US, Pak failed to predict fall of Afghan to Taliban

The speed at which Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on this day two years ago exposed the faulty intelligence of both the US and Pakistani intelligence communities. It was not just the Kabul fall where Pakistan’s assessment went wrong, Islamabad could not foresee the dangers of the Taliban’s return to power and the ensuing threats to its security, The Express Tribune reported. Pakistan at the time of Taliban’s victory thought it would help the country. The first and foremost expectation of Pakistan was that the Taliban would deal with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group. Two years on, the number of cross border attacks by the TTP has been on the rise. The Taliban have refused to take action against the TTP, something that compelled Pakistani officials now to admit that the TTP and the regime in Kabul are “ideological cousins”, The Express Tribune reported. The TTP problem has threatened to unravel the relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban. In February 2021, the top US general was on a visit to Pakistan. General Frank McKenzie, the Centcom chief, was visiting just months before the withdrawal of the US-led foreign forces as part of the Doha deal signed between the administration of former President Donald Trump and the Taliban, The Express Tribune reported. At the GHQ, his meeting with then Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa focused on Afghanistan particularly the post-US withdrawal scenario. The US general was keen to have Pakistan’s assessment on one key question: How long would it take for the Afghan Taliban to take control of Kabul after the US withdrawal?