“Everyone left the war and escaped.“ How the Afghan army, built by the U.S. and allies over 20 years, collapsed on contact with the Taliban.
KABUL—The Afghan government outpost in Imam Sahib, a district of northern Kunduz province, held out for two months after being surrounded by the Taliban. At first, elite commando units would come once a week on a resupply run. Then, these runs became more scarce, as did the supplies.
“In the last days, there was no food, no water and no weapons,” said trooper Taj Mohammad, 38. Fleeing in one armored personnel carrier and one Ford Ranger, the remaining men finally made a run to the relative safety of the provincial capital, which collapsed weeks later. They left behind another 11 APCs to the Taliban.
As district after district fell in this summer’s Taliban offensive, without much visible support from the Afghan national army and police forces, other soldiers simply made the calculation that it wasn’t worth fighting anymore—especially if the Taliban offered them safe passage home, as they usually did.
“Everyone just surrendered their guns and ran away,” said Rahimullah, a 25-year soldier who joined the army a year ago and served in the Shahr-e-Bozorg district of northeastern Badakhshan province. “We didn’t receive any help from the central government, and so the district fell without any fighting.”
Afghanistan’s national army and police forces, theoretically numbering 350,000 men and trained and equipped at huge cost by the U.S. and Western allies, were supposed to be a powerful deterrent to the Taliban. That is one reason why President Biden, when he announced in April his decision to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan, expressed confidence in the Afghan military’s ability to hold ground.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
Afghan women forced from banking jobs as Taliban take controlIn early July, as Taliban insurgents were seizing territory from government forces across Afghanistan, fighters from the group walked into the offices of Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar and ordered nine women working there to leave.
Consulte Mais informação »
EU border agency trials high tech controls as Afghan fighting spreadsThe EU's border agency is trialling new high-tech surveillance equipment to detect migrant boats, just as rapid gains by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have raised the prospect of a surge in people fleeing to Europe.
Consulte Mais informação »
Female Afghan bankers forced out of their jobs as Taliban take controlThe Taliban, which barred women from work when it ruled Afghanistan in the 90s, appears to be backtracking on a promise that rights of women will be protected should it return to power in Kabul.
Consulte Mais informação »
Taliban Seize Kandahar, Prepare to March on Afghan Capital KabulThe insurgents completed the seizure of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and the Islamist movement’s birthplace, and took into custody a warlord who organized the failed defenses of the western city of Herat.
Consulte Mais informação »
In urgent cable, US Embassy calls on Washington to evacuate Afghan staffers threatened by TalibanThe U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan is urging Washington to evacuate Afghans under threat because of their work with the U.S. government — warning they cannot get out on their own and are in desperate need, according to internal cable obtained by ABC News.
Consulte Mais informação »
Afghan women bankers forced from roles as Taliban takes controlAs the Taliban sweeps across Afghanistan, there are signs the militant group is going back on a promise allowing women to work, according to interviews with female bank employees forced out of their jobs.
Consulte Mais informação »