For other jihadi groups, it was nothing less than an inspiration. “Twenty years ago, [George W.] Bush declared the end of the Taliban … but the Taliban were patient and did jihad,” Abdul Razzaq Mahdi, a prominent jihadi cleric based in Syria’s opposition areas, declared on his social media channel Monday. Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's Abu Mariya al-Qahtani congratulates the Taliban for its victory in Afghanistan, claiming it is a 'victory for the Muslims, victory for the Sunnis, victory for all the oppressed.' The Taliban’s control now is greater than what it was in 1996-2001,” Tamimi said, referring to the previous era of Taliban rule. Additionally, the Taliban’s rout occurred with little resistance from Afghan troops who — exhausted, under-paid, under-supplied and overstretched — surrendered en masse to their Taliban adversaries.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 17, 2021 19:33 UTC