«What is unfolding in Afghanistan is truly catastrophic and did not have to happen»

Within days the Taliban has seized large portions of Afghanistan. Former U.S. Afghanistan commander and retired Gen. David Petraeus criticizes the U.S. government’s poor planning of troop withdrawal. In an exclusive interview Petraeus tells Die Weltwoche what needs to be done to avoid a second «Saigon» and what dangers the world would face from a new Taliban regime in the Hindukush.

In April 2021 U.S. President Joe Biden announced that all U.S. forces in the region would be withdrawn by September 11th. However, what was planned to be a safe end to the longest war in U.S. history has almost overnight turned into a nightmare for millions of Afghans. 

«What is unfolding in Afghanistan is truly catastrophic and did not have to happen»

In the past few days, the Taliban has seized 16 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and ...