The end of an unfinished war

The war in Afghanistan came to a formal end on Dec. 28, 2014, with a flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul. The symbolic act, which was held under heavy security measures due to threats of an attack, marked the conclusion of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom and the start of Operation Resolute Support. Accordingly, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), established in December 2001 and reaching up to 437,000 soldiers with the contribution of NATO members and partners, is being replaced with a much smaller force of 13,500 soldiers, including a 1,500-strong Turkish contingent. The new arrangement will start on Jan. 1 and the much-reduced international contingent will focus on training, advising and assisting the Afghan security forces.

The U.S.-led coalition started the war in Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to topple the Taliban regime, to root out al-Qaeda terrorists and to secure Afghanistan. After thirteen years, more than 85,000 people, including 30,000 civilians, have been killed, and the U.S. has spent more than $1 trillion on an unfinished war. Today, Afghanistan is not secure, Taliban insurgency continues as strong as ever, and al-Qaeda related groups have spread around the world, especially in the Middle East, instead of congregating in Afghanistan. The results are obviously less than satisfactory.

Undoubtedly, the operation in Afghanistan has enabled the replacement of the Taliban regime with an elected government, has weakened al-Qaeda, particularly in its heartland in the Helmand and Kandahar provinces in southern Afghanistan, and dealt a strong blow to the core leadership of al-Qaeda, starting with the death of Osama bin Laden. However, the Taliban and al-Qaeda have not been vanquished and...

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