The Biden administration acknowledges that US intelligence services made many mistakes regarding the withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. The Taliban’s rapid takeover of power was not foreseen, writes the White House in a summary of a report sent to the sent parliament.
The blame lies mainly with former President Donald Trump, who agreed to withdraw in 2020 with the Taliban, but would not have a detailed plan drawn up. His successor Biden, who had spoken strongly in favor of withdrawing before becoming president in early 2021, says he has learned lessons from this.
Defeat
The US military and its allies left the capital Kabul chaotically in August 2021 after 20 years of military presence, after which the Taliban quickly filled the void. The retreat was described by critics as a defeat.
“We clearly haven’t done a good job” on intelligence, the White House security spokesman said. The intelligence services had misjudged the strength of the Taliban and the weakness and corruption of the Afghan military. But the departure remains a good decision, the spokesman said, otherwise many more soldiers would have had to be sent.
A suicide bombing on August 26, 2021 at Kabul airport, where the Americans were busy with a huge military airlift to take more than 120,000 people out of the country in a few days, killed thirteen American soldiers and 170 Afghans.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
