U.S. Army Chief General Mark Milley stated on Wednesday that there were no indicators that the Afghan army and government would collapse within 11 days, allowing the Taliban to swiftly take control of all of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country. Milley said during a press conference, "Neither I nor anyone else saw anything that would indicate the collapse of this army and this government in 11 days." He added, "The Afghan security forces had the capability—I mean training and numbers—and the capacity to defend their country," considering that the collapse of the political and military structure in the country was due to "issues of will and leadership." He reiterated, "Neither I nor anyone else anticipated a collapse of this magnitude in 11 days."
In response to severe criticism directed at U.S. intelligence agencies for failing to forewarn about the ability of the Afghan government and military to counter the Taliban fighters, General Milley explained that intelligence reports did indeed suggest the possibility of "the Taliban seizing power following the rapid collapse of the Afghan security forces and government." He added, "However, the duration of this rapid collapse was generally estimated to be weeks, months, or even years after our departure."
On July 21, when the Taliban were controlling nearly half of the country's areas, General Milley asserted that the group's achieving a military victory immediately after U.S. troop withdrawal "was not a foregone conclusion." He considered at that time that, although Afghan forces had received training and equipment from the U.S. and their numbers greatly exceeded that of the Taliban fighters, quantity alone was not the decisive factor in determining the outcome of the war. He stated that the most important factors in the current fight were "will and leadership," indicating that this would serve as a test for the will and leadership of the Afghan people, the Afghan security forces, and the Afghan government.
