Next month, the military will complete its withdrawal from the so-called Imperial cemeteryAfter the longest war in U.S. history–and Trillions of dollars Spent, thousands of troops Be killed, Tens of thousands of Afghans were killed.

The initial mission was to defeat bin Laden and Al Qaeda, who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, and the Taliban regime that sheltered them, which evolved into a bloody counter-insurgency and chaotic nation-building exercise.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was a question that Bin Laden bragged many years ago: Is it worth it?

Afghanistan may return to the shocking historical date of September 11, 2001-once again under the rule of oppressive theocratic rulers, once again asylum Al-Qaeda.

Taliban fighters are devouring new parts of the country every day, approaching cities, closing schools, and re-imposing strict rules on women.

Al Qaeda still exists. Although 2020 protocol With the Trump administration, in which the Taliban promised not to receive groups threatening the security of the United States, recently UN report Said that Al Qaeda has hundreds of fighters in Taliban-controlled areas in 12 provinces.

Now, those Afghans who risk their lives to work for the United States, Canada, and coalition forces are living in terror.

Taliban militants control towns and highways

Some of them described in an interview with CBC News that when Taliban militants occupied towns and highways and set up road checkpoints, gunfire came from the outskirts of Kabul.

A man who worked as a Canadian military contractor in the construction industry said he had been targeted before. He said that a few years ago, he was knocked down by two motorcyclists and one of them cut his throat with a knife.

The man who asked to be identified by his nickname said he was lucky to survive. He stumbled into his parents’ house, his neck bleeding. He said he waited a few hours before going to the hospital because he was afraid of being seen on the street.

He said that people know that he can speak English, many people know that he works for foreigners, and that if the Taliban occupy Kabul, where he lives, he thinks he is dead.

“It’s horrible. It’s close to the city,” he said of the fighting of the insurgents.

“I’m scared. Everyone is scared.”

Another translator named Canadian Jobs asked to call him Gino for security reasons. He said that Taliban fighters killed one of his friends a few days ago.. Gino said they entered the house and shot him in front of his wife and parents.

Another interpreter, who asked to be called Kohistany, said that anecdotes he heard from contacts outside of Kabul showed that the Taliban were as cruel as they were in the 1990s, or worse.

Frightened Canadian allies plead for help to leave

He said that friends who had left the city reported seeing the Taliban everywhere, setting up checkpoints, controlling travel, and attacking political opponents.

As a result, he said that he was locked in the house.

“We are like people arrested at home. Like prisoners,” he said.

“This is a very, very bad situation…. They killed the pilots, judges, NATO employees… No matter what was in front of them, they would kill.”

Ottawa Say It is developing a plan to evacuate former employees in Canada as soon as possible. But the interpreter working for the Canadian Army said that time is running out.

The Taliban seize the country’s important export point

The Taliban have already evacuated from the country by land from an important exit point: at Spin Boldak, an important border crossing with Pakistan, where the Taliban was there this week The flag is raised.

Kochstanni said that if Kabul Airport falls into the hands of the Taliban, they will be trapped. Gino said he was worried that any plan would come too late.

“I saved their lives,” he said of the Canadian military.

“I worked 24 hours [a day] For them…now they have left us behind. “

Canada does have an immigration plan Ten years ago Its Afghan employees, but some choose to stay in their home country, hoping that the situation will get better.

The grim reality now brings pain not only to Afghanistan, but also to the international soldiers who fought, wounded and witnessed the death of their friends there.

It communicates in a sad way information This week comes from Canada’s Acting Chief of Defense Staff Wayne Al. He cited the trauma of witnessing the fall of a particular area in Kandahar, and the frustrating realization that unlike Canadian veterans in past wars, they can visit and enjoy seeing the progress of Europe and South Korea. This generation of veterans may never Will not experience this. joy.

A note he posted on Twitter lists places where soldiers and their families can get help if they are struggling mentally or emotionally because of the news.

So, is it worth it?

The problem is, when you talk to Afghans who have worked for international organizations, they will tell you yes, although it is worth remembering that the English-speaking staff of international organizations is by no means a representative sample of Afghanistan’s overall demographics.

What achievements have been made, what are the dangers

Education enrollment Multiply by% Of Girl in school Leap from a trickle to a powerful majority.Some women go Go to university.

Thousands of teacher Trained.youth literacy rate An increase of 20% in ten years. the Internet The number of visits has increased, but it is still the lowest in the world.

The sheriff said that his own sister is studying medicine at the university. Gino said it was wrong to call the whole task a waste.

“This is completely wrong,” Gino said.

“When you compare Afghanistan with 20 years ago, there are many changes…. You say its name and you will see it [has changed].”

But the school is disappearing.

Several interviewees said that when the Taliban occupy an area, they will give instructions through announcements or verbal instructions at community meetings: schools must be closed, women must stay at home, and men must grow beards.

Gino said that the rebels closed a school run by his family.

“They destroyed everything in the school… they burned down the files. They shot at the computers and chairs,” he said. “ended.”

When asked if the girls would return to those closed classrooms soon, he said: “Impossible.”

Is it worth it?

The decision to invade in 2001 received strong support from the United States. The country has just suffered a catastrophic attack, and the Afghan government is providing shelter for its attackers.

The United States quickly expelled the Taliban and then sought nation-building—this part is crucial—it shifted its focus and resources to war with Iraq’s never-discovered weapons of mass destruction.

In this sense, the United States gave Bin Laden a gift beyond his dreams: He tried to drag the United States into a tricky battle, but the United States gave him two games.

The sheriff said that another mistake was that the United States waited too long to negotiate with the Taliban. He said that when they are weaker and less influential, they should be drawn into political negotiations earlier.

Afghan institutions remain weak.

The Afghans described their dissatisfaction with their government. They complain about rampant corruption—the need to pay someone a bribe to obtain basic services, such as printing ID cards or obtaining construction permits.

“People hate the government,” Gino said.

“In Afghanistan, you can’t just say’hello’ without paying.”

However, he and several others interviewed expressed anger at the way U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew—almost no consultation with the government; provisional notice; no plan to prevent the Taliban from taking over; and no concerns about funding and training the Taliban in Pakistan Of people cause no consequences.

U.S. withdrawal makes the country more vulnerable

Bill Roggio, senior editor and editor of Afghanistan’s Long War Magazine, said it was like watching a house of cards collapse—the Americans withdrew, exposing the fragility of the building.

He said: “According to current trends, the Afghan government is lucky to survive this summer.”

“It’s that bad.”

As for whether the entire exercise is worthwhile, he said it is difficult to answer this question directly. He said that the United States needs to drive bin Laden out after 9/11. He called the effort to establish the system noble.

But they performed poorly, he said, and ultimately failed.

Can Afghanistan once again become a hotbed of terrorism?

Roggio expects Al Qaeda and other organizations to use it for training and planning. He said that the United States has much less intelligence about what is happening on the ground.

Impact on the home court

The war not only changed Afghanistan, but also shaped the United States.Americans have Not very interested Now it is exporting democracy.

They are tired of conflict, Happy to leave.

It leaves a loophole for families and communities that have lost soldiers.it has Traumatized There are thousands more.

with Extreme militia At home doing exactly the same things they did afterwards Vietnam War — They want to recruit veterans to join their ranks.

Bin Laden boasted that it was the cost Only 500,000 USD Funding the 9/11 conspiracy. Since then, the United States has spent hundreds of thousands of times in Afghanistan alone.

Is it worth it?

We cannot ask Bin Laden, the leader who attacked New York and Washington twenty years ago.

He has been Dead for many years. He still haunts us.