US Pentagon blames Afghan government leadership & military chops as Taliban returns

As the Taliban defeated the Afghanistan government and military forces, on August 16, the United States mentioned its intentions to raise the number of US and NATO troops at Kabul Airport to more than 3000. On Sunday, US President Joe Biden authorised an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. troops to ensure what he called an “orderly and safe drawdown” of American and allied personnel.

After a stunning 2-week capitulation following the withdrawal of foreign troops in the country, the Afghan government surrendered to the Taliban on Sunday, which is headed to proclaiming the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 

US forces in Afghanistan

Following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the White House on Sunday informed that US President Joe Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris met with officials to discuss the withdrawal situation in Kabul. The President talked to the national security team and senior officials to hear updates on the evacuation of US personnel, SIV applicants and other Afghan allies from the war-ridden country. The President’s online meeting to seek updates on the evacuation process came hours after the Afghan government in Kabul fell to the Taliban militants.

Initially, 1,000 troops were in place to aid with the withdrawal, and administration officials quickly judged that total to be insufficient. An additional contingent of Marines arrived in Kabul as part of a 3,000-troop force intended to secure an airlift of US Embassy personnel and Afghan allies as Taliban insurgents approached the outskirts of the capital. The additional 1,000 troops approved Saturday appeared to bring the total to 5,000.

'Afghanistan's fall was instantaneous': Pentagon

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US has proven its ability to fight terrorism effectively without having a large military footprint on the ground..

President Biden was not prepared to usher in the third decade of war and put U.S. troops in harm’s way, fighting and dying, to try to hold Afghanistan together when its own armed forces would not fight to hold it together, he further said.

3000 more US forces likely to arrive in Afghanistan

Previously, the Pentagon had provided a rough estimate of the drawdown of US citizens among the roughly 4,000 embassy personnel which includes 14,000 American citizens. Joe Biden, after meeting with his top national security advisers ordered additional expedited flights out of Afghans who have worked with the US so that their SIV applications are chalked out.

'Overestimated Afghan forces': Pentagon

The Pentagon issued a statement saying it greatly overestimated the ability of the Afghan national forces to hold off the Taliban and keep their violent conquest at bay for at least a year or so. The Afghanistan government's collapse was almost instantaneous, it stated. Biden had accurately assessed the ultimate outcome if the US and NATO forces stayed, they would face the ugly brunt in the crossfire of yet another Afghan civil war. 

"Leadership was missing in Afghan government," the Pentagon said in an official release.

As a contingency plan, the Pentagon said an entire infantry brigade combat team, some 3,500 troops from Fort Bragg to Kuwait have been moved. If 3000 more are deployed, American forces in Afghanistan will be around 7000 which is double the number of US citizens in Afghanistan when President Biden announced the withdrawal of troops and the end of 20-years of war in April.