The US Military Presence In Afghanistan Has Now Surpassed The Soviet Occupation

Departing Soviet soldiers in 1989. The Soviet's 10-year occupation left a million Afghans dead and the country in ruins. Photo from The BBC.

The Afghanistan War Reaches A Milestone — And Keeps Going -- Time Magazine

On Saturday Nov. 27, the United States and its allies will reach a grim milestone: they will have been in Afghanistan a day longer than the Soviet Union had been when it completed its 1989 withdrawal. What's more, the U.S. announced during last weekend's NATO summit that it intends to spend at least four more years, and possibly longer, in the Hindu Kush. Even then, many Afghans — perhaps even the president installed by the U.S. invasion — appear to doubt that the Americans will succeed where their erstwhile Cold War nemesis failed.

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Update: US presence in Afghanistan as long as Soviet slog -- Yahoo News/AP

My Comment: For a Russian historical perspective (and opinion) on the U.S./Nato involvement in Afghanistan, check out this article from the BBC in 2009.

It is disheartening to realize that nothing has changed .... and worse .... it appears that we are repeating history.