Afghanistan: Why Are We Still There?

The United States has now been militarily involved in Afghanistan for more than ten years.  The original purpose was to eliminate the Al-Qaeda presence there and to overthrow the ruling regime, peopled by the Taliban movement and a supplier of sanctuary to Al-Qaeda.  Well, the Taliban has been out of power for ten years and Al-Qaeda is most likely much more active in other countries like Yemen and Somalia.  Osama bin Laden was assassinated a year ago...not in Afghanistan, but in Pakistan, where he was enjoying protected sanctuary by the military there.  You know, our "allies".  So why are we still hanging around there?

I believe that there is a school of thought within our defense and intelligence communities that sees occupation of foreign territories in itself as a positive benefit for our national interests.  This train of thought presumes that if we left Afghanistan, then a "vacuum of power" would open up and forces hostile to our interests would quickly replace us there, causing all sorts of problems.  On the other hand, what actually might happen is that the place would revert back to being essentially ignored in the international scheme of things.

The United States may withdraw most of its military presence from Afghanistan in the near future, but it has apparently learned from the past, when it neglected this country after aiding it in its fight against Soviet occupation in the 1980's.  That neglect may have contributed to the Taliban eventually winning control over the impoverished country a decade later.  But the Taliban, unlike Al-Qaeda, is a popular political movement in that part of the country, as well as having a strong ethnic connection with the Pashto people.  So trying to suppress it by force may have given the impression of ethnic favoritism, analogous to a degree with the struggle against Sunni insurgents in Iraq during our occupation there.

The United States and its allies will not destroy the Taliban in Afghanistan: it is too entrenched among the population there.  The best bet is to assure that no movement there is foolish enough to ever again harbor terrorists who attack the United States as they did on 9/11. Ultimately, this problem in Afghanistan will only be resolved through political agreements, not by warfare. So why are brave American soldiers still being exposed to injury and death there?