Ex-Afghan Army Chief Says Kabul Lacked Defense Plan Before Fall

DID Press: Hibatullah Alizai, the former Chief of Staff of the Afghan Army, has said the Defense Ministry had no prepared plan to secure and defend Kabul as the capital faced collapse in August 2021.

In an interview with CBS News, Alizai said that as the Taliban rapidly seized territory across Afghanistan, then-President Ashraf Ghani appointed him as army chief.

Alizai said that just four days after taking the position, and only one day before Kabul fell, he was asked to prepare a plan to defend the capital. He said such a plan should have been prepared by the Defense Ministry well in advance.

The former army chief said he had also developed a plan in mid-June 2021 to counter the Taliban’s advance and submitted it to the Defense Ministry, but slow decision-making within the government prevented its timely implementation.

Alizai said Afghan forces still had options to counter the Taliban at the time, but the rapid pace of events left little opportunity to use those options effectively.

He also rejected claims that the Afghan army collapsed without resistance, saying Afghan forces continued fighting the Taliban in several areas, including around Kabul and in Helmand Province.