The Afghan security forces turned out to be hollow, equipped with superior arms but largely missing the crucial ingredient of combat motivation.

The Taliban’s lightning advance across Afghanistan has stirred fears they will reimpose their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and all but eliminate women’s rights.

The blitz through the southern heartland means the Islamic militant group now holds half of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals and controls more than two-thirds of the country.

Officials say the troops’ mission is just to assist the airlift of embassy personnel and Afghan allies, and they expect to complete it by month’s end, but troops might have to stay longer if the embassy is threatened by a Taliban takeover of Kabul.

A Pentagon spokesman said the influx of fresh troops does not mean the U.S. is reentering combat with the Taliban.

The onslaught represents a stunning collapse of Afghan forces and renews questions about where the over $830 billion spent by the U.S. Defense Department went.