Ciorciari on what happens next with Afghan troops

August 20, 2021 CNBC

John Ciorciari, associate professor of public policy and director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center and International Policy Center, spoke to CNBC about Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban after President Biden withdrew the U.S. military from the country.

“The swift Taliban takeover shows how utterly dependent the Afghan state was on the U.S.-led coalition, materially and psychologically. Even before the U.S. withdrawal, the Afghan government and security forces were fraying at the seams,” Ciorciari explained. “Soon after the U.S. pullout began, Afghan troops and officials began jumping ship, either to appease the Taliban or to retreat into old ethnic militias. The Taliban takeover will not bring peace. As the dust settles, many U.S.-trained fighters will likely regroup along ethnic lines to fight again."

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