Afghanistan: tough lessons to be learned from NATO, says Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there are some hard and difficult lessons to be learned about recent events in Afghanistan.

Stoltenberg told BBC World News that the collapse of the Afghan security forces so quickly was a tragedy. He blamed a lack of leadership and logistics on the part of the Afghan government, not the soldiers, whom he said were brave and professional.

He said that NATO went into the country in the wake of an attack on the United States, and once the United States decided to end its military presence in Afghanistan, it was not a viable option for the survival of European allies.