Fact check: Maybe the U.S. should have spent some of that 20 years and over a Trillian dollars in Afghanistan arming women and training them how to fight. They might have actually put up a fight against the Taliban.

1. Summary of the results

The original statement's premise overlooks significant existing efforts and complex realities. The U.S. did actually invest in training women in the Afghan military, including a $93.5 million budget in 2016 specifically aimed at increasing women's participation ^[1]. However, these efforts faced substantial challenges, resulting in less than 900 women soldiers, far below the target of 5,000 ^[1]. The U.S. also implemented Cultural Support Teams that worked alongside Special Forces, training women in intelligence gathering, trauma care, and cultural engagement ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual factors are missing from the original statement:

• Systemic and Cultural Barriers: Nearly 60% of Afghans opposed women working in the military ^[1]. Women faced multiple obstacles including:
• Taliban threats
• Opposition from male relatives
• Problems with male colleagues
• Low pay and limited promotion opportunities ^[3]
• Current Situation: The Taliban has created a "women's rights catastrophe" where:
• No women hold leadership positions
• 98% of women feel they have limited or zero community influence ^[4]
• Women are banned from education beyond sixth grade
• Women are prevented from working for NGOs ^[5]
• Pre-Taliban Progress: During U.S. occupation, more than one-third of teenage girls gained literacy skills, an achievement impossible under Taliban rule ^[6].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement contains several misleading implications:

• It oversimplifies the complex situation by suggesting that merely arming women would have led to effective resistance. This ignores the fundamental cultural and societal barriers that existed ^{[1] [3]}.
• It incorrectly assumes no efforts were made to train women, when in fact specific programs and funding existed ^[2].
• It overlooks the broader context that the entire 20-year mission had fundamental flaws beyond just military training ^[7].
• The statement fails to acknowledge that under current Taliban rule, any large-scale women's military resistance would be nearly impossible due to severe restrictions and systematic oppression ^[8].