A Taliban fighter, wearing U.S. clothing and carrying U.S. weapons, looks through a captured night-vision device.
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Despite efforts to prevent militant groups from getting weapons, they often get their hands on U.S. equipment and use it to attack American troops.
In May, Afghan troops raised their national flag as the U.S. pulled out. Now, their flag is down too.
Afghan Ministry of Defense Press Office via AP
The Afghan military’s collapse was the collective result of individual soldiers making rational decisions based on what they expected their comrades to do.
Afghan security forces gather near the site of an attack in Jalalabad in August 2020.
AP Photo/Rahmat Gul
Pulling out roughly half the U.S. troops in Afghanistan is part of an effort to find peace, but may unbalance a precarious stalemate.