What We Left Behind - as of Aug 31

 

The end of the war in Afghanistan. What state did we leave it in? Isaac Saul Aug 31 I’m Isaac Saul, and this is Tangle: an independent, ad-free, subscriber-supported politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum — then “my take.” First time reading? Sign up here. Today’s read: 11 minutes. The war in Afghanistan comes to an end. The last American soldier,Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, leaving Afghanistan. Photo: Department of Defense Twitter Clarification. In the last few days, several news outlets — including this one — have referred to some $80 billion worth of American military equipment left to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Further reporting on this claim has clarified that the $83 billion is a sum from Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) which includes money spent on rebuilding the government and training. The sum of the weaponry is still mind-boggling. But we gave the Afghan government something more like $24 billion in weaponry and equipment over 20 years, and it’s not clear how much of what has been left with the Taliban is still operational. So it’s not close to $83 billion worth.