The cost of Afghanistan nearly 16 years after 9-11:
Bottom Line: Last night President Trump provided an updated Afghanistan strategy. With strong language and a firm stance he stated that Afghanistan must be more accountable for it's country. Pakistan must stop harboring the enemy and we must fight decisively to win the war we entered in Afghanistan after 9-11. While we await next steps in the wake of the speech, I wanted to see what the toll in Afghanistan has already been...
Freedom has never been free. Not financially and not with regard to the lives of those who've sacrificed for our country. According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, we've spent $841 billion in Afghanistan over the previous 15+ years. The human toll has been significant as well. Specific to our operations in Afghanistan, 2,304 soldiers have fallen serving in our armed forces in the country. Including our coalition partners, a total of 3,539 soldiers have fallen in the wake of 9-11 in Afghanistan.
The President indicated that it's important to not squander the sacrifices of those who've fallen by doing what is needed to finish the job. Let's pray that's what occurs and we aren't having a similar update in 16 years.