I agree the Afghans were way better off with US occupying them but the invasion was pointless. It was self-evident the religious fanatics would keep fighting the US just like happened to the Soviets. Without a way to decisive victory, the US was just wasting its money and lives. What it should have done is rather than go to war just targe Al Qaeda targets from the air. It would have saved trillions and no one would have blamed it. Invading Iraq especially, which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 and didn’t have WMDs was a giant mistake. Aside from the huge waste of money and lives It turned the narrative from US being the good guys that led the fight against Saddam, into US Christian nationalists waging war against Islam.