Is it time to withdraw from Afghanistan? almost 100,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan as the U.S. enters the 11th year of its longest war.

• Position: DEBATE

YES The war in Afghanistan is a moral and strategic failure of epic proportions.

More than 1,700 Americans have been killed, and more than 13,000 have been wounded. Many more face a lifetime of mental-health scars and post-traumatic stress.

At the same time, the war hasn't advanced our national security goals. It hasn't eliminated the terrorist threat or made Americans any safer. It hasn't brought a stable democracy to Afghanistan, as the government of President Hamid Karzai remains hopelessly corrupt. It has bred more resentment toward the U.S. than gratitude, creating as many enemies as it's eliminated. It has emboldened instead of defeated the Taliban, a radical Muslim group that remains influential in many parts of Afghanistan.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The cost to the U.S. has been not only in blood, but in treasure as well: a staggering $10 billion a month, at a time when drastic cuts to domestic spending are being proposed. How can we say we can't afford to pay firefighters, offer more financial aid for college, or provide health care to poor children while we continue to waste money on a tragic foreign policy blunder?

Withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan doesn't mean abandoning the Afghan people. With humanitarian aid and other civilian efforts, we can and we must help rebuild Afghan schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.

The conflict in Afghanistan is the longest war in American history. It's older than Facebook. How many more Americans have to die before we end this war? It is long past time that we bring our troops home.

--CONGRESSWOMAN LYNN WOOLSEY

Democrat of California

NO Following the death of Osama bin Laden, a growing chorus of skeptics has called for withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Such an exit would be a mistake. It would risk the return of the Taliban, one of the most repressive regimes in the modern era, with ties to Al Qaeda...