‍Starting a love affair is easy, getting out tough

‍Afghanistan: “We are coming very close to a decision. Stay the course”

‍“We are awaiting orders. In the meantime, carry on!”

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‍Introduction

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‍On June 11, 2011, President Obama announced a plan to withdraw US military forces from Afghanistan. I was skeptical about the withdrawals. My gut said that going in was easy, but getting out would be tough. One senior defense official agreed, 

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‍“We have had 10 years of bringing things in, with none of it leaving.”

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‍Given my skepticism, I watched events closely from 2011 to 2018, after which I became discouraged and threw in the towel. I kept my notes and will convey the many ups and downs of the US withdrawal during that period.

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‍I think these notes are instructive, especially in light of our current war with Iran. That is my motivation for sharing them here. I urge you to keep them in mind as you consider the US war with Iran and other potential conflicts.

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‍Borrowing from a Canadian, Phil Gurski, “War is seldom a good idea.” 

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‍Kaja Kallas, the foreign affairs honcho for the European Union (EU), has said, “Starting war is like a love affair — it’s easy to get in and difficult to get out.” 

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‍A Scot named Phillips O’Brien has added to these notions, suggesting “Fighting a war is too easy for the US.” 

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‍Carl von Clausewitz noted, “That which appears easy in war (is) difficult in reality.”

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‍I want to warn you in advance. This is long and it can be painful. As you wade through this history, keep the troops in mind, the ones who were there during the US withdrawals, packing up and fighting.

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‍Brief background

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‍The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 following the 9-11 attacks against the US. The invasion had two objectives: 

‍• Crush al-Qaeda terrorists

‍• Remove the Taliban government in Kabul from power. 

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‍The US military and its allies quickly prevailed. The Taliban government fled, and the US inflicted heavy damage on al-Qaeda terrorist strongholds. At the time, I felt the US military should have been completely withdrawn: “Mission Complete.”

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‍My worst fears were quickly realized. The US military would not be withdrawn. Instead, the US and its allies would engage in the chaotic world of “nation-building.”

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‍James Dobbins, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, determined that a conference was needed to choose a new leader for Afghanistan and to organize a new government there. This was done at a conference in December 2001 in Bonn, Germany. The conference chose Hamid Karzai to lead an Afghan Interim Authority.

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‍The UN Security Council (UNSC) quickly passed UN Security Council Resolution 1386 in December 2001. This authorized the establishment of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan. A British officer was in command, and British forces were deployed to Kabul, the capital. 

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‍ISAF was to help the Afghan Interim Authority maintain security in Kabul and the surrounding area. ISAF was to rotate its command and forces among allied countries.

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‍The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) assumed command of the ISAF mission in August 2003, with about 5,000 troops. Command continued to rotate until US Army General Dan McNeill took the reins in February 2007. US general officers remained in command thereafter.

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‍In early 2002, the US established Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) as non-combat organizations to empower local governments to govern effectively and to help develop the country. The PRTs were led by military officers and were subordinated to ISAF.

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‍In October 2003, the UNSC authorized ISAF to expand its mission beyond Kabul. By 2006, ISAF had expanded its operations to all Afghan provinces.

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‍The Taliban made a serious comeback in 2005, after which it became a sustained threat.

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‍In December 2009, after eight years of war, President Obama announced a "surge" of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to meet this building Taliban threat, peaking at roughly 100,000 in 2010–2011.

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‍US forces killed the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

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‍President Obama announces withdrawal

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‍With Osama bin Laden out of the way, President Obama announced a military withdrawal plan in June 2011. He said he would withdraw 33,000 troops by the summer of 2012, at the latest by September 2012. He saw this as withdrawing the surge force sent in 2009. Overall, he wanted the complete transfer of security responsibility to the Afghans by 2014.

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‍The President said, “We have put al Qaeda on a path to defeat.” On a path to defeat, perhaps, but defeated, no.

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‍The President’s top military leaders, Admiral Michael Mullen, USN, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), and General David Petraeus, USA, commander of NATO ISAF forces in Afghanistan, opposed this plan as too aggressive. So did Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. They argued that it would undermine logistical support for the upcoming summer fighting season.

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‍By this time, after ten years of war, it was unclear to many Americans why US military forces were still there. 

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‍President Obama focused on al Qaeda, but Petraeus focused on the Taliban, which was the main force his troops were fighting. White House officials said there had been no terrorist threats against the US from Afghanistan, only from Pakistan. This proved to be a key point as events unfolded.

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‍Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s reaction to the announced withdrawal was curious, 

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‍“The number of troops that he has announced to be withdrawn is a sign that Afghanistan is taking over its own security and is trying to defend its territory by its own means. So we are happy about the announcement.”

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‍This would be a familiar expression by Karzai.

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‍From the start, I could see that withdrawing military forces would be far more difficult and controversial than inserting them. I watched events carefully from 2011 to 2018, after which I became discouraged and threw in the towel. I kept my notes and will convey the many ups and downs of the US withdrawal during that period.

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‍They are an eye-opener.

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‍In 2021, after 20 years of war, President Joseph Biden initiated a final withdrawal that left the Taliban in power, marked by a chaotic evacuation, and led to the loss of 13 US military members at Abbey Gate. Having watched events so closely since 2011, I was not surprised by what happened in 2021, but I was angry at our losses and irritated by the abruptness of it all.

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‍Take a ride on this roller coaster and think about the troops, many of whom were still fighting as the withdrawal was underway.

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‍Go to: 2011: The withdrawal begins with a strategy shift

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