What's the best word to describe the War in Afghanistan?

Pointless? Destructive? Wasteful? Criminal?

When it comes to Afghanistan, one headline sums it up better than all the others.

Nines will be following in the footsteps of 775,000 other Americans who've served at least one tour in Afghanistan since Oct. 7, 2001, when U.S. troops first arrived to target al-Qaeda following the attacks of Sept. 11 in New York and Washington.

...Nines is among 15,364 active-duty enlisted Army members who are 18 -- 1,052 of whom were born after the 9/11 attacks and 725 of whom were born after Oct. 7, 2001, and are still just 17.

... Nines acknowledges that the 9/11 attacks played only a small factor in his decision to enlist. "This was a lot different for me growing up and stuff because certainly a lot of people they saw it happen on TV," he said. "But, I mean, I read about it in history, and I've learned about these things."

"I read about it in history."

9/11 should dominate our foreign policy in the same way as the Pearl Harbor attack and the battleship Maine explosion.

The War in Afghanistan and the GWOT in general have been unsalvageable failures of epic proportions, comparable to Napoleon's decision to invade Russia or the Athenian military expedition to Sicily.

After an entire generation, 59 districts, approximately 14.5 percent of Afghanistan, is under the Taliban control, and 119 districts, about 29.2 percent, remain contested.

Afghanistan remains the world's largest narco-state.

Meanwhile we are slaughtering civilians at a record rate.