I think that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were in league with each other and that they were both very bad for the Afghani people.

They were the local and foreign franchises of the groups created with US and Saudi funds to fight the Soviets. All they know how to do is fight authority. It was the height of stupidity for the US to leave them to run the country when the Soviets left. America, and the West in general turned its back on the people of Afghanistan after the Soviets left, just as they turned their backs on the Russian and other ethnic groups in the former Soviet Union after it collapsed. All the Russians knew was autocracy. We did not help them advance. Now they are again ruled by the methods of the KGB.

We are paying for that now. Sooner or later the messes need to be cleaned up. the longer we wait. The more expensive the cleanup. Its now too late for Russia. The will probably have to wait for the oil to run out and for their system to collapse again before their citizens will have another chance a t self determination.