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Afghanistan is a death trap for reckless foreign invaders.

In 1842, the British suffered a humiliating defeat during a fighting retreat through winter snows. Their massacre marked the end of a three-year occupation of Afghanistan.

The Soviet Union repeated the British blunder. After a long, draining war, the Soviet Union withdrew in 1989, before dissolving two years later.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia helped defeat the Soviets by establishing Madrassas. Those schools trained youth in Islamic terror and holy war. Osama bin Laden organized Al-Qaida as part of the effort. In the end, they defeated the Soviets. When Mikhail Gorbachev finally ordered a withdrawal, he called Afghanistan a bleeding wound.

Wise leaders dont invade Afghanistan. Its rugged terrain and brutal culture make it a death trap for nations. Its vast, remote regions are immune from fanciful schemes to modernize its primitive practices.

President George Bush ignored history and invaded Afghanistan in 2001. U.S. troops fought with admirable valor, skill and determination, but victory eluded them.

President Obama had campaigned on ending Americas fruitless wars. But after his election, he tripled U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan to its peak of 100,000. By the end of his presidency, he had reduced U.S. troop strength in a failed effort to withdraw.

War has raged for 16 years in Afghanistan, making it the longest war in American history; 2,400 GIs have been killed and 20,000 wounded. The war added a trillion dollars to our dangerously bloated debt. Today, 8,500 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan yet the Taliban are resurgent.

Weve lost the war. Truthfully, it was lost the day it began. We installed corrupt governments and trained questionable soldiers to defend it. Those soldiers turned their guns on their American instructors with embarrassing frequency. We have little to show for 16 years of lost blood and treasure.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to draw down these wars. He appointed Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser. Flynn was a gifted officer who shared the presidents vision. But he was ousted, for essentially nothing, in a palace coup. The president then appointed Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as the new NSA. McMaster was inexplicably hired upon the recommendation of Trumps arch foe, Sen. John McCain.

McMaster insists on sending 4,000 more troops to bolster the flagging Afghan army. But what could 4,000 more troops accomplish that 100,000 troops could not?

If President Trump remains in Afghanistan, it will become his war. Trumps generals rose through the ranks by implementing the doctrine of regime change. Their advice isnt worth as much as he thinks.

Unless he wants to become known for the Bush/Obama/Trump Doctrine, President Trump will fold our tents and bring the troops home.

Republican Richard H. Black who flew 269 combat missions as a Marine pilot in Vietnam represents the 13th District (parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties) in the Virginia Senate. Contact him at District13@senate.virginia.gov.

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Richard H. Black column: End the long war in Afghanistan - Richmond.com