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> - Maybe we could have spent the past few months working harder to give the Afghans better intelligence capabilities (intel and air support mattered more than
by azinman2 5y ago
> - Maybe we could have spent the past few months working harder to give the Afghans better intelligence capabilities (intel and air support mattered more than our troops on the ground), and ensuring our own intelligence was accurate, as we failed to detect the Taliban's offensive plans.
Versus the past 20? It’s pretty amazing to me how quickly they’ve been defeated. It’s not clear there ever was a solid ground for them if it crumbled so easily.
- lowkey_ 5y agoI completely agree, a large part of the issue was the ANA's unwillingness to fight, whether out of Taliban sympathies and sabotage or a desire to just go home. The other two choices are ones I firmly believe were misguided, but it's tough to argue this one as we don't know what the US was unable to provide or why.
- vkou 5y ago> but it's tough to argue this one as we don't know what the US was unable to provide or why. Good governance. Very clearly, nobody wanted to fight and die to protect the occupation-supported government. My understanding is that the occupation won the war, moved in, and then picked the worst people money could buy to run the place.