Let’s honor America’s loss in Afghan war a year on

A year ago yesterday US military left Afghanistan with its proverbial tail between its murderous legs.

How murderous? Couple hundred thousand dead including over 3,500 US and allied troops and contractors. Hundreds thousands more wounded. Trillions squandered on a war with no purpose that lasted 20 years. Afghan’s economy and infrastructure destroyed.

Once out, America took its revenge on the Taliban who beat us fair and square: they had the support of the Afghan masses. We refused to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate, though authoritarian, Afghan government. That allowed us to justify maintaining cruel, life suffocating sanctions, theft of $7 billion in Afghan treasure desperately needed to rebuild Afghanistan. Most ghoulish was US refusal to recognize and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe we inflicted upon the hapless Afghans. Millions face deprivation and starvation from America’s two decade war and post loss revenge.

Every American should demand President Biden and both parties coalesce to rebuild rather than further destroy Afghanistan and its people. It would be the best way to honor the end to one of the most sorrowful episodes in US history.