Like any movement, you can never completely destroy it. To clarify to some of you, this does not mean we're losing or that we will lose. This is, or should be, common knowledge. What we're doing is trying to make the Taliban sort of a "non-issue", where attacks are less rampant and security across Afghanistan is increased (sadly, this will take longer than the 2014 deadline for a plethora of reasons; such as, the war in Iraq, President Obama's "light footprint" approach, terrible application of COIN during the immediate post-Iraq invasion years, not enough troops during the 2009 surge, US/NATO troops taking a support role, etc. al-Qaeda's comeback in Afghanistan is also closely related to these same reasons, but that's another thread). Much like the KKK in America, where they're still around and the movement is still alive and well, their terrorist days have since passed and their violent tendencies are largely subdued; thus, essentially making them a non-issue.