bsharporflat:

I have faith the US special forces could take out a few training camps with rather less than modern military capabilities and a bunch of amateur recruits. Why don't you?

Well, the first question is what good would taking out those camps do? If that's not going to cripple al Qaeda operations, then why bother? Clinton already tried hitting those camps with cruise missiles. Do you think that most of al Qaeda's operational leaders were still located in those camps post-9/11, or that killing a bunch of recruits would accomplish anything, or that terrorists couldn't be tipped off and evacuate (or just run away from) a SOF assault? How big do you think those camps were and how many SOF would you use to take them out (including forces to block escape); from where would you deploy the SOF with no in-country air base; what would you do if they got in a tight spot before they could exfiltrate (say, if local Taliban reinforcements arrived); and how would you ensure simultaneous attacks, since the fighters would likely abandon the camps after the first one was taken down? SOF can do a lot of great things but if you want them to do something big then you need to support them. In 2001 and 2002 the United States supported them by recruiting local militias, taking over Afghan air bases, bringing in regular troops to provide security, establishing logistical support, and providing persistent airborne surveillance and airborne strike capabilities.