Patrick Cockburn - It is government weakness, not Taliban strength, that condemns Afghanistan

 After 20 years and the expenditure by the US of $2.3tn in Afghanistan, the claim that the military lacked time or resources is an absurd evasion of responsibility

Patrick Cockburn says that the Taliban is hated in much of the country, especially in the cuties. 

Western generals have the gall to say the US retreat was too precipitate and they needed more time to train and prepare the Afghan armed forces. But after 20 years and the $2.3 trillion spent on Afghanistan, the claim that the military lacked time or resources is an absurd evasion of responsibility.

Such switches of allegiance explain the momentum of the Taliban advance. Twenty years ago, I saw the Taliban likewise abandon Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Ghazni without a fight. But consolidating these successes may prove difficult because the Taliban are either hated or disliked in much of the country, particularly in the cities, where they will only be able to rule by the use or threat of violence.

The Independent

Patrick Cockburn - It is government weakness, not Taliban strength, that condemns Afghanistan