We then didn't do much to secure the newly liberated nation, we didn't do much to revive the economy, and we pulled out most of our expert troops to go over into Iraq.
Predictably, Iraq went very bad, and we lacked the man power to even maintain our limited presence in Afghanistan. We asked NATO to step in and help us out. They agreed, and have put about 20,000 men (and women) on the ground to help us out. During this time, the Taliban was able to regroup. Now the NATO force in Afghanistan is suffering almost as many casualties as the much larger US force in Iraq, and the Taliban are again a viable threat.
The NATO commanders can see their situation is not very favorable, and have asked for reinforcements. So far the response from the European nations has been very negative.
Afghanistan is a classic example of how Bush has acted all of his adult life. He tries a project or new business. He eventually destroys what he was trying to build up. The cycle ends with Bush running off to something else, and someone else has to come in and clean up his latest disaster.
Right now we are asking Europe to clean up our mess. As the situation grows worse, I have to wonder if they will be willing to continue to do this or if they will end up handing this mission back to the US armed forces.
UPDATE - 15 Sep.
Taleban 'seize Afghan district'
The Taleban have ousted Afghan security forces from a district headquarters in the western Farah province after days of heavy fighting, police say. The forces were besieged and support was unable to reach them, Farah police chief Sayed Aqa Saqib told the BBC.
Most of the previous Taliban action has been in the South and East. This indicates that the Taliban have now been able to open up another front. The need for 2,500 more men may have just tripled.
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Afghanistan
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