On September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda attacked us. The terrorist group planned the attacks from its bases in Afghanistan; the Taliban, one of the most evil, bigoted, fascistic groups on the planet, provided Al Qaeda aid and support. When America launched its assault on Afghanistan, then, deposing the Taliban was a chief aim. “More than two weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands,” President Bush said. “Close terrorist training camps; hand over leaders of the al Qaeda network; and return all foreign nationals, including American citizens, unjustly detained in your country. None of these demands were met. And now the Taliban will pay a price.” The war against the Taliban continued for the next decade.
And now, the U.S. is surrendering.
Today, the U.S. government opened negotiations with Hamid Karzai’s Afghan government and the Taliban. The Obama Administration said that an “Afghan peace process” was vital to winding down the war in Afghanistan. While the Obama Administration is putting conditions on the talks – they say that the Taliban must disengage from Al Qaeda, “abandon violence,” and abide by the new Afghan constitution – there is no evidence whatsoever that the Taliban has done any of these things. And yet negotiations begin.
There is little doubt that the Obama negotiations with the Taliban are deeply connected to Obama’s re-election campaign. He’s already pledging to pull troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. But it is a sell-out of what our troops have accomplished over the last ten years. That’s why back in 2009, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan was denying that the U.S. would engage in talks with the Taliban. That position has gone by the wayside. Obama and his cronies at the State Department have turned Afghanistan into a second Vietnam – and the Afghan people, particularly women, will pay the price.