U.S. Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis departs Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 7, 2018. Mattis met with Afghan and coalition members during the previously unannounced visit to the country. DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando.
Jeff Schogol, Task And Purpose: Afghanistan, 17 Years Later: This Is What Winning Looks Like
The distance between Resolute Support headquarters and the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul can’t be more than 50 feet, yet it is too dangerous to walk across the street from one to the other.
Your friendly Pentagon correspondent and other journalists traveled that short distance by vehicle to wait for Defense Secretary Mattis to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during Mattis’ recent stop in Kabul, part of a week-long trip ‘round the word with the defense secretary that saw stops on San Diego, New Delhi, and Abu Dhabi.
Task & Purpose is not allowed to describe any of the security procedures involved in moving to and from the presidential palace, but rest assured that it felt just like going outside the wire — even if only briefly. And if you wanted a metaphor for how much progress the United States has made in Afghanistan after 17 years, look no further.
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WNU Editor: As the above author points out. The Afghan War has been going on for 40 years. And when you look at wars from a historical perspective .... Colombia’s civil war dragged on for 50 years; in Europe, the Hundred Years War lasted for 116 years, and (if I may add) the Troubles in Ireland have lasted for centuries. In the case of Afghanistan .... with the Taliban so closely allied with Al Qaeda .... IMHO this conflict is going to last for decades.
