How US Cowardice led to the Fall of Kabul
By Rodolfo Martinez

A little over a month ago, the result of accumulated cowardice among our nation’s leaders turned the country of Afghanistan upside down and brought shame to the everyday citizens of the United States. What started as a “War on Terrorism” became 20 long years of different presidents doing whatever they can to fulfill the promise made to avenge those who tragically passed away during the September 11th attacks.

During the last four years of the War in Afghanistan, our 45th President Donald Trump proved to be a force to be reckoned with against the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate. Though a problematic man with a walk-in closet full of flaws, Trump showed resilience against that enemy.

After Trump wore the big boy pants for four years, he had to say goodbye, but not before throwing his supporters a big party in the White House early January. With Biden stepping in, the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate were no longer afraid of the US and had confidence that this new soft leader would open up the doors of opportunity for them.

Of course, this proved to be true when Biden’s worries went to saving America some money rather than protecting those without protectors. The war isn’t going anywhere, so let’s bail to save some cash, no? Our President thought that a more passive approach to the situation in Afghanistan would show fairly peaceful results. Because the last thing this country needs is more conflict…

The US ending their involvement in Afghanistan left the nation in shock, and many in a blend of anger and confusion. 20 years and 5.8 trillion dollars spent, just to end abruptly after so much had been sacrificed. Not to mention the hundreds of servicemembers who stepped forward for their country when others stepped back.

Fast-forwarding to August 15, Day 1 had started of what would be the 15 days it took for Kabul to completely collapse. The Taliban blazed to the streets of Kabul towards the airport, while many citizens were doing their best to burst their way through and flee the country, just like their President had done.

Blood and terror flooded Kabul during those 15 days, something that could have been easily avoided if the US were still involved in Afghanistan. What could have been a reverse of a simple decision would have saved the lives of many, and kept the country of Afghanistan safe for its citizens. We now know that this wasn’t the case, and the Fall of Kabul was one of the consequences of our nation’s actions.
Anyone who was looking for some means of escape and safety knew to go to the airport, where Afghan and US forces were defending the area and helping citizens leave the country. Unfortunately, even the airport became part of the war zone, where 13 US Marines and 90 Afghan citizens were killed in a suicide bombing led by the Taliban. The US Marines were holding their position at the Kabul Airport alongside Afghan forces, making sure over 100,000 Afghan citizens and remaining American forces were on a plane leaving the country.

Afghanistan now lives as a ghost, an empty shell of the country it used to be. Many American weapons, vehicles, and equipment have fallen into the hands of the Taliban, a product of the orders given by our President to leave everything and go back home. The citizens who still live in Afghanistan now must face the sudden change of their new government, and suffer the gender inequalities and harsh punishments of the Taliban traditionalist legal system Sharia Law.

We saw Afghanistan swelling up and getting ready to explode, but our nation’s leaders chose to look the other way. The War on Terrorism was dangerous, but it was a situation that we knew would obviously get out of hand if nothing was done about it. In the end, our country failed to protect those without protectors, and now that albatross is hung around the neck of the United States, a lesson that hopefully tells those in charge to get back in touch with whatever remains of their moral compass.