3 years after US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Israel looks to lessons learned from War on Terror

The U.S. on Friday marked its third anniversary of the complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and the closure of the 20-years-long war, but questions remain over the lessons learned from the U.S. War on Terror and what can be applied to Israel’s fight against Islamic extremism. 

The collapse of Kabul to the Taliban, followed by the killing of 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans by ISIS-K terrorists on Aug. 26, 2021, left a blackened mark on what was already perceived as a chaotic conclusion to the U.S.’s longest-ever war. 

However, it also left Americans questioning the effectiveness of the U.S.'s strategy in countering al Qaeda and Islamic extremism in general.

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U.S. soldiers stand guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on Aug. 20, 2021, hoping to flee from the country after the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan. (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The day after the U.S. concluded the war in Afghanistan, President Biden looked to squash these questions during an address to the nation on Aug. 31, 2021, saying, "Remember why we went to Afghanistan in the first place? Because we were attacked by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda on Sept. 11, 2001, and they were based in Afghanistan.

"We delivered justice to bin Laden on May 2nd, 2011 – over a decade ago. Al Qaeda was decimated," Biden said. "It was time to end this war."

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In addition to the U.S.’ decadeslong effort to "decimate" al Qaeda, it also looked to end Taliban rule in Afghanistan and ensure a democratic government stood in its place.

A U.S. Marine grabs an infant over a fence of barbed wire during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 19, 2021. (Photo by -/Courtesy of Omar Haidiri/AFP via Getty Images)

Though al Qaeda remains significantly weakened today, it now receives sanctuary in Afghanistan – a consequence of failed U.S. efforts spanning multiple administrations to counter the Taliban.

Open-source reporting showed that the Taliban had begun gaining traction across the country in the lead up to the Trump administration's February 2020 deal with the insurgent group. However, Washington, D.C., under former President Donald Trump and President Biden, pushed forward with the withdrawal – a move that was ultimately deemed the result of an "intelligence failure."

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 31: Taliban take control of Hamid Karzai International Airport after the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. (Photo by Wali Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Wali Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The tumultuous ending to the War on Terror brought renewed attention to the debate over whether Islamic terrorists, or any militant group, can truly be defeated through kinetic warfare – a question Israel has long grappled with.

Since its founding, Israel has continuously faced existential threats, first from Arab government-organized paramilitary groups known as fedayeen, and later from the Palestinian Liberation Organization before Hamas, Hezbollah and other extremist groups were then formed.

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Hezbollah Radwan forces training in Southern Lebanon, close to the Israeli border. (AP/Hassan Ammar)

Israel currently faces threats from nearly two dozen terrorist organizations operating out of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen – all of which are funded by Iran with the aim of encircling the Jewish state under a strategy known as the "ring of fire."

"Militant groups can be defeated, and Israel is defeating Hamas as we speak," former spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and current senior fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Jonathan Conricus told Fox News Digital. 

A terrorist from Hamas takes part in a military parade. Three Palestinian migrants caught at the southern border were detained after they were allegedly found to have terrorist ties.  (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo)

"The question is, and this has not been achieved by the U.S. or Israel, how can hearts and minds be persuaded and changed? How can the scourge of extremist Islamism be defeated?" the IDF veteran questioned. 

Conricus, who served in the IDF for 24 years, said the biggest challenge facing Israel and any nation looking to stamp out extremism is how to stop the next generation of terrorists, as these groups are quick to recruit and refill their ranks. 

"It's a long, long battle," he said.

The building belonging to the Berbag family is destroyed after an Israeli attack, leaving several Palestinians, including children, dead and wounded in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Aug. 2, 2024. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

However, there is one major difference between the U.S. and Israel's fight against terrorism – proximity to the threat. 

"Israel is at the forefront of this," Conricus said. "We are fighting for our very existence."

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-ran Health Ministry in Gaza – though that figure does not break down the number of civilian deaths verses the number of terrorist deaths. Another 700 Israeli soldiers and roughly 1,200 Israeli civilians have also been killed.

Israel has faced international rebuke over the high level of Palestinian civilian casualties, and critics have pointed out that Jerusalem's aggressive tactics help drive sympathetic tendencies that lead to recruitment efforts by terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen Charles Moore told Fox News Digital that despite arguments against the war in Gaza, ousting Hamas from the region is critical for Israeli security. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant oversee a meeting at Israel's Ministry of Defense following the IDF's preemptive strikes against Hezbollah on Aug. 25. (Israel Government Press Office)

"Without a doubt, the short-term strategy must include decisive military action to eliminate the immediate threat to the safety and security of Israel's population."

He also noted that once the fighting ceases, a governing body needs to be put in place in Gaza that will take immediate steps to ensure that living conditions are improved, and regional economic cooperation is established in order to ensure "fair and lasting peace."

"Israel and the United States must work together on a long-term comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach," Moore said. "This includes leveraging advanced intelligence, technological innovation, regional cooperation/agreements, and addressing the socio-economic factors that contribute to radicalization."

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However, there is one other major factor influencing the proliferation of terrorist organizations that poses a threat to Israel and its allies – Iran. 

Firefighters in the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona battle blazes sparked by Hezbollah rockets and drones on June 3, 2024. More than 30 crews worked throughout the night to get wildfires in the Galilee and Golan under control. (Photo by Erez Ben Simon/TPS-IL)

Both Moore and Conricus argued that the U.S., allied nations and Israel need to take a stricter approach to Tehran through increased sanctions as well as other political and military-based means, in order to deter Iran's perpetual funding of terrorist organizations. 

"For too long the Islamic Republic of Iran has had the time, leisure and resources to build terror organizations – to fund them and to send weapons to them," the IDF veteran said, calling for a "total reassessment" of Israel's strategy toward Iran. 

"If we want safety, prosperity, rule of law and security in the region, then what Israel needs to do is to have a vision for the day after in Gaza and not only to defeat Hamas militarily, but to make sure it does come back," he added. 

Israeli Defense Forces troops enter Khan Yunis, Gaza, searching for hostages. (Israeli Defense Forces)

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Conricus also said a coalition of "willing countries" in the region should be formed in a united show of force against not only Iran, but in ending Islamic extremism and "de-radicalizing the Gaza Strip" – an effort the Biden administration has continued and which was first launched by the Trump administration under the Abraham Accords. 

"I believe that it is possible with vision and leadership and diplomacy," Conricus said. "It all depends on Israeli diplomatic capabilities, but it is absolutely crucial that there is U.S. leadership."

A boy lights candles in the form of the Star of David in honor of victims of the Hamas attacks during a vigil at the Dizengoff square in central Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Last week, Israel agreed to a cease-fire proposal put forward by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar that could end the fighting in Gaza, though Hamas has yet to agree to the plan. 

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Details of the proposal remain closely guarded by the mediators, but reports have suggested attempts to bridge the gap between Israeli and Hamas demands may not be enough to get the terrorist group on board.

Conricus argued that ultimately, Israel's direct and immediate fight against terrorism cannot stop until Hamas is eradicated from Gaza.

"Unlike for the U.S., it’s very much a zero-sum game – we either fight and exist and defend ourselves, or we don’t exist, because that is the aspiration of the enemies," he said.