<p>MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful warlord in northern Afghanistan and a key U.S. ally in the 2001 defeat of the Taliban blames a fractious Afghan government and an “irresponsible” American departure for the insurgents’ recent rapid territorial gains across the north.</p>

<p>Ata Mohammad Noor, who is among those behind the latest attempt to halt the Taliban advances by creating more militias, told The Associated Press that the Afghan military is badly demoralized. He said Washington’s quick exit left the Afghan military logistically unprepared for the Taliban onslaught.</p>

Ata Mohammad Noor, chief of Jamiat-e-Islami and a powerful northern warlord, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his house in Mazar-e-Sharif north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 8, 2021. One of the most powerful warlords of northern Afghanistan and a key US ally in the 2001 defeat of the Taliban blames a fractious Afghan government and an ”irresponsible” American departure for a swift series of recent Taliban gains across the north. Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP

”The international forces did not work to build a foundation, a self-sufficiency in Afghanistan”