Stuff Their Rifle Barrels With Gold

At last a glimmer of common sense. But too little and far too late.
Instead of the orginal disastrous invasion, which was lost on the day it was launched, it would have been simpler and quicker and far less bloody to simply have cashed in one or two Tomahawk missiles, minted small denomination gold coins, and parachuted them in family-size portions all over the country.
The creaking economy of the Taliban state would have collapsed overnight, as would any power they had over the peasantry. As would the opium industry. By instantly inflating the middle classes, and giving them instant access to capital, the religious solution to poverty would not have been necessary or attractive any more.
The Al Jazeerah report mentions a paltry billion dollars. When the invasion began, promises were made for a total renovation of Afghanistan. It was to be the ultimate reality makeover show. All lies, of course.