remains heavily controversial among the American people and the international community. Many argue that U.S. has little strategic interests in Afghanistan2. I therefore recommend that the US, over time, strategically decrease the number of US soldiers in Afghanistan and utilize its resources in a more impactful way.

Background – Basic Facts and Political Evolution

The United States’ involvement in Afghanistan originated in 19343, the year the United States officially recognized Afghanistan’s independence and decided to support young King Amanollah Khan in helping him reconstruct and revitalize Afghanistan. Although Afghanistan fell under Soviet protection shortly after their independence, the US remained one of the largest contributors of AID and Peace Corps Program which totaled a whopping “$504.2 million”4. Even though US-Afghan relations continued to be cordial throughout its different regimes following its independence, the relationship became strained with the fall of the Shah of Iran. With strengthening Soviet-Afghan relations, the United States began phasing out aid projects, removing the Peace Corps program and significantly reducing the staff at the Embassy5. With the Americans gone, the Soviet interests in Afghanistan grew as they become Afghanistan’s main trading partner and its primary economic and military supporter.

This overbearing Soviet involvement in the Afghan government gave rise to the Islamic resistance groups against Soviets. Groups such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda rose to remove the Soviets from Afghanistan6. The country then became more reliant on Soviet support to quell these groups of Islamic rebels. This effort lasted months and in a final effort to remove these rebels, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in a combined Soviet-Afghan attack. The result was deceptive. For, it seemed like an initial Soviet victory, however, the Afghan Muslim warriors called the Mujahideen took up arms and, in a seemingly futile task, managed to come out victorious and remove the Soviet’s, and their influence, from Afghanistan7. Osama bin Laden was among the thousands of people who fought against the Russians. With the Americans and now the Soviets gone, the country fell into a state of anarchy