‘Let’s Go Home:’ Afghan War Vets Torn on US-Taliban Deal

A U.S. Marine fires a heavy machine gun to counter Taliban fire from a nearby treeline, during a firefight in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Aug. 25, 2011. Brennan Linsley/AP

SAVANNAH, Ga.—Veterans of America’s longest war are finding themselves torn as the United States signs a potentially historic peace accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

For many, the United States is long overdue in withdrawing its forces after more than 18 years of fighting. Others question the trustworthiness of the Taliban, whose hard-line government the U.S.-led forces overthrew in 2001. Skeptics worry the Taliban’s reintegration could cause Afghanistan to backslide on such issues as human rights.