Taliban control and the collapse of the Afghan Army. US report reveals the reason
The biggest factor that led to the collapse of the Afghan army last August was Washington’s decision to withdraw troops and contractors from a deal with the Taliban signed by the administration of former President Donald Trump and implemented by Joe Biden’s administration, a US watchdog report concluded.
According to the assessment of the Office of the Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan announced late Tuesday, the withdrawal destroyed the morale of the Afghan army because it was dependent on US military support.
The watchdog “concluded that the single most important factor in the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in August 2012 was Washington’s decision to withdraw military forces and contractors from Afghanistan by signing an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 under the Trump administration”, the report said. This was followed by President Biden’s announcement of withdrawal in April 2021.
“After signing the agreement with the Taliban, U.S. military support to Afghan forces declined, which also included a drop in airstrikes in 2020 after a record high the previous year”, he said.
The reduction in airstrikes after the US-Taliban agreement was signed… The Afghan National Defense Forces have lost a key advantage in deterring the Taliban.
The Taliban invaded Afghanistan in August as the previous Western-backed government collapsed with sudden speed and the last US troops were withdrawn.
Biden had signaled the need to end the war in Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting that killed Americans, drained resources and distracted attention from larger strategic priorities.
