The inability of Afghan forces to function independently in the months before the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is the fault largely of the U.S. and Afghan governments, according to a new report.
It was a mistake to train them to be"a mirror image of U.S. forces, which required a high degree of professional military sophistication and leadership," qualities that the Afghan forces did not have. The report, released Tuesday by the special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction , points out that the Afghan air force, which was supposed to be"the greatest advantage the force had over the Taliban," wasn't even expected to be self-sufficient until 2030.
The Afghan security system was one built on contractors and American leadership, and it led to long-term dependencies, according to the report. As they saw it, the U.S. was handing the country over to the Taliban as it rushed toward the exit. Despite decades of U.S. training, the Afghan advisers remained inexperienced, and corruption within the forces eroded their capabilities. While Doha limited Afghan forces to a defensive posture, the Taliban took advantage of the offensive by striking supply lines and causing $600 million in damage in 2020, according to the report.
The report found that nearly $7.2 billion in U.S.-provided aircraft, guns, vehicles, ammunition and specialized equipment including night-vision goggles and biometric devices remain in the possession of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Poor recordkeeping led to a lack of oversight of equipment on the ground, according to the report.
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