American intelligence agencies are under widespread criticism after documents revealed that despite several groups tracking down the Taliban militant group prior to their takeover of Kabul, not one was able to forecast the unprecedented attack.
The incident occurred when United States military troops were still deployed in the region and could have moved to intercept the insurrection group before they initiated their plans in mid-August. Classified materials were acquired and reviewed, showing how agencies tracked the Taliban advances from spring 2020 until July of this year.
Failed US Intelligence
The documents reveal that U.S. intelligence agencies predicted the militant group would continue gaining ground as the Afghan government was unlikely to be capable of defending itself without support from the American military. Roughly two dozen intelligence agencies were tracking the militant group, but all could not foresee the group's attack on Kabul by Aug. 15.
Summaries of reports were obtained that were made by four key intelligence agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department's intelligence bureau, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The CIA released a report on May 17 that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's government was expected to fall by the end of the year. The report came just a month after United States President Joe Biden announced that the American government would be withdrawing all of its remaining 2,500 military troops in the war-torn country.
As the Taliban later made their way to the capital city of Kabul, President Ghani fled the country, leaving his people to be taken over by the militant group. Shortly after taking control of the presidential palace, the Taliban group posted photos on social media showing them at Ghani's desk as they announced the formation of a new government in the region.
The CIA forecast a "complete Taliban takeover" within two years less than a month after releasing its May report. A report dated June 4 released by the DIA indicated that the insurrection group was planning to continue its strategy of isolating rural areas from the Afghan capital over the next year. The agency also predicted that the Afghan government would hold Kabul, the New York Post reported.
Optimistic Estimates of Taliban Attack
The forecasts that the CIA made and released anticipated the fall of Kabul in the hands of the Taliban militant group. However, all estimations assumed that the insurrection group would conduct the takeover after the complete withdrawal of American troops.
Many experts believe the documents offer new and crucial information about why the U.S. federal government was not prepared to deal with the Taliban attack on Kabul. The incident caused a massive shutdown of the region, forcing the capital's airport to close temporarily.
Biden's decision to withdraw all American soldiers from Afghanistan has received widespread criticism for the aftereffects in the war-torn nation. Currently, the U.S. government is still working to evacuate a small number of American citizens still stuck in Afghanistan along with thousands of locals who are at risk under the new government's rule, Forbes reported.
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