I saw Al Queda training in my figurative backyard just prior to 9/11. I saw them scouting and patrolling in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 looking for soft targets. Afghanistan and Iraq is where we slaughtered the Islamists wholesale so we didn’t have to it on the homeland. It wasn’t a waste. America is going to find that out shortly
In Iraq we toppled Saddam which eventually led to more radical Islamists.