NATO leaders bid symbolic adieu to Afghanistan at summit

President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts are bidding a symbolic farewell to Afghanistan at their last summit before the U.S.-led organization pulls out its troops from the country for good

BRUSSELS -- U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts will bid a symbolic farewell to Afghanistan on Monday in their last summit before America winds up its longest “forever war” and the U.S. military pulls out for good. The meeting is bound to renew questions about whether NATO’s most ambitious operation ever was worth it. The 18-year effort cost the United States alone $2.26 trillion, and the price in lives includes 2,442 American troops and 1,144 personnel among U.S. allies, according to figures from Brown University. NATO does not keep a record of those who die in its operations. Those casualty figures dwarf Afghan losses, which include more than 47,000 civilians, up to 69,000 members of the national armed forces and police, and over 51,000 opposition fighters.