BRUSSELS, August 17. /TASS/. NATO was aware of the risks of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) regaining control of Afghanistan but could not anticipate how quickly it might happen, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, placing the blame for the political collapse on the Afghan political leaders who failed to stand up to the Taliban.
"Ending our military mission was not easy. We were faced with a serious dilemma. Either leave, and risk seeing the Taliban regain control. Or stay, and risk renewed attacks, and an open-ended combat mission," he told a news conference after an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council on the situation in Afghanistan.
"But what we have seen in the last few weeks was a military and political collapse at a speed which had not been anticipated," he said. "Parts of the Afghan security forces fought bravely. But they were unable to secure the country. Because ultimately, the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted."
After the United States announced the end of its armed operation in Afghanistan and began to withdraw its troops, the Taliban (a radical movement outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale offensive on the government army and by August 15 entered Kabul after meeting no resistance. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was resigning to avoid bloodshed and fled the country. Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy employees.