On Wednesday Axios reported that “the Taliban has stunned even some seasoned military and national security officials in the U.S. government with the speed of its conquests over the past week.”
This admission that much of the D.C. national security establishment was clueless to the rapid rise of Taliban rule and swift fall of the Afghan government is not surprising. They are at fault for promoting an unattainable outcome in Afghanistan for almost two decades, and are suddenly “stunned” when faced with the reality that has existed in Afghanistan all along.
