U.S. intelligence agencies warned of the collapse of the Afghan military and government at the hands of a resurgent Taliban over the summer, as President Biden publicly downplayed the possibility of a government rout.
While Biden assured the American public on July 8 that the Afghan regime’s disintegration was far from inevitable, quieting fears of a “Saigon-like” foreign policy fiasco, previous intelligence reports indicated that Afghan security forces as well as the seat of government in Kabul were weakening and could falter, current and former American government officials told the New York Times.
When a reporter asked National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan if the government disregarded information suggesting the Afghan regime would be overwhelmed amid the Taliban’s revival, he replied, “I’m not actually familiar with the intelligence assessments you’re describing.”
A specific July report affirmed the increasingly vulnerable position of the capital to attack as the Taliban advanced across the country, capturing a chain of major provincial cities and towns, a person familiar with the intelligence informed the Times.
Source: National Review
