Camp Bastion about to be overrun? They buried the lead. The ANA is about to collapse.

via Daily Mail...

Camp Bastion, the former British Army headquarters in Helmand, Afghanistan, is in such danger of being over-run by the Taliban that an American Special Forces team has been deployed to protect it.
In a shocking indictment of how far security has collapsed in the province since Britain handed over the base to the Afghan National Army (ANA) last year, the United States has been forced to use 90 ‘Special Operations’ soldiers to defend the site.
In a further alarming development, a British security source who visited Helmand last week has told The Mail on Sunday that the ANA is now paying the Taliban thousands of US dollars not to attack them – a claim regarded as plausible by military experts.

Everyone has latched onto this part of the story.  Understandable, but as is almost always the case, the mainstream reporter missed the bigger issue.  The Afghan National Army is on the verge of collapsing and with it we will probably see the Taliban re-take Afghanistan if/when we actually leave.  Don't believe me?  Check this out from the same article...

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said: ‘The deals are done between field commanders of the ANA and the Taliban’s higher-ups.
‘The Taliban are better equipped and can pay fighters twice the wages of ANA troops, so discounting US air strikes, the engagements have become rather one-sided.
‘Faced with that reality, and in anticipation of an expected peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government in the next 12 months, the ANA doesn’t want to lose more soldiers – they’ve lost 4,300 soldiers in action and suffered 12,000 wounded – and the morgues are full. They know they’re onto a loser so they’re literally buying time.’

Yeah.

The Taliban is claimed to be better equipped.  The engagements have been one sided with the ANA getting the worst of it.

They're putting all of their eggs into the basket of a peace treaty!

My question to you is this.  The Taliban aren't idiots.  They know that the West is beyond war weary.  They understand that there is even opposition to sending more of our treasure to that backwards country.

They know that we're ready to leave.

Knowing all of the above, if you were a Taliban leader would accept a peace treaty when outright victory is so close?