Pentagon watchdog warns of “existential crisis”, criticizes US “pride” in Afghanistan

John Sopko, the US special inspector general for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, told reporters on Thursday that there were two words to describe the US effort in Afghanistan. “One is this pride that we can kind of take a country that was desolate in 2001 and turn it into a little Norway.” The other, the lie: “we exaggerated, our generals did it, our ambassadors did it”. He noted that countless officials over the years have spoken of “turning the corner” in the fight against the Taliban. “Well, we turned the corner so much, we went 360 degrees.”

The report warns that the Afghan national defense and security forces “appeared surprised and not ready and are now on their backs” against the Taliban as the United States pulls out, although Sopko told reporters he believed that “the last act” had not been played and the government still has time to make improvements and try to survive.

The Pentagon has said about 95 percent of U.S. troops have left, and the Taliban quickly expanded their presence to large swathes of the country. The speed at which Afghan security forces have lost control to the Taliban has shocked many and raised fears that the capital, Kabul, will be the next to fall. All foreign forces are expected to leave Afghanistan by August 31.

Speaking to reporters, Sopko continued his criticism of US policy and said there had been no assistance in creating an Afghan military force with basic pay, logistics, medical care. medical and other factors that made local troops feel it was worth risking their lives. Sopko has repeatedly noted that fuel supplies are not under proper government control and suggested that up to half may have been stolen, a huge obstacle that has reduced military capacity.

Afghan UH-60 helicopters had a readiness rate of 77% in April and May, which then dropped for several reasons to 39% in June. The AC 208 light aircraft’s readiness rate fell to 63% in June from 93% in April and May. This highlights fears that the Afghan Air Force simply will not be able to function without maintenance contractors on site.

The report was released a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Taliban’s advances in Afghanistan “deeply disturbing” and followed a meeting between the Chinese foreign minister and senior Taliban officials in the north. from China.

U.S. intelligence services, military commanders and members of Congress have all warned that the Afghan government would not be able to stand up to the Taliban without the support of U.S. firepower.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden vehemently defended his decision to withdraw US troops, insisting that no sustained US presence could solve the country’s intractable problems.

Sopko has long criticized numerous American efforts in Afghanistan. But with the troop withdrawal nearing completion, he called for a thorough examination of the history of US military conflicts. “Don’t believe what generals, ambassadors or members of the administration tell you who say we’re never going to do it again,” he said. “That’s exactly what we said after Vietnam: we’re never going to do this again. There you go, we made Iraq. And we made Afghanistan. We will do it again.”

Sopko noted that a new report will be released in the coming weeks on lessons the United States should have learned from Afghanistan, in part based on new talks with officials who have served.

CNN’s Eric Cheung, Ben Wescott and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.