ATLANTA, GA — As the world focused on Afghanistan and the Taliban’s lightning-fast takeover of the nation, many American and British veterans of the war watched in horror as it seemed two decades of bloodshed and hard work unraveled in a matter of a weekend.

But Lt. Col. Thaddeus Cole, commander of the Georgia National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry watched in awe as the Taliban occupied the capital city of Kabul with barely a shot fired.

“Holy crap,” Cole told his subordinates during an impromptu Zoom conference last evening. “These guys [the Taliban] hijacked millions of dollars in U.S. equipment and took over an entire country between Friday and Sunday night. That’s basically a drill weekend for us!”