‘They sold us out’: Afghans in disbelief over Taliban gains

Residents of Herat and Kandahar express shock and anger at the swift fall of their cities to the Taliban.

Kabul, Afghanistan – Residents in Herat and Kandahar say they cannot believe how quickly both cities fell after the Taliban’s weeks-long effort to take two of Afghanistan’s largest cities. “They literally sold us out, there was no government resistance,” one female resident of Kandahar told Al Jazeera, fighting back tears late on Thursday evening. “I never imagined that Kandahar would be taken so easily,” she said echoing a sentiment made by Afghans across the country when the Taliban was blazing through the districts since it stepped up an offensive in May after the United States began the final withdrawal of its forces from the country.