Don ’t be Fooled: America’s “Longest War” Isn’t Over

Sahar KhanAugust 31, 2021 became a historic dateas the picture of U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue appeared on the news as the last American servicemember to leave Afghanistan. Majormediaoutlets andsocial media all had headlines indicating that the US war in Afghanistan was finally over. President Joe Biden also addressed the nation – and the world – and defended his decision to withdraw,saying, “I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit ” and “It’s time to end the war in Afghanistan.”But is the war really over?It ’s true that for the first time in 20 years, there isno US military presence in Afghanistan. Two factors, however, indicate that the war is not really over.Over this past weekend, the US launched “‘over‐​the‐​horizon’ air strikes” in Afghanistan, which is a fancy way of saying “drone strikes.” The Biden administration conducted two drone strikes in the country, targeting militants from theIslamic State ‐​Khorasan (ISK), the group responsible for thesuicide bombing at the Kabul airport on August 27. The bombingkilled 13 US servicemembers and 169 Afghans by the latest count. The Pentagon claimed that one of the drone strikeskilled multiple members of ISK who were planning more suicide attacks in Kabul. Themissile used, referred to as the “ninja bomb” by the Pentagon, uses a special technology that is designed to reduce civilian causalities. Yet, the stri...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs