The Fall Of Kabul To The Taliban

[SuziQ]

Imo, fwiw.
It seems to me that the women and children are the ones who will suffer the most when all the men either leave or are killed.
My fantasy would be for a big old plane to scoop up all the women and children (it looked like it was mostly men at the airport trying to get on the planes) and take them to safety.
The sight of all females and children boarding the planes would make a strong visual statement to the Taliban and the world.
To top off my little fantasy- the resulting exodus of females will not only increase their social value, but ultimately decrease the reproduction of future Taliban.



Giphy

It is the same in Syria. Most of the people fleeing are military aged men leaving women and children to face the horrors of war. Cowards.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Over 600 Afghans cram into U.S. cargo plane in desperate flight from Kabul — Reuters

 

[ringbearer]

The Taliban says one thing while doing another. They can never be trusted.

And that's a gigantic understatement! The fact that people are seriously quoting "assurances" from the Taliban is terrifying. I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. jmo

 

[Dontknow?]

NBC News
@NBCNews
·
12m

One of Afghanistan's first female mayors said Sunday she’s waiting for the Taliban to come and kill her: “I can’t leave my family. And anyway, where would I go?”

Female mayor in Afghanistan says she's waiting for Taliban to 'come ... and kill me'

Female mayor in Afghanistan says she's waiting for Taliban to 'come ... and kill me'

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

"Kirby elaborated on the "assessed threat" at this point, saying that the U.S. has "had no hostile interactions, no attack and no threat by the Taliban." "
US commanders interacting with Taliban leaders, 'no threat' by group to airport evacuation: Pentagon
Unbelievable. I won't say more.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Afghanistan Is Your Fault

“Kabul has fallen. Americans will now exercise their usual partisan outrage for a few weeks, and then Afghanistan, like everything else in a nation with an attention span not much longer than a fast-food commercial, will be forgotten. In the meantime, American citizens will separate into their usual camps and identify all of the obvious causes and culprits except for one: themselves.

Many Americans will bristle at the idea that this defeat overseas can be laid at their feet. When U.S. forces had to endure the misery of the retreat from North Korea back to the 38th parallel, no one made the argument that it had happened because of the voters. No one turned to the American people during the fall of Saigon and said, “This is on you.”

So why would I do that now?

Much of what happened in Korea and Vietnam—ultimately constituting a tie and a loss, if we are to be accurate—was beyond the control of the American public. Boys were drafted and sent into battle, sometimes in missions never intended to be revealed to the public.

Afghanistan was different. This was a war that was immensely popular at the outset and mostly conducted in full view of the American public. The problem was that, once the initial euphoria wore off, the public wasn’t much interested in it. Coverage in print media remained solid, but cable-news coverage of Afghanistan dropped off quickly, especially once a new adventure was launched in Iraq.”

Interesting read
JMO

 

[SuziQ]

"Kirby elaborated on the "assessed threat" at this point, saying that the U.S. has "had no hostile interactions, no attack and no threat by the Taliban." "
US commanders interacting with Taliban leaders, 'no threat' by group to airport evacuation: Pentagon
Unbelievable. I won't say more.

Until one of those jerks with a trigger finger decides to try and shoot down a plane.

 

[CrimeAway]

I've read a few people state that the Western governments should have armed the Afghan women instead!
Tongue in cheek, I know, but unattractive, insular, 30-70 year old men seem to make up the bulk of the Taliban. Progress and equal rights probably threaten their tenuous sense of superiority.

It does give me some hope that something like 60% of the Afghan population is under age 25.

 

[CrimeAway]

More on the Nowzad situation:

Desperate campaign to rescue staff and animals from ex-Marine's charity in Afghanistan

Nowzad also has a website and have been posting updates on FB and Twtr.

Not only have Nowzad helped reunite soldiers and the animals that they have rescued, but they have vaccinated thousands of animals against rabies, in an area where that disease still kills every year (up to 60,000 people are killed every year from rabies).

 

[escape2sc]

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-news-08-17-21/h_dc45f7ca1e7885d72a43641a61f145eb

President Biden hasn't spoken with any of his foreign counterparts since Kabul fell to the Taliban, his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Tuesday.

Sullivan said other members of the administration were making calls abroad instead because the discussions were more logistical.

Other world leaders have spent the last several days on the telephone with allies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have all conferred with each other.

Asked to explain further why Biden hadn't conferred with any of his foreign counterparts, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the current matters at hand fell below high-level talks.

"Our focus right now has been on operational efforts, which includes coordination at a lower level than leaders and heads of state," she said. "And that is our focus on working with third countries to help get their citizens out or working with others on the ground to get vulnerable populations out."

 

[lonetraveler]

Guess you didn't hear President Biden's speech?

Yes, I heard his speech. I know the reason he gave for withdrawal of our troops. And, I know that embassy diplomats were busy destroying records and data and many other things.
In no way did he explain why they weren't already finished and on the way out of there before the military withdrew. However, he did say prior to the swift withdrawal that in no way did he think that the Taliban would take over like they did. <modsnip>

 

[shotgun09]

Per Sara Cook ( White House Producer CBS )

https://twitter.com/saraecook/status/1427693329249099795

The below note went out this afternoon to American citizens requesting to be evacuated from Afghanistan,
@alanacbs
reports. It instructs people to come to Hamid Karzai Intl Airport in Kabul, but says the US govt cannot guarantee their safety as they make the trip.
@CBSNews

To American Citizens,

Thank you for registering your request to be
evacuated from Afghanistan. The U.S.
Embassy in Afghanistan has confirmed that
an undefined number of U.S government-
provided flights will begin soon. Please
make your way to Harmid Karzai
International Airport at this time.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR
SECURITY AS YOU MAKE THIS
TRIP.

 

[RusselSprout]

I'm so upset by this story but also so unsure by the news we are being fed. What is the truth, I'm sure it's far worse than we could ever imagine

 

[worldwatcher]

<modsnip>
I think it is very important that we know what is happening and to come, so maybe this is allowed to stay up?
It does mention the tweet that I posted earlier..
Taliban takes control of US military assets in Afghanistan as more cities get captured

 

[ringbearer]

<modsnip>
I think it is very important that we know what is happening and to come, so maybe this is allowed to stay up?
It does mention the tweet that I posted earlier..
Taliban takes control of US military assets in Afghanistan as more cities get captured

Maybe this will help. Personally, I trust BILD more, but that's jmo


National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday a "fair amount" of military equipment the U.S. provided the Afghan National Security Forces was seized by the Taliban in the militant group's quick route of Afghanistan.

"We don't have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone," Sullivan said at a White House press briefing, "but certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban. And obviously, we don't have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport."

White House: Taliban has some US military supplies given to Afghans

eta: more from the AP

Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to be the Taliban. They grabbed not only political power but also U.S.-supplied firepower — guns, ammunition, helicopters and more.

The Taliban captured an array of modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces who failed to defend district centers. Bigger gains followed, including combat aircraft, when the Taliban rolled up provincial capitals and military bases with stunning speed, topped by capturing the biggest prize, Kabul, over the weekend.

A U.S. defense official on Monday confirmed the Taliban’s sudden accumulation of U.S.-supplied Afghan equipment is enormous. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The reversal is an embarrassing consequence of misjudging the viability of Afghan government forces — by the U.S. military as well as intelligence agencies — which in some cases chose to surrender their vehicles and weapons rather than fight.

Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban

 

[neesaki]

Rep. Brian Babin told [URL='http://www.newsmaxtv.com/']Newsmax Tuesday he's not buying National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan's excuses for the military leaving U.S.-made Black Hawk military helicopters and other vital equipment behind for the Taliban to seize as it swept across Afghanistan.

"As a veteran, myself of the Army and the Air Force, I can tell you the this is the result of not having a plan," the Texas Republican said on Newsmax's "American Agenda." "This is a result of no preplanning. Our troops were leaving the country before they were ready to go...the bottom line here is that the Biden administration did not have a plan a viable plan whatsoever."

[/URL]
Rep. Babin to Newsmax: Taliban Got US Black Hawks Because of Poor Planning

 

[KALI]

Time to rewatch the movie "Argo". Sheesh.

Per Sara Cook ( White House Producer CBS )

https://twitter.com/saraecook/status/1427693329249099795

The below note went out this afternoon to American citizens requesting to be evacuated from Afghanistan,
@alanacbs
reports. It instructs people to come to Hamid Karzai Intl Airport in Kabul, but says the US govt cannot guarantee their safety as they make the trip.
@CBSNews

To American Citizens,

Thank you for registering your request to be
evacuated from Afghanistan. The U.S.
Embassy in Afghanistan has confirmed that
an undefined number of U.S government-
provided flights will begin soon. Please
make your way to Harmid Karzai
International Airport at this time.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR
SECURITY AS YOU MAKE THIS
TRIP.

 

[sallye818]

I remember seeing this on my local news a few weeks ago. Did our government have NO idea at this time that Americans should be getting out as well? Seems unbelievable. I am glad these translators who helped American military are out...but there are SOOO many more. And our own people as well, that should've been given the same courtesy!

As Afghan interpreters arrive in the U.S., State eyes more flights for August

 

[Dontknow?]

Farnaz Fassihi
@farnazfassihi
1h

Khadija Amin the new anchor on state TV last week. Taliban taking over her seat as of Monday. Ms. Amin told us her boss informed her Taliban have banned women from returning to work at state television.

 

[shotgun09]

Taliban now searching cellphones at Checkpoints.

The Taliban have set up checkpoints in Kabul and are searching Afghans' phones for evidence they communicated in English, report says

"The Taliban have strengthened their grip on Afghanistan's capital city by setting up checkpoints around Kabul, where residents' smartphones are being searched for any signs of communications in English, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday."

per the WSJ article:

Taliban Consolidate Control in Afghanistan’s Capital as Thousands Remain Stranded

"However, many thousands of Afghans who had worked for Western embassies and organizations remained stranded and unable to reach the airport for evacuation flights, as the Taliban erected checkpoints at the entrances to the airport, whipping and beating Afghans who attempted to cross."