Misread warnings helped lead to chaotic Afghan evacuation

By NOMAAN MERCHANT and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The warnings were clear: The Afghan government would likely fall once U.S. troops pulled out. But intelligence agencies and ultimately President Joe Biden missed how quickly it would happen, losing weeks for evacuation and spurring the biggest foreign policy crisis of the young administration. The chaotic evacuation of U.S. and allied civilians is calling into question Biden’s fateful decision to delay the departures in a fruitless effort to buck up the morale of Afghanistan’s fighting force.