Oct. 7 marked the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. It has been a bitter decade. The initial success in driving the Taliban from power quickly turned to stalemate as U.S. attention shifted to Iraq. The hope that the war-torn country, a proxy battleground of great power conflict for over a century, might finally know peace and stability, gave way to despair and fear that the Taliban might return to power. A war that once looked simple and directed now invokes memories of Vietnam, and raises questions about U.S. commitment, strategy and purpose.

The United States led an international coalition of 49 nations into Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001 in retaliation for the Taliban government's support for al-Qaida after the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. Then U.S. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over al-Qaida members, including Osama bin Laden, for their role in the attacks. When they refused, the U.S. and other nations launched Operation Enduring Freedom. More than a half-million coalition servicemen and women have served in Afghanistan in the decade since. During that time, 2,748 coalition service members have died, another 15,000 have been wounded. The number of civilian casualties is not known; there was little inclination or ability to keep track. But estimates could exceed 31,000 civilian deaths. According to the Pentagon, the war has cost U.S. taxpayers about $450 billion; other studies suggest the total could reach $1.28 trillion.

And for what? While the Taliban government was driven out of office in weeks and al-Qaida's infrastructure quickly destroyed, the U.S. government soon shifted its attention to Iraq. U.S. forces drew down and planning focused on the invasion of Iraq. Not surprisingly, insurgent violence in Afghanistan flared and the Taliban reasserted itself. Slowly, the internal situation deteriorated. The sense of drift and loss of control was compounded by the corruption that accompanied the billions of dollars of aid money that flowed into Afghanistan in the wake of the coalition victory. A public that three years after the invasion defied extremists with a massive turnout in the first direct elections in a generation has lost faith in its government and elected officials.