Letters to the Editor: Give Trump credit for trying to get us out of Afghanistan

To the editor: President Trump deserves praise for seeking a way out of our doomed effort to save Afghanistan’s corrupt, incompetent government. Our similar efforts to support South Vietnam’s corrupt, incompetent government failed at great cost in blood and treasure.

We have no reason to stay militarily in Afghanistan. American power in the world will not be diminished by getting out of a hopeless, tragic war; to the contrary, it will be helped.

Trump was right to delay the meeting with Taliban leaders at Camp David in Maryland because of the bombing carried out by the group in Kabul. Still, efforts to get out of an unwinnable and needless war must continue.

Robert Baker, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Maintaining the hard-won rights of Afghan women must be at the heart of any deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Anything less would be an outrageous betrayal of the highest order, and a sign that our government once again has failed in the lessons learned department.

Leaving yet another country that was invaded by the U.S. in dangerously precarious conditions would all but betray every democratic ideal we claim to value.

Mary Kay Gordon, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: The president called off peace talks with the Taliban. He said the reason for calling off the meeting was because recently, the Taliban “killed one of our great, great soldiers.”

So, how come when the Saudis slaughtered a journalist who was a U.S. resident, Trump did nothing? He even doubted the facts proving the Saudis were guilty of killing Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Clearly the reason for Trump admonishing the Taliban while withholding any punishment of the Saudis is that the Saudis buy our weaponry, whereas the Taliban doesn’t buy anything from us.

David Zasloff, Burbank