Staying in Afghanistan forever wasn't going to happen.  The decisions were made for the U.S to leave in 2021 in what many thought would be an orderly withdrawal of the troops.

            Afghan soldiers were caught off guard last week when U.S. forces pulled out of the Bagram Airfield, reportedly without notice, not even to the facility's new commander Gen. Mir Asadulla Kohistani. 

            The Afghan soldiers were caught off guard and the nighttime move set off a rush by looters to enter and grab anything they could.  Photos of the stash of items they removed from the empty U.S. buildings was incredible.

            As the U.S. continues its pullout of Afghanistan, the Taliban have been expanding their hold in parts of the country with little or no resistance from Afghan national forces.  Earlier this week, more than a thousand Afghan soldiers fled across the border to Tajikistan after clashing with the Taliban in Badakhshan and surrendered their weapons.

            In photos and videos, in the news, and on social media, the Taliban are touting the capture of the U.S. weapons.  It is a propaganda ploy announcing their return to power.

            A Taliban commander reported that they had captured weapons from Afghan security personnel that included 70 sniper rifles, 900 guns, 30 Humvees, 20 pickup trucks and 15 armored vehicles.  He also reported that they captured a shipping container full of satellite phones, grenades and mortars - many having labels saying: "Property of the USA Government."

            Two items that will likely remain behind in Afghanistan are remnants of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.  New York firefighters and police officers delivered the items to the Bagram Air Base in December 2001, shortly after the Taliban was zapped for harboring terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden.

             A steel beam from the World Trade Center was erected at the base and has become a base landmark, emblazoned with "WTC" stacked on top of "9 11 01."

            And, a 9/11 memorial at Kabul International Airport, also containing a fragment from the World Trade Center, was dedicated by U.S. Air Force personnel in 2012.

            Sometimes we don't take into account the full value of items that help us remember and learn from the past, in this case, the worst attack on American soil.  To some, it's just debris.  If you witnessed the horror of that day, and the days after, you can't help but feel the pain of the family and friends of the more than 3,000 people who died that day.

            One can just imagine the propaganda value those items will have if the Bagram Airfield and Kabul International Airport are taken over by the Taliban.

            Let's hope that doesn't happen.