but in earnestness, robust air support may have proven enough to allow the government forces to hold, it did in Iraq, and would have posited 0 risk of American casualties. war fatigue is understandable, but would not expending a handful of ordinance be worth the possibility of forestalling the horrors of the Taliban being revisited upon the region? not to mention the geopolitical risk to the United States if Jihadist groups begin fomenting under the umbrella of Taliban protection, as they once did.
there are no guarantees in war but given there hasn't been a combat casualty in Afghanistan in the past 18 months, and air support is essentially riskless for our personnel, it will prove a serious geopolitical misstep of the Biden administration to allow the nation to fall without lifting a finger. the only thing we risk is a handful of our stockpiled bombs and missiles, what we stand to gain is forty million people. one would have hoped this lesson had been learned with the experience of Iraq and ISIS.