NATO secretary general blames Afghan leadership for the "tragedy we are witnessing today"

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg blames Afghanistan's rapid collapse on its political leadership but says there are "many lessons to be learned" about the alliance's own two-decade engagement in the country. 

"What we have seen in the past few weeks was a military and political collapse at a speed which had not been anticipated," he told international press in a virtual press conference Tuesday. "Parts of the Afghan security forces fought bravely, but they were unable to secure the country because ultimately the Afghan political leadership failed to stand up to the Taliban, and to achieve the peaceful solution that Afghans desperately wanted."  "This failure of Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today," he said.