'Nothing Indicated collapse of Afghanistan in 11 days': Top US General
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Critics claim that the government's hasty departure of US forces resulted in the country falling under Taliban control, leaving Afghans to fend for themselves.
A Pentagon official claimed that the Taliban's fast march to destabilise the Afghan government in such a short period of time could not have been predicted.
"There was nothing that I, or anyone else, saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days," United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley was quoted as saying by the news agency AFP.
The US military, which just departed from Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation, has been widely chastised for the withdrawal, which was authorised by the Joe Biden administration.
Critics claim that the government's hasty departure of US forces resulted in the country falling under Taliban control, leaving Afghans to fend for themselves.
"The Afghan security forces had the capacity, and by that I mean they had the training, the size, the capability, to defend their country. This comes down to an issue of will and leadership, " the US top general said in defence of the US army, AFP reported.
Similarly, US Vice President Joe Biden supported his administration's decision to remove troops from Afghanistan.
Biden declared on Monday, August 16th, in his first address since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, that he "squarely stood by his judgement."
(With inputs from agencies)