Leaders of the U.K., Germany and other Western nations bemoaned the stunning fall of Afghanistan, while foes such as China and Iran criticized the …
Leaders of the U.K., Germany and other Western nations bemoaned the stunning fall of Afghanistan, while foes such as China and Iran criticized the role the U.S. played in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that there were many lessons to be learned from the “swift and sudden” collapse of Afghanistan. Led by the U.S., thousands of NATO service members have fought in Afghanistan since 2001. “We were always aware of the risks that Taliban could regain control. That was stated clearly when we made the decision to end our military presence,” Stoltenberg told reporters during a press briefing. “But it was a surprise, the speed of the collapse, and how swiftly that happened.” Prior to the briefing, NATO convened an emergency meeting with leaders of several of its 30 member states to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. On Sunday, the Taliban invaded and captured Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, the culmination of the group’s multi-week effort to take control of the country. The complete fall of the government, which the U.S. helped put in place in 2002, came mere months after President Joe Biden announced his administration’s plans to pull all of the remaining American troops out of the country by Sept.11,2021. Janez Jansa, the prime minister of NATO member Slovenia, characterized the rapid collapse of Afghanistan as the “greatest defeat for NATO in history” on Monday, according to the Associated Press. Jansa noted the massive handover of NATO weaponry, equipment and vehicles to the Taliban. “The situation remains very difficult and it’s clear that there is going to be… a new government in Kabul or a new political dispensation, however you want to put it,” U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a video statement Sunday. “I think it’s very important that the West collectively should work together to get over to that new government, be it by the Taliban or anybody else, that nobody wants Afghanistan once again to be a breeding ground for terror.
