The war on terror has been raging for 20 years. Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the United States stationed numerous troops in the Middle East to combat Islamic Extremism. One of the most notable countries the United States stationed troops was in Afghanistan, where Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist responsible for the 9/11 events, was believed to be hiding. After ten years, the United States finally managed to kills Bin Laden. With the man responsible for 9/11 now dead, it seemed like the United States had no reason to remain in Afghanistan. Yet, the US kept troops stationed there, as a means of preventing another terrorist gain the influence Bin Laden had. The year 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of Bin Laden's killing, and twenty years since 9/11, In that time, the United States has shifted between pulling its troops and keeping some stationed there across four alternating administrations. As of this writing, there are 2,500 troops still stationed in Afghanistan. The most common reason the US has kept troops in Afghanistan is the Taliban. The Taliban is an infamous organization that has conducted Islamic extremism to seize control of the country. If the United States were to withdraw its troops, critics fear, then Afghanistan would be left wide open for a hostile takeover by the Taliban. But if the United States is only keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, that is no indication that the US takes a probable takeover by the Taliban that seriously. The amount of troops kept stationed there is unlikely to be enough to maintain the order the US envisions if the Taliban were to launch an attack. If the US was more serious about a probable attack, then it would make more sense to have kept a higher amount stationed there. Furthermore, the presence of the United States army has generated more unrest that may encourage citizens of Afghanistan to join the Taliban. Even if the Taliban were to seize control, it does not seem like much would change. Transparency International, an organization that tracks and publishes every country's amount of corruption ever year for an index, found Afghanistan to be very high on its scale. The instability of the Afghanistan government begs the question what the United States is trying to maintain. If instability of the Afghan government has led to the United States to strike peace deals with the Taliban, in which the US will leave by May 1, 2021, and the Taliban will not commit further acts of aggression. But if the Taliban were to break the peace talks, then the US would be forced to re-enter Afghanistan, and place the country back where it started. The notion that the presence of US troops in Afghanistan in 9/11 is, finally, doubtful. In an interview with Alex Ward on Vox, retired US Army Col. Chris Kolenda, who was stationed in Afghanistan, stated that al-Qaeda no longer posed the threat it did while Bin Laden was alive. He encouraged an extension of the May 1 deadline, but agreed the US had overstayed its welcome. It is time to pull its troops because it no longer poses the international threat it once did. Remaining there, he said, would make the situation another Vietnam-style scenario. The continuing presence of US troops may be what inadvertently starts another 9/11 attack because citizens will be weary of feeling oppressed over a tragedy they had nothing to do with. They will have every reason to join the Taliban, and raid US bases demanding their withdrawal. The continued presence may actually present a greater risk for the US troops due to the hypothetical unrest. Though, the situation has no easy solutions, the most prudent would be a gradual withdrawal before more US citizens are unnecessarily killed. CITATION Corruption Perceptions Index 2020 for New Zealand.” Transparency.org, 2021, www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/nzl. Ward, Alex. “Why US Troops Should Leave Afghanistan.” Vox, 17 Mar. 2021, www.vox.com/22327600/afghanistan-troop-withdrawal-biden-kolenda-leave.