Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the United States who left her post in July, is clearly horrified by the Taliban takeover of her country. But she is not surprised.
In an interview, Rahmani accused the former U.S.-backed government in Kabul of a failure to lead the country and of widespread corruption that ultimately paved the way for the Taliban's victory last month.
President Joe Biden acknowledged he and other officials were aware of the risk that the Afghan government could collapse following the U.S. military withdrawal. In particular, Ashraf Ghani's decision to abandon the presidency and leave Afghanistan on Aug. 15 was "extremely disappointing and embarrassing," she said.
Rahmani described being cut out of discussions between Washington and Kabul, including during the Trump administration. Neither capital appeared to be fully preparing for consequences of the U.S. withdrawal, she said.Pakistan - a prickly U.S. ally that is close to the Taliban - will have gained leverage in its dealings with the Washington, she said.
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