The way the Taliban took control over Afghanistan in a matter of weeks has us all surprised. This rapid takeover was the result of their strength in the battleground as well as their ability to ensure surrender. The militants took over city after city, from Heart to Lashkar Gah and then Kabul at last.
The withdrawal of the US army in May had everyone in the state of mind that the Afghan troops will at least hold back the Taliban for a couple of months. Everyone was hoping for a good fight between the two parties. What happened was completely unexpected.
Despite being more than 300,000 in number and having better technology and equipment than the Taliban, the Afghan army lost to them. They were intimidating on paper only. In actuality, the army dealt with corruption and poor leadership that resulted in their downfall.
Although some good retaliation was seen in areas like Lashkar Gah, facing the Taliban without the US bombing was a rather difficult task. The US military and their regular attacks had held back the Taliban but fighting them alone seemed somewhat very difficult. Despite being smaller in number, the high spirits and unity of the Taliban became the reasons for their victory.
One of the many reasons for the downfall of Afghan troops was their low self-esteem. The feeling of abandonment by the United States after being here for quite a long time broke the hearts of Afghans. Taliban were clever enough to create an environment of fear by starting target killings as well as the killing of journalists. The famous warlords, that had sworn to protect the cities in case of Taliban attacks, abandoned the country and fled as soon as possible. Deals were already settled between the Taliban and government officials at the start of May. With this news being surfaced, the Afghan troops did not bother putting up a fight. Cities fell off without even fighting, hence the quick capturing of the country.
