Submission Statement
Between 2001 and 2021, under four U.S. presidents, the United States spent approximately $2.3 trillion, with 2,459 American military fatalities and up to 360,000 estimated Afghan civilian deaths.
After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, approximately $7.12 billion worth of military equipment was left behind, according to a 2022 Department of Defense report. This equipment, transferred to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) from 2005 to 2021, included:
Weapons: Over 300,000 of 427,300 weapons, including rifles like M4s and M16s.
Vehicles: More than 40,000 of 96,000 military vehicles, including 12,000 Humvees and 1,000 armored vehicles.
Aircraft: 78 aircraft, valued at $923.3 million, left at Hamid Karzai International Airport, all demilitarized and rendered inoperable.
Munitions: 9,524 air-to-ground munitions worth $6.54 million, mostly non-precision.
Communications and Specialized Equipment: Nearly all communications gear (e.g., radios, encryption devices) and 42,000 pieces of night vision, surveillance, biometric, and positioning equipment.
The total equipment provided to the ANDSF was valued at $18.6 billion, with the $7.12 billion figure representing what remained after the withdrawal. Much of this equipment is now under Taliban control, though its operational capability is limited due to the need for specialized maintenance and technical expertise.
The United States has provided at least $93.41 billion in total aid to Afghanistan since 2001. This includes:
Military Aid (2001–2020): Approximately $72.7 billion (in current dollars), primarily through the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund ($71.7 billion) and other programs like International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, and Peacekeeping Operations ($1 billion combined).
Humanitarian and Reconstruction Aid (2001–2025): Around $20.71 billion, including $3 billion in humanitarian and development aid post-2021 and $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan assets transferred to the Afghan Fund in 2022. Pre-2021 reconstruction and humanitarian aid (e.g., $174 million in 2001 and $300 million pledged in 2002) adds to this, though exact figures for the full period are less clear.
In our defense, President Ghani abandoned his country and forces and allowed the taliban to take over. The ANA and ANP defected as well, which didn't help matters any. He felt like he had no chance and didn't want to add to the violence. Seeing the ana and the anp operate first hand, yes, they would have been obliterated.
When I was there, the locals appeared to want us there, but also were supplying Intel to the enemy. They knew when the taliban was going to attack, and when we patrolled. I get it, they wanted to stay alive and all.
I know people think we shouldn't have been there but look at our exit, and how the locals clung to the planes after take off. They were afraid of retribution from the taliban but for 20 years, they had someone to watch over them.
However, the taliban takeover was inevitable. We could have won that war, but we said fuck it and left. Why? Because it wasn't worth it anymore. And the US population thought they knew better. It lost or never had their approvaI. met a lot of cool Afghani locals. Hope they're alright.
Just my 2 cents while I was over there for a year. And fuck the taliban. USA shouldn't send any type of aid there. We left enough there as it is. They don't call that area the "Graveyard of Empires" for nothing. If they want to live in the stone age, let them. They don't need anymore outside influence.