[ClumsyPilot]

The corruption is so bad soldiers in hospitals starved to death.

It's clear that in the past 30 years afganistan did not have a functioning government at all. Its not about popular support, its a failure of 'statebuilding'

https://observers.france24.com/en/20200218-afghanistan-corru...

[CapricornNoble]

Most of the Afghan government just pocketed as much money as possible and stashed in (and their families) in Dubai:

https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2019-11-04/the...

[ClumsyPilot]

Well Russian government also pockets the money and stashes them in foreign countries, but it is not totally dysfunctional - they can get infrastructure built and the army organised. They dont do it well, but they can defend themselves.

[mnd999]

Absolutely the government were in it for themselves, not for the people. The average Afghan has no love for the Taliban or the government but it’s pragmatic to side with whoever is winning.

[captain_price7]

And then there were "phantom soldiers"- it's the practice where officers would just create non-existent soldiers to pocket their salary.