President Biden has formally announced his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, a significant step toward ending America’s longest war.   

 

The United States has been in Afghanistan for nearly two decades. This war has resulted in the deaths of at least 171,000 people, including more than 47,000 Afghan civilians and 2,443 U.S. service members, at a cost of $2.26 trillion. 

 

It’s long past time to end U.S. military involvement and shift the focus to increasing diplomacy and investment in Afghan-led solutions to support ongoing peace negotiations. But the president is receiving harsh criticism from those in Washington who believe that maintaining an indefinite troop presence will miraculously achieve what 20 years of war could not.