Afghans caught in between warlords and Taliban

This article from TIME magazine explains how Afghans are caught in between warlords and the Taliban, neither of which are liked by the population, both having committed extensive atrocities. The problem is that the US/international community put the warlords back in power in the wake of the 2001 invasion, so the warlords now are big players in Afghanistan and many of them or their supporters are in Parliament and control powerful militias that rule many areas in the country.

The problem is that the US does not support progressive groups in Afghanistan, or at least that's clearly not the priority. There are many progressive groups and individuals who could receive such support and improve things in Afghanistan (such as Malalai Joya and the RAWA organization) but they are essentially ignored by the US.
Then the official line becomes something like "we don't have the choice to deal with the warlords as they are the ones who control militias, and if we remove the warlords then a power vacuum could ensue and lead to more violence"... That makes no sense--progressive groups would just need to be empowered and more aid sent to Afghanistan and things would improve.