After 9/11, however, there was an unambiguous national security need to clear al-Qaida from the safe haven it enjoyed in Afghanistan. And the Taliban made clear that would require the use of military force and dislodging it as well. . ..…

According to the United States, Afghani had been a courier for senior Qaeda leadership and a senior commander in Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG)—a terrorist organization based out of Afghanistan, which largely re-emerged in the region following the fall of the Taliban in 2001. . .....…

The economic weapons we use against Iran are not available to us against Taliban because Afghanistan has no economy to speak of and Taliban are receiving so much international support. ... In order to achieve that goal Afghanistan, we will have to deal with Pakistan's..…

Years later, from 2011 to 2012, I led a cavalry reconnaissance company in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We chased the Taliban—really a collection of disgruntled farm boys—around the fields and valleys of the Zhari district. ..…

Incredibly, after history like this, of supporting Osama bin Laden and working within Taliban government that harbored him, Washington and the government it set up Afghanistan offered Haqqani top positions in Afghan government.. ..…