evidence: The U.S. War in Afghanistan Twenty Years On: Public Opinion Then and Now Twenty years ago today, the United States launched airstrikes against the Taliban. Dubbed Operation Enduring Freedom, it was the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. No one knew at the time it would become the longest war in U.S. history. The departure of the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan this past August has spurred debates over the war’s wisdom. Whatever history’s judgment, what shouldn’t be forgotten is that the American public supported the entry into a war it understood might be long and difficult. [...] In all, nearly 2,400 U.S. troops and more than 46,300 Afghan civilians were killed over two decades of fighting. The United States spent more than $2.3 trillion dollars seeking to remake Afghanistan. That blood and treasure cannot be forgotten or regained. On this anniversary, it’s worth remembering that robust public support at the start of a war does not guarantee public support at its end.