The Fall Of Kabul To The Taliban #2

[shotgun09]

Is the U.S. State Department pointing fingers at the Pentagon?

New from the Wall Street Journal this am:

The Mistakes Behind the Biden Administration’s Afghanistan Withdrawal
U.S. strategy put Defense and State departments on divergent paths: The troops pulled out but the diplomats stayed—and were left exposed when the Taliban took over

"In June, as security worsened in Afghanistan, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan began to raise questions about the rapid pace of U.S. military withdrawal.

"The Pentagon was planning to pull out the bulk of its force and shut Bagram air base by early July to minimize the risk to its troops. With a large U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul and fresh intelligence suggesting the Afghan government was weakening, Mr. Sullivan questioned whether it was prudent to close the base so soon, according to U.S. officials."


The Mistakes Behind the Biden Administration’s Afghanistan Withdrawal

 

[worldwatcher]

Taliban fails to take down Panjshir; loses 1,000 fighters to Northern Alliance
After 2-day-long negotiations with resistance leader Ahmad Massoud failed, Taliban launched an attack on the Panjshir valley but ended up suffering a big blow

Taliban fails to take down Panjshir; loses 1,000 fighters to Northern Alliance

Taliban wiped out from Panjshir, Northern Alliance claims 1,000 terrorists dead & trapped

 

[sds71]

@dlippman

Newly released satellite images show six commercial airplanes at Mazar-i-Sharif airport in northern Afghanistan that are not being allowed to depart by the Taliban. American citizens and Afghan interpreters are reportedly waiting to board the flights

 

[neesaki]

Taliban fails to take down Panjshir; loses 1,000 fighters to Northern Alliance
After 2-day-long negotiations with resistance leader Ahmad Massoud failed, Taliban launched an attack on the Panjshir valley but ended up suffering a big blow

Taliban fails to take down Panjshir; loses 1,000 fighters to Northern Alliance

Taliban wiped out from Panjshir, Northern Alliance claims 1,000 terrorists dead & trapped

I had to look that up, the Panjshir valley. It’s really green and beautiful.
Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley — the last resistance to Taliban rule

 

[neesaki]

An interesting history. Massoud was assassinated by al Qaida two days before 9/11. His son has organized the resistance but has no military experience.
Says they will need more weapons and supplies. Why on earth didn’t we get some of our weapons to them before we withdrew our military. Is this yet one more failed aspect of our disorganized poorly executed withdrawal? Or am I missing something?
He Is All That Stands In The Way Of The Taliban Taking Total Control Of Afghanistan

Such was his prowess as a rebel commander that Massoud was known by his supporters and enemies alike as the "Lion of Panjshir."

But two days before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Massoud — who had escaped many close calls on the battlefield — was assassinated by al-Qaida suicide bombers posing as television journalists. His death reverberated worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Taliban are in a position to surround Massoud's resistance fighters and cut off their access to supplies. It's not clear how long they can hold out.

Massoud is reaching out for help from a war-weary Washington, as well as the U.K. and France.

"[We] need more weapons, more ammunition and more supplies," he wrote.

 

[worldwatcher]

An interesting history. Massoud was assassinated by al Qaida two days before 9/11. His son has organized the resistance but has no military experience.
Says they will need more weapons and supplies. Why on earth didn’t we get some of our weapons to them before we withdrew our military. Is this yet one more failed aspect of our disorganized poorly executed withdrawal? Or am I missing something?
He Is All That Stands In The Way Of The Taliban Taking Total Control Of Afghanistan

Don't understand that either.
I don't think you are missing something,kept asking myself that same question.

 

[sds71]

An interesting history. Massoud was assassinated by al Qaida two days before 9/11. His son has organized the resistance but has no military experience.
Says they will need more weapons and supplies. Why on earth didn’t we get some of our weapons to them before we withdrew our military. Is this yet one more failed aspect of our disorganized poorly executed withdrawal? Or am I missing something?
He Is All That Stands In The Way Of The Taliban Taking Total Control Of Afghanistan

Massoud’s nephew was killed


BILAL SARWARY
@bsarwary

A number of formidable commanders Gul Haider Khan, Munib Amiri and General Woodoad a nephew of Ahmad Shah Massoud among those killed.” Multiple sources NRF tells me.

 

[worldwatcher]

An interesting history. Massoud was assassinated by al Qaida two days before 9/11. His son has organized the resistance but has no military experience.
Says they will need more weapons and supplies. Why on earth didn’t we get some of our weapons to them before we withdrew our military. Is this yet one more failed aspect of our disorganized poorly executed withdrawal? Or am I missing something?
He Is All That Stands In The Way Of The Taliban Taking Total Control Of Afghanistan

"Several reports and evidence have emerged in Afghan media highlighting how the Taliban is using children as human shields against Afghan security forces. The US Embassy in Afghanistan confirmed on August 3 that the Taliban have been using civilians as human shields at the battlefield."

'From Attack On Women To Using Children As Human Shield': The Long And Unending List Of Taliban Atrocities

ETA:
On twitter,you can find some similar post, about Panjshir children, abducted from parts of Kabull to exchange them with the Taliban prisoners who were captured during the clash in Panjshir.

 

[buyerninety]

Fahim Dashti reported killed.
Afghan resistance leader Massoud open to talks with Taliban

 

[LadyL]

A very concerning sequenced tweet from Eena Ruffini, CBS News Corespondent in Foreign Affairs:
BBM

"New: CBS has learned multiple flights are being held on the ground at the Mazar-i-Sharif airport in Northern Afghanistan... by the Taliban. 1/

An email from the State Department to members of congress -- and viewed by CBS -- acknowledged that charter flights are still on the ground at the Mazar-i-Sharif airstrip and have permission to land in Doha "if and when the Taliban agrees to takeoff. 2/

"The Taliban is basically holding them hostage to get more out of the Americans," a senior congressional source told CBS News. 3/"

"The group Ascend, an NGO that teaches young women leadership through athletics, told CBS News they have two planes that have been waiting for six days ready to take between 600 and 1200 people -- including 19 American citizens and two permanent residents. 4/"

"The U.S. airfield in Qatar that has been standing by, ready to receive, is now beginning to pack up," Marina LeGree, the executive director, told CBS News. "We hope visibility will add pressure to force a solution. Six days of talks are not encouraging." 5/

"The State Department advised members of congress to tell groups seeking to evacuate out of Mazar-i-Sharif that the US does not have personnel on the ground in that location and does not control the airspace. 6/'

"Congressional and NGO sources say here are at least two physical plans on the ground and six more with approved clearance. The obstacle is the Taliban -- which controls the airport and is not letting people board or the planes take off. CBS has asked
@StateDept
for comment.."

https://twitter.com/EenaRuffini/status/1434530444419158022

well we knew this was going to happen
those poor people

 

[LadyL]

"Several reports and evidence have emerged in Afghan media highlighting how the Taliban is using children as human shields against Afghan security forces. The US Embassy in Afghanistan confirmed on August 3 that the Taliban have been using civilians as human shields at the battlefield."

'From Attack On Women To Using Children As Human Shield': The Long And Unending List Of Taliban Atrocities

ETA:
On twitter,you can find some similar post, about Panjshir children, abducted from parts of Kabull to exchange them with the Taliban prisoners who were captured during the clash in Panjshir.

so sickening

 

[Dontknow?]

AFP News Agency
@AFP
1h

#UPDATE Resistance forces in the Panjshir Valley fighting the Taliban have called for a ceasefire after reports they suffered heavy losses at the weekend. The National Resistance Front proposes the Taliban withdraw from Panjshir, in return it will refrain from military action

BBC News (World)
@BBCWorld
1h

Resistance group leader says open to peace talks with Taliban

AFP News Agency
@AFP
1h

Taliban orders women attending university to wear an abaya robe and niqab covering most of the face, and classes must be segregated by sex -- or at least divided by a curtain http://u.afp.com/UVy9

(I have words that can't be said about this) they aren't good ones.

 

[Dontknow?]

AFP News Agency
@AFP
24m

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Qatar on his first trip since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as he seeks a united front with allies. Qatar, a major US military base, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan

Blinken heads to Qatar on Afghan crisis mission

 

[dotr]

Afghanistan Taliban Kabul Latest Live Updates: We have ‘complete control’ of Panjshir, claims Taliban
''Kabul Afghanistan Taliban Crisis News Today Live Updates, Taliban govt news today, Panjshir battle news today September 6 Live: The United Nations is set to hold a key summit on September 13 to come up with a plan to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan. Various aid agencies have repeatedly said that stocks of food grain, medicines etc are depleting at an alarming rate. If the global agencies don’t get a safe passage, several hundred thousand Afghans will face acute starvation. This brings us to the main question – has the global community recognised the Taliban’s legitimacy? The answer lies between yes and no. It is because, while there’s no clear-cut statement from either UK and the US, on the ground, the officials of both nations and other European powers are also dealing with the Taliban directly. Even India has also contacted the Taliban via its political office in Doha. Russia, Pakistan and China have been operating their embassies in Kabul.''

 

[Skigh]

Afghan resistance leader calls for 'national uprising' against the Taliban | Daily Mail Online


The leader of the Afghan resistance movement has called for a 'national uprising' against the Taliban after the militants claimed to have captured the province of Panjshir.

The mountainous region bordering Tajikistan was the last anti-Taliban holdout since the militants' blitz across the country last month.

'Wherever you are, inside or outside, I call on you to begin a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country,' National Resistance Front (NRF) leader Ahmad Massoud said in an audio message sent to media.

A day earlier, Massoud, who as of yesterday was reported to still be in Panjshir province with former vice president and ally Amrullah Saleh, had called for peace talks with the Taliban, who rejected the offer.

The message came as the Taliban said it had raised its flag outside its new 'headquarters' in Panjshir province.

Video shared on social media showed four Taliban members hoisting the white and black flag up a flagpole as two heavily armed gunmen watched on.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
Taliban claim they've retaken Panjshir valley from resistance fighters
''Meanwhile in northern Balkh province, at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren't able to take off as pressure ramps up on the U.S. to help those left behind to leave.

An Afghan official at the airport in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the provincial capital, said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, he said they had left the airport while the situation was being sorted out.

The top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and that they had boarded planes but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively “holding them hostage.” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas told “Fox News Sunday” that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes. He did not say where that information came from and it was not immediately possible to reconcile the two accounts.''

 

[otto]

For anyone interested in the history of Afghanistan, and how we ended up where we are today, there's a Netflix program I started watching last night called Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror. I did not know that this started in 1979 as a 'play' for natural resources. Prior to 1979, Afghanistan was not a centre for extremism. The USA responded to a Russian invasion of the region. After the invasion was stopped, the Taliban and several other religious factions established themselves in the region. The USA was focused on Capitalism, a religious uprising was not on the radar.

https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81315804

 

[sds71]

@GeoffRBennett

Senior State Department official tells @mitchellreports “We have facilitated the departure of 4 American citizens from Afghanistan via an overland route. Our Embassy greeted the Americans as they crossed the border into the third country.”

 

[worldwatcher]

Afghanistan Taliban Kabul Latest Live Updates: We have ‘complete control’ of Panjshir, claims Taliban
''Kabul Afghanistan Taliban Crisis News Today Live Updates, Taliban govt news today, Panjshir battle news today September 6 Live: The United Nations is set to hold a key summit on September 13 to come up with a plan to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan. Various aid agencies have repeatedly said that stocks of food grain, medicines etc are depleting at an alarming rate. If the global agencies don’t get a safe passage, several hundred thousand Afghans will face acute starvation. This brings us to the main question – has the global community recognised the Taliban’s legitimacy? The answer lies between yes and no. It is because, while there’s no clear-cut statement from either UK and the US, on the ground, the officials of both nations and other European powers are also dealing with the Taliban directly. Even India has also contacted the Taliban via its political office in Doha. Russia, Pakistan and China have been operating their embassies in Kabul.''

Until justice & freedom prevails': Northern Alliance refutes Taliban's victory in Panjshir; assures to continue fighting.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.re...in-panjshir-assures-to-continue-fighting.html
If you click on the link, you can see a tweet in it, follow that tweet and scroll down a bit, you find an English translation of the statement, that was put out.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
September 6, 2021
Afghanistan: Taliban claim victory in Panjshir, but resistance forces say they still control strategic position - CNN
''Call for a national uprising
In a long message on his Facebook page, Massoud also appealed to Afghans, whether in or outside the country, to join "a general uprising for the sake of honor, freedom and pride of our country." Massoud also called for international support for his cause.''

"Although it did not deny the center of Panjshir had fallen to the militants, the NRF said earlier in the day that other areas in Panjshir remained under its control.
"Most of Bazarak district and all the side valleys are controlled by the NRF," Nazary said.
"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails," the NRF said.''

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces take part in a military training at Malimah area of Dara district in Panjshir province on September 2.

''The claim comes after a weekend of intense fighting in the Panjshir Valley, with heavy casualties reported.
NRF leader Massoud said in a Facebook post on Sunday he is in support of clerics in the capital Kabul who have called for an end to the fighting and was ready to talk once the Taliban withdrew troops from Panjshir and the neighboring district of Andarab.''