That is reasonably accurate, but not the point of my post.
The point was that the US knew they were arming terrorists in Afghanistan to the point that they worried about the disposition of the Stinger Missiles that the Afghans did not use.
Gen John Nicholson knew this history when he accused Russia and Putin of supplying arms to the Taliban with about zero evidence, for the purpose of forcing President Trump to remain in Afghanistan against his better judgement.
Gen John Nicholson is also quite aware that Russia and Putin allowed the US to resupply ground forces by land using the Tajikistan Road when the Turks would not allow any land resupply of US or NATO at all.
This was an attempt to undermine President Trump and unfairly demonize Russia in the hope of fomenting conflict between the two.
Of course you are right but it was a sort of ‘normal’ by the standards of the era. As for today people like Nicholson need conflict to maintain regime they might profit from. They need external enemy.