General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"If I did anything, it was to prepare our forces for this situation," Afghanistan's ex-president sai
https://www.businessinsider.com/afghanistan-ashraf-ghani-confidence-taliban-resistance-us-troop-withdrawal-2021-8Ashraf Ghani in a May interview was confident that the government could fend off the Taliban.
In April, President Joe Biden announced that US troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by September.
"If I did anything, it was to prepare our forces for this situation," Afghanistan's ex-president said at the time.
Ashraf Ghani, the former president of Afghanistan who fled the country on Sunday as the Taliban captured all the provincial capitals and advanced into the capital city of Kabul, said only months ago that the government could withstand attacks from insurgents "forever" without the US assistance.
President Joe Biden in April announced that he would pull all US troops out of Afghanistan by September.
During a May interview in Der Spiegel, a German news magazine, Ghani was optimistic that the country could stand on its own when the US would eventually retreat from having a substantial presence in the region.
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Reports suggest that he fled the country with loads of money, several cars and a helicopter
secondwind
(16,903 posts)What am I missing.........
malaise
(268,885 posts)I find that hilarious
secondwind
(16,903 posts)What I AM happy about is that the US and the Taliban just agreed to continue to evacuate and that there will be "thousands" more that we will be bringing out of the country...
malaise
(268,885 posts)because Western powers always find themselves associated with the worst of scoundrels
Docreed2003
(16,858 posts)The Afghan National army put up no resistance. None! The Taliban literally rolled into Kabul like sightseers. The ANA laid down arms and went home. So how was that preparation?
maxsolomon
(33,284 posts)the special forces troops in particular, before the collapse started.
NYT casualty reports:
https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/afghan-war-casualty-reports
BeyondGeography
(39,367 posts)A Deep Purple tribute band will be playing your song.
dalton99a
(81,432 posts)Captain Stern
(2,201 posts)ansible
(1,718 posts)He just looks like a coward who cut and ran
TheRealNorth
(9,475 posts)Even the government the Soviets left lasted 3 years. That there were not many Afghanis willing to die for the American-backed government should tell us something- that we never had much buy-in from the people.
Irish_Dem
(46,880 posts)If he can flee with a helicopter paid for by the US and a boatload of US cash, I guess he is not stupid.
maxsolomon
(33,284 posts)Every leader gaslights.
Irish_Dem
(46,880 posts)maxsolomon
(33,284 posts)I am not primarily upset about the graft. Corruption is endemic in the "Developing World", and it is a stubborn nut to crack.
Irish_Dem
(46,880 posts)maxsolomon
(33,284 posts)"Prevalent" is subjective. The US is 25 on this list; Afghanistan is 165:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index
I can't believe I have to argue these points on DU. The US is not a corrupt nation in the same way as Afghanistan.
malaise
(268,885 posts)Asking for the rest of the world
JCMach1
(27,555 posts)Probably because he was corrupt AF
TheRealNorth
(9,475 posts)Before they ran too.