The poor performance of the Afghan security forces, in spite of billions of dollars poured into the army, is something that will have to be looked into and learned from, former US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2021) The poor performance of the Afghan security forces, in spite of billions of Dollars poured into the army, is something that will have to be looked into and learned from, former US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Wednesday.
"I think the poor performance of the Afghan security forces despite the billions and billions and, you know, almost 20 years of US investment, this is one of the issues that we'll have to examine, learn lessons from; why, despite this huge effort, the Afghan military did not perform in terms of resisting Talibs once the US forces were out or once it became clear that the US forces are leaving," Khalilzad said.
In early August, the Taliban (designated terrorist by the UN and Russia) stepped up their offensive against the Afghan government forces and entered the capital of Kabul on August 15, completing a takeover of the country. The events prompted a mass evacuation of Western citizens and Afghans who had worked for foreign troops and organizations.
On October 18, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Khalilzad had stepped down as special envoy. Khalilzad said that he decided to resign as Washington is beginning a new phase of Afghanistan policy in the wake of the Taliban takeover.
