Fourteen years ago this week, the United States initiated Operation Enduring Freedom to topple the Taliban from power and deny safe haven to al-Qaeda in the wake of the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The war, which many mistakenly believed would end in a matter of weeks, has lasted far longer than anyone expected. Today, the Afghans are fighting against a brutal foe bent on imposing yet another tyranny on the Afghan people.
Afghanistan has marked many victories in the years since 2001 — a new constitution, five national elections, the inauguration last year of a pro-Western president, and a tripling in the size of the economy.
Even as there has been progress in some areas, enduring challenges remain. Drug lords set up shop and made Afghanistan the world headquarters for the heroin trade. Pervasive corruption undermined Afghans' hopes for their new government. The democratically elected government struggled to keep order in a country rife with warlords and organized crime.
The Taliban has stepped into the power vacuum.
Marco Rubio, Rubio Campaign Press Release - Here's What America Can Do to Help Afghanistan Now Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/325885