Biden set the deadline: U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by the end of August. On paper, it sounds clean — end the “forever war.” In practice, it looks like a retreat. The Taliban gained ground before the dust even settled. Two decades, trillions spent, thousands dead, and the end looks just like the beginning.
Americans will forget soon enough. That’s what we do. We wave flags, mourn soldiers, then change the channel. But Afghans don’t get to forget. They live with the rubble, the warlords, the broken promises. We walk away and call it closure. For them, it’s just another opening act.