Great summary of events. It is sad once again that it took over a decade for the obvious to start spreading.
I remember 2001, Bush and Co throwing silly justifications to engage. At that time most people felt that we should fight terrorism where it spawns. Years later Ben laden is supposedly caught, killed, and dropped deep in the ocean far off the coast, god knows where. No trial, no question asked really. Just the releaf that the most terrorising terrorist was done for. "We got him" as Obama said.
The surrender was rejected, and the Taliban became an insurrection force we know today. We won the war in 2001, then lost it when we refused the surrender terms. We wanted to nation-build instead.
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EDIT: Never turn the government of a country into an insurrection force. The Taliban, for all of their flaws, was the government of Afghanistan (or the closest thing to a government that they had in the decades before 9/11). They knew how to run their country. We didn't kill the Japanese Emperor when we won WW2, we let the Emperor live a life of dignity and remain a culturally significant icon while negotiating surrender terms.
I remember 2001, Bush and Co throwing silly justifications to engage. At that time most people felt that we should fight terrorism where it spawns. Years later Ben laden is supposedly caught, killed, and dropped deep in the ocean far off the coast, god knows where. No trial, no question asked really. Just the releaf that the most terrorising terrorist was done for. "We got him" as Obama said.