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US campaign in Afghanistan ‘senseless and inglorious,’ Medvedev says

The mission in Afghanistan has stretched to 20 years, during this time, the US has ‘buried’ in Afghanistan $1.5 trln, Medvedev said

MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/. The US campaign in Afghanistan ended in infamy and the money Washington invested in it was spent senselessly, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said in an op-ed published by the Gazeta.Ru news website on Saturday dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

"Twenty years ago in the US the bloodiest terror attack in the recent history of humankind was committed. The entire world was shaken by the video footage when planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center, the famous Twin Towers are collapsing and burning - the symbol of successful and prosperous America," he reiterated, noting that he watched it live and found it hard to believe that it wasn’t some Hollywood movie.

"The shock was universal. Almost three thousand killed, dozens of wounded - citizens of the US and over 90 other countries. The global community encountered an unprecedented threat," Medvedev noted, reiterating that "such a challenge demanded an immediate response, and America declared a war on terrorism."

Inglorious campaign

According to him, the "blood for blood" principle was immediately implemented with the US launching a military intervention in Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden, leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) that claimed responsibility for the attacks, was hiding.

"The mission in Afghanistan has stretched to 20 years. During this time, the US has ‘buried’ in Afghanistan $1.5 trln but this spending was completely senseless. The campaign ingloriously ended this August when the last American soldier left the country," Medvedev asserted.

According to him, "the Americans are used to imposing their values on the world that here as well were supposed to become the foundation of a new political system." He noted that "the Afghans yet again did not accept the schemes imposed on their country." "The situation was not helped by reckless cash infusions the Americans were desperately using to extinguish various problems. Despite multibillion payments, the quality of life of residents practically has not changed. The majority of the population continued to live in poverty, while the corruption in the state apparatus was growing like a cancerous tumor," Medvedev concluded.

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