Page 3 - aruba-today-20220511

A3
U.S. NEWS Wednesday 11 May 2022
U.S. intel questioned for misjudging Afghanistan, Ukraine

By NOMAAN MERCHANT would fall in three days and
Associated Press Ukraine would fall in two
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top weeks?" he said. "You're
U.S. intelligence officials telling me that was accu-
were questioned Tuesday rate intelligence?
about why they misjudged U.S. intelligence believed
the durability of govern- before the war Russia's
ments in both Afghanistan forces were so much larger
and Ukraine, and whether and more powerful than
they need to reform how Ukraine's that "it wasn't go-
intelligence agencies as- ing to go very well for a va-
sess a foreign military's will riety of factors," Berrier said.
to fight. He testified Tuesday that
U.S. intelligence believed "there was never an intel-
the U.S.-backed Kabul gov- ligence community assess-
ernment would hold out for ment that said the Ukraini-
months against the Taliban ans lacked the will to fight."
and thought Russian forces That appears to contradict
would overrun Ukraine in his statement from Senate
a few weeks. Both assess- testimony in March, when
ments were wrong. The Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies during a Senate Armed Services hearing to Berrier said he "questioned
U.S. and Western allies are examine worldwide threats on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. their will to fight. That was a
now rushing to aid Ukraine's Associated Press bad assessment on my part
resistance against Russia because they have fought
in what has turned into a said that "will to fight" and done "a great job." possibly say that when we bravely and honorably and
grinding, violent stalemate. "capacity to fight" in tan- "General, how can you were told explicitly, Kyiv are doing the right thing."q
"What we missed was the dem were difficult to pre-
will to fight of the Ukraini- dict. The National Intel-
ans...and we also missed ligence Council, a group
that in Afghanistan," said of advisers that reviews
Sen. Angus King, an inde- the agencies as a whole, is
pendent from Maine, at studying the issue, she said.
a hearing of the Senate "The two of them are issues
Armed Services Commit- that are, as you indicat-
tee. He added, "I realize will ed, quite challenging to
to fight is a lot harder to as- provide effective analysis
sess than number of tanks on," Haines told King. "And
or volume of ammunition or we're looking at different
something. But I hope the methodologies for doing
intelligence community is so."
doing some soul-searching The U.S. might have done
about how to better get a more before the invasion
handle on that question." to assist Zelenskyy had law-
President Joe Biden's ad- makers believed Kyiv had
ministration disclosed in more of a chance, King
advance Russian President said. And after predictions
Vladimir Putin's intentions that the Taliban would be
to invade Ukraine, a public held back as long as a
campaign that it says built year after the American
support for crushing sanc- withdrawal, the coalition-
tions on the Russian econ- backed government "last-
omy and military support ed minus-two weeks," King
from NATO members. Top noted, a reference to the
U.S. officials have gone to Taliban overrunning Kabul
Kyiv to meet with President before the withdrawal for-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and mally ended.
pledged more military and The U.S. was forced to ne-
intelligence support. gotiate with the Taliban to
Avril Haines, the U.S. direc- evacuate of thousands of
tor of national intelligence, American citizens and Af-
ghan allies fighting huge
crowds to secure space
on evacuation flights. An
attack at the Kabul airport
killed 13 U.S. troops and at
least 170 Afghan civilians.
King raised his voice to cut
off Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier,
head of the Defense Intel-
ligence Agency, after Ber-
rier said he believed the
facebook.com/arubatoday/ intelligence agencies had