EDITORIAL: US abandoning Afghans sends terrible message
America withdraws, having done little to secure the safety of those who co-operated with it
15 August 2021 - 15:54
In less than two months, it will be two decades since the US invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks. The invasion came after the Taliban government ignored an ultimatum to hand over the Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was accused of plotting the attacks.
When then US president George W Bush sent US troops into Afghanistan, aided by enthusiastic supporters such as the UK and others coerced by his “either you are with us or against us” rhetoric, few would have imagined that it would last 20 years. The initial purpose, toppling the Taliban, took less than two months. ..
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