US is trying to save Kabul government

The US, even after leaving Afghanistan, is trying by all means to keep the government in Kabul afloat. But authorities have lost sight of what is happening with money and equipment left behind.

Most American soldiers have left Afghanistan, but they are still there: in the air and through their dollars. Since last week, the Americans have again launched air strikes against the Taliban’ in support’ of the Afghan army.

American General Kenneth McKenzie said this weekend that air strikes will be intensified if the Taliban continue their offensive against the Afghan government. The US wants the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government, but the need for this has disappeared with the departure of the Americans. The Taliban announced last week that no ceasefire is possible until president Ashraf Ghani has left.

”The Afghan government is facing a tough task in the coming days, ” McKenzie said. The general said the Taliban want to create the image that the fall of the Afghan government is inevitable.

The Us chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley said last week that the Taliban’s strategic momentum’ are constructed, and the complete takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, in a realistic scenario.

The Taliban control about half of Afghanistan’s 419 districts and are now advancing towards the cities. Half of the 34 provincial capitals are threatened by the Taliban, but the movement does not yet control them. According to the Taliban, this is a deliberate decision, but they can do so at any time if they want to.

Afghan forces sometimes manage to expel the Taliban, but the cost of such operations is high and cannot be sustained in the long term. Moreover, it is usually the special units, not the regular army, that manage to keep the Taliban off, but the commands are small in number and therefore can only be deployed to a limited extent.

The US and NATO have agreed to pump 4 billion into the Afghan armed forces each year to stop the Taliban’s advance until at least 2024. But the question is whether money and military supplies keep the Afghan government going and whether the government is still there.

Once the United States has left Afghanistan all the way, there will also be no view of what is happening with the money and the stuff. The fear is that much aid will go into the pockets of corrupt government officials or possibly even into the Taliban.

The American air strikes against the Taliban will not make any difference in the outcome of the battle. In addition, the Americans and the Taliban had agreed in February 2020 that they would work on ‘better relations’, so the US will not soon engage in bombings that will really hurt the Taliban.