Bottom line is.
This whole situation is a case of "Dr Frankenstein Disorder"
You created your own monster to serve your purposes, and now its turned on you because perhaps they have freedom of thought, something America never accounts for.
And another thing, while these men are my enemy and I warrant their extermination as much as everyone else here. I am going to ask the question.
What did we expect when we invaded their homes, gunned down, bombed and burned their men women and children by the thousands, with weapons so powerful that it is not a case of war , but a case of eradication?
They are not extremist, they are desperate, they have no other way of hitting back, their only option is to shock the US people into withdrawal. But of course, America with its customary grace, doesn't get sentimental about such things, it gets angry, and drops more bombs.
^^^^^
How low can the Taliban go? A LOT lower than this... as can the United States.