NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg blamed on Tuesday the Afghan leadership for failing to stand up against the Taliban and leading the country to a tragedy.
“Ultimately, the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference following the meeting of NATO ambassadors.
“This failure of Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today,” he pointed out.
Acknowledging that “parts of Afghan security forces fought brave,” he called the recent developments in Afghanistan “a military and political collapse at the speed that has not been anticipated.”
According to Stoltenberg, it is necessary for the military alliance to take “an honest, fair assessment” on its two-decade presence in Afghanistan.
