened, but the buck does stop in the Oval Office. However, I doubt that another president would have been able to extract our forces without turmoil.
Bashing him — or anyone else in authority — has become a disgustingly favorite game of the national media, and the multitude of internet sources that are able to spew whatever their users wish without fear of being taken to task.
Bob Johnson
Humboldt, Kan.
