Defence Force chief Angus Campbell says he was surprised by the speed of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and suggested the fall of Kabul was accelerated by some “interesting” decisions by the Afghan National Army.
Asked why he and other Defence officials gave that advice, General Campbell said he wasn’t anticipating the collapse would be immediate.
Asked whether the Quad had the potential to form into an anti-China military coalition, General Campbell said the grouping was still in its early days. The four nations shouldn’t be “too prescriptive” about what it would evolve into and should be alive to the views of other nations in the region.
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