by Robert M. Traxler

I have been an Afghan for 312 years, a Muslim for 1421 years and a Pashtun, Tajiks, Hazaras, Hazaras, Baloch,and 11 others for 8000 years.

This sums up the attitude of the Afghan people, where tribe is more important than religion or national identity. It is hard for us to understand this attitude as we have no tribal identity and are open to all religions, but it is a fact of life with many folks in the world.

Afghanistan is our longest war? It’s a slam-dunk fact you hear on all media on the left (the vast majority) and the few on the right; let’s look at that. Wars often turn into a long term presence.

We fought the Spanish in places like Cuba and the Philippines in 1898; we sent forces there and they are still there today. World War II ended in 1945 and we still have troops in Germany today. The Korean War started in 1950 and is technically still in existence today, and we still have troops there today. In 1987 we sent troops to Honduras to fight the Cold War and the war on drugs, and there are still troops in Honduras today. We have troops in nations like Japan, Panama, areas like the Marshall Islands, eight African countries, some going back to the Cold War 1947-1991, and they are still there.

Just how the media states Afghanistan is our longest war is puzzling, but most folks just believe what is said by the media, question are not allowed, ask and you are anti something, mean, heartless and stupid.

In Korea we have armed troops cocked and locked after 71 years, but Afghanistan is our longest war? Before the tragic deaths of the 13 heroic Marines and soldiers, it had been 18 months since our last death at the hands of the enemy; the country was fairly stable and just starting to function as a nation. The 4,000 military personnel (of the 174,000 deployed overseas) we had in Afghanistan maintained a stable atmosphere for the country and gave us a base from which to gather intelligence on the belligerent nations that border Afghanistan.

The State Department decision to give up Bagram AFB (no military planner would ever make such a tactically stupid decision) was based on the desires of the Taliban, and by extension, the Department of State, not sound military planning.

The Departments of State and Defense are two different organizations with two different sets of goals and two different sets of procedures. The fact that the State Department had people at every gate into Kabul Airport who had the final say on procedures the soldiers and Marines had to follow is an outrage, but the combined media will ignore this fact as they want the surrender in Afghanistan to proceed, to end our “longest war.”

Afghanistan as a base is strategically located on the borders with Iran, China and the tribal regions of Pakistan. It was a valuable asset; however, we are told to believe our “over the horizon” intelligence/military capability was just as good. Folks, try to get HUMINT (human intelligence) over the horizon, good luck with that.

President Joe Biden told us that the Taliban could not and would not take Kabul for months, if at all. If President Trump had said that, and Kabul fell in days not weeks or months, the socialists who scribble in the pages of this paper would have called him a liar, a damned liar.

All Americans who wish to get out have gotten out — the White House mantra. Really? Folks, you can’t make this stuff up. President Biden has clearly broken his promise that the troops would not leave until all Americans were gone. Even CNN had the story of an American family who want to leave but cannot.

The Taliban still have Mark Frerichs, an American veteran, held hostage for 20 months. Americans who are at home in Afghanistan, some 300 to 1500, and know they have to run the gauntlet of the Taliban to get out, are justifiably terrified and scared to go out. Most would love to, but would you chance it with your young children? Would you put your family’s lives in the hands of the Taliban? An organization with no centralized command and control? Every tribe, village, and mosque dancing to its individual tune?

I break with the left and the right because I believe we needed to remain in Afghanistan; I did not agree with President Trump cutting and running nor do I agree with President Biden cutting and running. My opinion.