US and Nato withdrawal from Afghanistan...- threadbanned users in OP

Did they not have any weapons and explosives before or something?

Because they were leaving it to the Afghan Army. By the time it became clear that that so-called army was

it was too late to get the stuff out without getting into pitched battles with the Taliban all across the country

I can't believe the US people in charge didn't anticipate the Taliban would take over. They knew. They knew probably after a few years in they would never get rid of the Taliban and they knew they will always be there, in the backgroung maybe, even in Kabul, waiting for their time. I remember reading or hearing from an old Mujaheddin, probably in the R. Stewart documentary: The US have all the money in the world, but we have all the time...Proved to be right.

The more I think about it the less I can't get my head around why the US left at all. Hearing about the Taliban all buddying up with China to start digging for the seemingly vast resources hidden in the ground, very much needed especially for the new digital world, it might have been their own biggest mistake to loose their status from being the super power and the world police. As somebody here already wrote, there will always be a super power in this world, no matter what, and as much as I dislike what the US did in the centuries after WW2, I woud always prefer them to China.

But then, we, the ordinary people, will never really know what's really going on. My guess is the US had to admit to themselves they had no chance at all, they knew the Afghan people/Taliban would never work together commercially with the US after the twenty years of suppression, the opposite, they would never give up demoralise the US, like they did with Russia. There are most probaly also money issues, they don't have 'all the money in the world' anymore, it's somewhere else..Fmpov this is the turning point for the US.

So, it's China-Time, them taking over, like it was always predicted to be happening...

Because it's what the majority of Americans want, and ultimately political elites can only frustrate the will of the people for so long.

It's really strange that islamic fundamentalists are considering firendship with a nation that holds muslims in camps and forces them not to practice their religion.

It's almost like they dont actually care about the muslim faith at all.......

Well, what ever they did have before, its been multiplied now x 1000 of times's. Oh, I'm pretty sure that the world will find out soon enough what they have, and how they plan to use it. Humvees will be the least of their worrie's.

The reason they were caught flat-footed with all the weapons, was it was never in the plan that the Govt and ANA would collapse, and least of all, in the manner in which it did fall.....I imagine that in all of their planning of possible outcome scenarios, this was not even included...a 100% collapse. And had the US started to withdraw vehicles earlier, it would have sent all the wrong signels I think. There would have been a normal rotation of vehicles etc. from some of the NATO members. They plan X nr of vehicles, for replacement or total removal after a specified time. This is normal for all operators there, and not only military. Afghanistan is a hard country on vehicles, even purpose built ones. And it could also have been used to show good faith during the talks with the Taliban. It will go down as one of the biggest blunders in American military history. Also, I think that given the vast amount of equipment ( 20 years worth.) it would have been prohibitly expensive to transfer all of it back to the US. And the Americans are very cost sensitive.

Yes but being at war for so long is wearing out things like airframes far earlier than expected or budgeted. So it's not that want to spend less. They just dont want to spend it in Afghanistan.

Is that you Ted?

They walked in because the ANA did not feel that a corrupt government was worth dying for....and when the US handed everything to the Govt, inc, full responsibality for the ANA, ( including salarys) after the first line of defence fell ( not having been resupplied with arms, food or salary for several months) the rest fell like dominoes. If the majority of Afghans supported the Taliban, they would have been restored to power years ago. The held elections, and Loya Jirga's to confirm the kind of Government they wanted, and that was not the Taliban. Quite the opposite in fact, and that was no surprise given their brutality the last time they were in power. and to reinforce that statement,,,just look at the Nrs trying to leave. During their last term in power, out of a population of 20 Million at the time, 4 million were refugees in other Countrys. No they do not have popular support....they rule by force of arms and terror.

I guss, if you put it like that, it might work and asuming 100% suport by the Taliban, who in turn will need 100% support and co-operation of all the various factions that are there. The next 6 mths will be crucial.