Backed by China and Pakistan, the Taliban are poised to take Kabul and end the 20 year exmpiremnt in nation-building with a staggering defeat. The Taliban were estimated by the US “intelligence community” to be incapable of matching the larger and better equipped Afghan national army, which either switched sides or evaporated. Billions in US weapons seized make the Talbin a creditable force in the region.
The Afghan people seem to be of three types: cowards who flee the first signs of battle, people who don’t want freedom and are willing to accept tyranny, people who may want freedom but only as a handout at others’ expense. Exceptions to this can be found, a brave Afghani willing to stand for freedom is rare and would not be able to realistically hold their ground on the midst of such a moribund and corrupt population.
Meanwhile, the President and Vice President have left Kabul after the President spoke of a peaceful transition of power but the Vice President vowed to fight the Taliban to the death and never, ever sit under the same roof as them.
The main change in protocol for this Biden withdrawal over the Trump withdrawal was that Biden cut off all talks with the Taliban and seems to have bought the false narrative that Afghan army, strong on paper, with limited US air support, could hold the line. What happened was that the army turned, fled, or was bought off and in many cases, after surrendering and believing they would be spared, they write slaughtered. Trump thought he could engage the Taliban, mostly to keep them from supporting terror groups like Al Qaeda, in the future in a power-sharing arrangement.
Both approaches would likely have ended in the same space.
Efforts to rescue the 20,000 or more Afghanis who would face execution for collaboration with the Americans are under way. There are no plans for the women and children whose menfolk so thoroughly let them down. There are also no plans to punish China and Pakistan, without whose help this would not have been possible.
