Rumsfeld (center) with current Defense Secretary Austin (left) and Zalmay Khalilzad (right)
Michael Hughes: On the very same day then-President George W. Bush delivered his “Mission-Accomplished-in-Iraq” speech, his Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, declared that major U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan had “clearly” moved into stabilization mode.
“The bulk of this country today is permissive, it’s secure,” Rumsfeld told reporters during a visit to Kabul on May 1, 2003.
The Taliban, as we all know, would resurge in less than two years. Today, almost two decades after the post-9/11 takedown, the insurgents are well-positioned to take over the country with the U.S. military nearly fully extracted, a defeated giant. Now, all major U.S. combat operations are over – but for much different reasons than Rumsfeld could fathom.