The True Meaning of the Afghan "Withdrawal".

As the countryside slipped out of its control and Taliban guerrillas multiplied after 2004, Washington tried everything - a trillion-dollar aid program, a 100,000 troop "surge", a multi-billion-dollar drug war - but none of it worked. Once the full costs of Washington's withdrawal from Afghanistan become apparent, the debacle may, not surprisingly, discourage potential future allies from trusting Washington's word or judgment. While the U.S. bombing campaign raged through October 2001, the CIA shipped$70 million in bundled bills into Afghanistan to mobilize its old coalition of tribal warlords for the fight against the Taliban. Almost immediately, Washington announced suspension of its military aid to Pakistan until Islamabad took "decisive action" against the Taliban and its militant allies. [Extracted from the article]