Vincent Boland on Afghanistan: A misguided exercise comes to a chaotic end

The US’s 20-year occupation of Afghanistan has achieved almost nothing – and as the Taliban reimposes its dictatorship, a humanitarian tragedy is sure to follow

Two boys at a makeshift camp at Share-e-Naw Park in Kabul who were among the thousands of refugees pouring into the Afghan capital last week to escape the advance of the Taliban. Picture: Getty

The war in Afghanistan has come full circle as it draws to a shabby and chaotic end. As US and Nato troops depart after their two-decade occupation, that benighted country appears to be back where it was 20 years ago – with the Taliban in control, the Afghan people terrified and alone, and the world watching in horror.

Reports say that, even as they accelerate the military withdrawal, western governments are sending troops back to ...