Should Obama abandon Afghanistan war effort?

The United States has been in the midst of a war in Afghanistan and the Middle East for more than 10 years and now might be the time for President Barack Obama to call the troops home.

Supporters of continued military action say the U.S. is defeating Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and withdrawing troops would be a setback to the war on terrorism. They say continued U.S. presence there is necessary to make sure the democratic government in Afghanistan will continue.

However, Osama Bin Laden was found and killed, more than 1,800 American service men and women have lost their lives in the conflict in Afghanistan alone and the cost of the war is now over $527 billion.

Looking simply at the facts, whether continued conflict inAfghanistan is warranted or not comes down to two questions, and the answers will tell us if staying in Afghanistan is worth the price the United States is paying and has already paid.

1. Do we think we can solve the problems in Afghanistan with military force?
2. Are we close enough to the end of the war to justify our continued presence in Afghanistan? To make it simple—is the end in sight?

My answer is “No.”