Eighteen years on, 9/11 marks the lack of closure to the war in Afghanistan | The Indian Express

Eighteen years on, 9/11 marks the lack of closure to the war in Afghanistan | The Indian Express

Written by C. Uday Bhaskar |Updated: September 11, 2019 9:38:56 am

The writer is Director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi.

Eighteen years on, 9/11 marks the lack of closure to the war in Afghanistan

A degree of policy fecklessness and political inconsistency characterises the last 18 years of the US-led global war on terror (GWOT), though the acronym is no longer in vogue.

Afghan security forces stand guard during a fight against Taliban fighters in Kunduz province north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, August 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Bashir Khan Safi)

The 18th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11 was envisioned as heralding a triumphant closure to a long drawn out war under the leadership of US President Donald Trump. The war that began in October 2001 has been bloody and has led to more than 2,400 American service personnel and about 900 NATO nations’ soldiers losing their lives, along with thousands of hapless Afghan citizens. The number of local Afghans killed is imprecise but is estimated to be closer to 1,00,000.