The Afghan army and police needed to retrench, figures including the then defence minister, Assadullah Khalid, told Ghani. Armed supporters of the former Mujahideen commander Ismail Khan guard his residence during a gathering to devise strategies for the defence of their region, as they vow to fight side-by-side with Afghan security forces in Herat. In the fog of confusion, fear and blame that has settled over government-controlled parts of Afghanistan, there is perhaps just one thing that the entire political spectrum can agree on: no one foresaw the scale or speed of the collapse of the Afghan security forces in recent weeks, even those who wanted a strategic retreat. The US and its allies were slow to start building the Afghan security forces after toppling the Taliban. In return for billions in aid, Washington’s men and women in Kabul also kept a large say in how the security forces were run, including top appointments.

Source: The Guardian July 13, 2021 04:01 UTC