Editorial Board
The U.S. Can’t Betray Its Best Friends in Afghanistan
Afghans who supported the U.S. military now find themselves at risk. America shouldn’t leave them behind.
Afghan translators will face new threats as U.S. troops leave.
Photographer: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images
By Sept. 11, President Joe Biden has vowed, all U.S. troops in Afghanistan will come home. They shouldn’t be returning alone.
In the nearly two decades that the U.S. has been battling the Taliban and al-Qaeda, tens of thousands of Afghans have risked their lives supporting U.S. troops. That was dangerous enough, but many will be at even greater risk after American forces leave — if, as many expect, the Taliban sweep back into Afghan cities and target suspected collaborators.