The Lowy Institute’s Dr Rodger Shanahan says the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan happened at a “withering pace” but it was understood the terrorist organisation would regain power.
“Most people understood this would be the eventual endgame but nobody quite understood the speed with which the Taliban would be able to achieve this,” he told Sky News Australia.
“At the end of the day, they’ve been working diligently on their information operations campaign in the cities, in the countryside.”
Dr Shanahan said the Afghan military “either wouldn’t or couldn’t defend their territory” and no amount of international intervention could fix it.
“If, after 20 years, you can’t build a national defence force that’s capable of willing to defend territory where they outnumber or outgun the opposition then it’s not going to be achieved in 25 or 30 or 35 years,” he said.
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