In a question and answer.. an American reading of the Taliban's rapid military progress

Washington 

does not

represent the

approaching completion of the

withdrawal of

US troops from Afghanistan ,

good news for

American circles in the

light of the

news coming in

from the

rapid progress of the

forces of the

Taliban and the

control of their

fighters more cities and states in the

country.

These developments complicate the administration of President Joe Biden's justification of the decision to complete the withdrawal of his country's forces from there by the end of August, before reaching a binding peace agreement between the Taliban movement on the one hand, and the internationally recognized Afghan government on the other.

At the same time that Washington and London urged their nationals to leave Afghanistan immediately due to the deteriorating security situation, it was remarkable that the United States used giant B-52 (B-52) bombers, and Specter combat aircraft, to bomb the Taliban fighters, in an attempt to stop the Taliban. Movement forces advance.

In this article, Al Jazeera Net presents - in the form of a question and answer - an American reading of the developments in the situation inside Afghanistan and its repercussions on the controversy surrounding the legacy and repercussions of the longest war in American history.

Did Washington expect the rapid advance of Taliban forces on the ground inside Afghanistan?

The American Wall Street Journal revealed weeks ago that a secret intelligence assessment concluded that the Afghan government may collapse within 6 months of the end of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In testimony to the Senate, CIA Director William Burns asserted that "when the time comes for the US military to withdraw from Afghanistan, the ability of the Kabul government to confront and act upon threats will diminish."

This was preceded by the expression of a number of generals, some of whom led US forces in Afghanistan - including the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff David Petraeus, who later became Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and General Joseph Dunford, the former commander of the Central Military Command - their rejection of the decision to withdraw their country's forces from Afghanistan and considered it as a Paving the way for a clear victory for the Taliban.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also considered, in an article he wrote in partnership with General Joseph Keane, that the decision to withdraw was against the wishes of senior military leaders and the senator and General Keane expected that the Taliban movement would control all of Afghanistan.

However, in contrast to the above, President Joe Biden denied in a speech that Taliban control was inevitable, and cited the Taliban's military strength of about 75,000 men compared to 300,000 soldiers from the Afghan security forces.

Could the rapid advance of Taliban forces hinder or slow the US withdrawal from Afghanistan?

This does not seem a realistic scenario with the completion of the withdrawal of the majority of American soldiers and equipment from Afghanistan, and the approaching date of August 31, set for the end of the withdrawal process.

Three weeks ago, the Pentagon announced the completion of the withdrawal of 90% of its soldiers and equipment from Afghanistan.

Biden stressed in his speech announcing the withdrawal from Afghanistan that "just an extra year of fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but it will prolong the fighting there indefinitely."

On the other hand, Washington is trying to slow the progress of the Taliban by launching air attacks on Taliban forces and pressing for the revitalization of peace negotiations between the Taliban and the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

What are the implications of Washington’s use of B-52s to stop the Taliban’s advance on the ground?

The use of giant B-52 bombers indicates the continued dependence of Afghan forces on American air support. B-52 bombers carry long-range strategic bombs and can carry up to 32 tons of bombs. These bombers have not been used in Afghanistan for nearly a year.

Although President Biden has set an August 31 deadline for withdrawal, there are also US assurances of readiness to continue air strikes after that date.

The resort to B-52 bombers represents an American sense of the danger of the situation on the ground, in light of the shocking performance of the Afghan army to American observers and experts.

At the same time, a statement from the US embassy in Kabul called on the Taliban movement to immediately abide by the ceasefire and devote its energy to the peace process and not to military attacks.

Why are Afghan security forces failing to confront the Taliban?

In theory, the Afghan government's security forces have a clear advantage over the Taliban's forces. They are larger and better equipped, and have received massive amounts of foreign military training, logistical support, financial aid, advanced weapons, and intelligence.

After nearly two decades of continuous training and other forms of assistance, Afghan forces remain poorly commanded, plagued by corruption and frequent desertions.

The surrender of Afghan security forces without a fight in many cases, leaving behind American-made armored cars and other military equipment that Washington supplied to the Taliban, is a cause for concern for many American military leaders, as this reflects the failure of American efforts to establish an effective Afghan army, and American circles did not pay attention The different dilemmas of this dilemma over the past years.

Why did Washington fail to establish a strong Afghan army to counter the aspirations of the Taliban?

There are several reasons, including the attempt by US military advisors to teach Afghans to fight in the manner of the Americans, based on technology rather than traditional methods, a method of warfare that is not suitable for most Afghan soldiers, nor for the environment of confrontations inside Afghanistan.

Some locals consider that the financial dumping of American funds on the Afghan forces has encouraged corruption and opportunism instead of the criterion of military competence among the cadres of the Afghan forces.

The Afghan army forces did not enjoy wide popularity like other armies in the world, due to their association with a foreign occupier (the United States).

Why did Washington fail to achieve its military objectives in Afghanistan?

From the beginning, 20 years ago, the US military did not develop an effective strategy to achieve a clear military victory, nor did the army provide American politicians with a reason for not achieving their stated goals in the war.

On the other hand, the US military and political leaders did not receive clear strategic direction for the war, and Congress made it easy to allocate billions of dollars to the military effort and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, without asking difficult questions about the prospects for success, even as evidence began to accumulate that the war was not going well. Okay.

It is reported that the United States invaded Afghanistan in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the main objective was to capture Osama bin Laden and as many senior leaders of Al-Qaeda as possible.

Because the Taliban government refused to hand over bin Laden, overthrowing their rule became part of the task as well.

But once the Taliban was overthrown, the United States and its allies took on the peculiar task of trying to transform a poor, divided country wracked by successive civil wars into a liberal, centralized Western-style democracy.

What about the position of the American people on the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan?

After the rapid success of the American forces in eliminating the rule of the Taliban 20 years ago, most Americans supported the invasion of Afghanistan, and then the Americans realized later that the risks from Afghanistan were not that great after the elimination of Al-Qaeda and the killing of its leader Osama bin Laden.

With the passage of years without withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the majority of the American people realized that the decision and calculations of militarily invading a foreign country are easier than the calculations of the decision to withdraw from it.

An opinion poll conducted by The Economist from July 10 to 13 showed that 57% of Americans supported the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, while 20% expressed their opposition to the decision, and 22% of them did not specify a clear position on withdrawing from Afghanistan.

The percentage of popular approval of withdrawal from Afghanistan is not affected by party affiliation.

What options does Washington have in front of the Taliban's military progress?

A number of American experts believe that Washington can continue and double the American support for the Afghan security forces and police in order to be able to confront the Taliban.

Others are calling for the need to maintain the current international and US sanctions imposed on Taliban leaders and expand the scope of those sanctions as well, including the inclusion of the names of new officials if the movement's military advance does not stop.

There is an argument regarding the need to seek to engage Afghanistan's neighbors to support a peace agreement, and Washington's strategic opponents such as Russia, Iran and China can be called upon to help bring peace to Afghanistan before and after the completion of the withdrawal of US forces.

Has Washington abandoned the diplomatic track after the recent Taliban victories?

Washington has not changed its position on the peace negotiations hosted by Doha between the parties to the Afghan conflict. Rather, the United States confirms that it is not ready to abandon the diplomatic track related to peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

US officials say the Taliban understands that they will not enjoy international legitimacy if their forces overthrow the Afghan government rather than reaching an agreement at the negotiating table.

In an interview with National Radio, the US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, presented a bleak picture of the situation inside Afghanistan, and considered that the Taliban feel emboldened with their military progress, and therefore demand the lion's share of power in the next government due to its good military situation as it sees it at the present time.