Choices

 Washington Post: Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war By Susannah George, Missy Ryan, Tyler Pager, Pamela Constable, John Hudson and Griff Witte

That outcome stunned top U.S. officials, several of whom had been on vacation when the weekend began, having expected the pro-Western government to hang on for weeks, if not months or even years longer. Afghans were no less astonished by the speed with which their government crumbled. Even the Taliban was surprised.