"The Afghan army fighting alongside American troops was molded to match the way the Americans operate. The U.S. military, the world’s most advanced, relies heav

"The Afghan army fighting alongside American troops was molded to match the way the Americans operate. The U.S. military, the world’s most advanced, relies heavily on combining ground operations with air power, using aircraft to resupply outposts, strike targets, ferry the wounded, and collect reconnaissance and intelligence. In the wake of President Biden’s withdrawal decision, the U.S. pulled its air support, intelligence and contractors servicing Afghanistan’s planes and helicopters. That meant the Afghan military simply couldn’t operate anymore." Bottom line, the U.S. trained and armed the Afghan army as a colonial auxiliary force, able to do boots-on-the-ground scutwork under the guidance and support of the U.S. military, but totally unprepared to stand on its own. Biden unthinkingly yanked that support away and the Taliban were ready. The picture would be far less tragic if the U.S. had done a competent job of building the Afghans up to the point where they could defend themselves, and then their forces turned traitor and joined the Taliban. Then we could say the Taliban are the rulers that Afghan's really want, and quietly fortify the borders, apply sanctions, etc.. However, we (and I include allies of the U.S. such as the U.K. and Canada) really pulled the rug out from underneath Afghans. Yes, the government we propped up was corrupt and inept, but we sold Afghans on the lie that, if they wanted to, they could enjoy some semblance of a secular Western democracy. Everyone the least bit progressive who stuck their necks out to educate girls, etc. is now going to get beaten down, or worse. We lured them out for the Taliban and abandoned them. They're now in a worse position than they would have been if the U.S. led coalition had simply bombed the bejeezus out of Afghanistan and then buggered off without spending two decades trying to build something. There is a lesson here that the victims of any future "nation building" efforts will be forced to remember.