[gunfighthacksaw]

Lets assume you are American and please humour me.

Your Midwestern state government collapses and loses the ability to defend its territory and the Feds cannot help you for whatever reason.

Two rival factions move in

- a Canadian warlord and his men: They terrorize the locals but otherwise spend time drinking light beer, listening to Steppenwolf and driving around in Pontiac Trans Ams hooting and waving guns around. They promise guts and glory to young men kicking dust in town.

- a division of the Pakistani military: they are generally professional, minus friction with the occupied population. They think fast cars, beer and stadium rock are impediments to a moral society, so they suppress these things and try to impose their values on the local population.

Do you imagine the local population would be happy with having either faction around? Do you think that they would all gravitate towards the more professional legitimate faction vs the Canadian warband?

[onepointsixC]

You're missing the part where you have a 50/50 chance of being considered cattle without rights and a sex prize for one of the faction's soldier.

[gunfighthacksaw]

You’re missing my point.

The Taliban are hardline, repressive and familiar. There is most definitely an overlap between the worldview of the Taliban and the local population, including how they view the role of women. They are just more extreme and militarily organized.

The US are foreign and have very little in common with (or knowledge of) how the Pashtuns live. Maybe they have a small amount in common with urban, secular Afghan society.

If the Taliban were grossly unpopular across the entire society, how are they able to make the gains they are?

[onepointsixC]

They were able to make the gains they could because the of the low national unity and moral of the ANA. The government that the US built was made up of tribal leaders who were corrupt and self interested with little real unity.

Just compare the incentives. If the Taliban win, Taliban fighters get to plunder cities, forcibly take wives, and get power. If the ANA forces win, they keep a nation which they don't identify strongly with free. Now add in that the ANA is completely demoralized from loss of all US support and which do you think is more willing to fight and risk their lives? It's little surprise how things are turning out.