The Inevitable Fall of Afghanistan

As the world learns that the Taliban will (or has) taken over Afghanistan, as we evacuate the last Americans within Kabul, I find myself as many veterans of this war do, emotionally numb.? I’ve known this day was coming for ten years.? I know it’s a surprise to most non-veteran Americans.? Whenever I said this would happen, my viewpoint was so far from their understood reality, it would be dismissed as inconceivable.??

1st Battalion, 2d Marines took over Musa Qal’eh Afghanistan from Britain’s Household Cavalry Regiment in March 2010.? Serving alongside my fellow Marines through the next seven months will always be one of the most challenging yet proudest times of my life.? Proudest mostly for the men of extreme valor, courage, and bravery that I had the honor of serving with.? Challenging because 11 years ago we discovered our mostly undefined “CounterInsurgency” mission - was impossible to achieve.??

A good interpreter interacting with the locals might let you in that the locals were confused about our presence there.? A great interpreter would take the time to explain to you that outside of a few select people tied directly to the government, many locals were confused by even the mention of Afghanistan.? They identified themselves as “Pashtuns” and if asked where they lived, believed they were in “Pashtunistan,” encompassing a region that is parts of Southern Afghanistan and Pakistan.? This isn’t like visiting a state where they say something like “This ain’t America, it’s Texas.”? The people truly did not identify in any way as Afghans.?

The laws they either chose not to follow or didn’t even know existed demonstrated this better than their words.? Marijuana plants grew in the District Center despite specifically being banned.? But more importantly, poppy was the primary crop, and poppy tar for heroin/opium was the economic engine of the region.? It was openly and freely grown and traded without question that it was illegal - even though Afghan law said it was.??

We had our victories in the region - helping locals with medical assistance, expanding the economy, and bringing a better sense of security during our time there.? When we expanded our area of influence, there seemed to be a pattern.? Up to 3 weeks of trying to directly fight us before they realized it was a futile effort.? Most then put away their guns, stopped trying to fight us head on, planted IEDs at night, but continued their poppy trade without fighting us.? We were leaving their poppy trade untouched so as “not to affect the locals' way of life.”? This was how they would win - not by attrition warfare to the last man - by continuing their business and making as much money as they could until we finally left.????

Our battalion returned home in September 2010.? I was going out, as General Mattis was coming in.? He sent an envoy to Camp Leatherneck and asked for outgoing Company Commanders to debrief members of his staff.? Sitting with another Company Commander from our deployment, I looked across a table at a 2 and 3 star general with 1 singular point written out that I HAD TO MAKE: “If we don’t stop the poppy, if we don’t shut down the Taliban’s illegal drug business, we might as well leave now.? They will put down their guns, not fight us, continue business as usual, and then the day we leave pick back up their guns and take over.? In the end we will achieve nothing if we don’t stop their poppy trade.”? I saw a press release or article several months later that mentioned considering options to take a harder line against poppy, but in the end, nothing was done.????

Within a few years, American forces had withdrawn from the region, Commander Koka (the Police Chief that held the city together) was attacked in his police headquarters (https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/04/koka_critically_injured.php), and the city was clearly in the grips of the Taliban.? We shared the news amongst veterans from the battalion, and shared a similar question & answer session as you hear across America today: “what was it all for?”? I struggled for years to answer that question, even amongst private conversations with fellow veterans, mostly due to wanting to upkeep the honor of our fallen brothers, for their memory but also for their families.???

The father of a fallen Marine pulled me aside years after our deployment at a memorial service.? As if he could read my mind, he read the questions going through my head back to me: “What did he die for?? I know - he died for his brothers, he died fighting for his country, he died doing what he loved.? But what’s happening over there?? Why was he there?? Why were you there?”? There was a pause that seemed to last forever, for a question that now seems will go unanswered forever.? Before I could figure out what to say he realized that he had been directing these questions at me to answer instead of sharing them with me in frustration and anger, which was his intent.? He told me not to answer, because there was no answer, and that he had finally accepted that.??

I had spent years of my life trying to justify what we did.? Trying to make sense of it for others, trying to help give a broader purpose to it.? In that moment, my conscience was finally wiped clean.? If a father who lost his son feels it, if he can say it, then I can too.? Those who fought, killed, were injured, or died have done so bravely in service to their country, for the brothers & sisters beside them that counted on them.? But also, I could finally accept that our politicians had thrown us into another war with no endstate, no exit strategy, and no purpose.??

From one Marine who has been in combat, to the many who decide when we will see combat again: let this please be the final time you send us to fight, kill, and if need be die without purpose or plan.?