Merkel says Afghan army collapsed at 'breathtaking pace'

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday conceded that the Afghan army's resistance against Taliban militants had been misjudged.

"The army collapsed at a breathtaking pace," Merkel said at an election event. "We had expected the resistance to be stronger."

Merkel said the focus now was on rescuing people from Afghanistan, but later there would need to be a discussion on what had or had not been achieved.

The Taliban took over the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday after a lightning advance across the country which took the West by surprise.