Defeat amid anxious bureaucracy of western evacuation from Afghanistan

Analysis: The speed of the fall of the country to the Taliban leaves many questions unanswered

• Taliban enter Kabul - live updates

This is what defeat looks like. Embassy burn bins blazing through day and night. The president fleeing. Helicopters and armoured SUVs shuttling foreigners to the airport, amid the anxious bureaucracy of evacuation with its queues and go" bags at the airport, the few items that you keep packed for when you have to flee.

The speed of the fall of Afghanistan leaves many questions unanswered, not least whether the devastating humiliation for the Afghan government, its military forces and its western backers was in any way avoidable.