What's new

Joe Biden decides to call time on America's longest war in Afghanistan

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/white-house-says-biden-meet-with-afghanistans-ghani-abdullah-abdullah-2021-06-20/

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet at the White House with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on Friday to discuss U.S. troop withdrawal amid a surge in fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban across the country.

In their first face-to-face meeting, Biden will seek to reassure Ghani and Abdullah of U.S. support for the Afghan people including diplomatic, economic and humanitarian assistance, the White House said in a statement. Biden will also repeat his pledge to ensure that the country never becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups.

"The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues," the White House said.

However, since Biden's decision in April to pull out all U.S. troops before Sept. 11 to end America's longest war after nearly 20 years of conflict, at least 30 districts have been seized by the Taliban.

The group has staged a campaign to expand its influence across the country as the United States began withdrawing troops on May 1 and closed some bases and handed them over to the Afghan government.

The Taliban was not immediately available for comment and there was no immediate reaction from Ghani's office.

But a senior Afghan official said the Afghan president would be seeking assurances from the United States over its continued support for Afghan security forces in the aftermath of the withdrawal.

The visit would also come in the face of slow progress in talks between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives in Qatar. Officials have raised concerns over the stalling negotiations and have said the Taliban has not yet submitted a written peace proposal that could be used as a starting point for substantive talks.

In May, U.S. intelligence analysts released an assessment that the Taliban "would roll back much" of the progress made in Afghan women's rights if the Islamist extremists regained national power.

Afghans who worked for the United States during the two-decade deployment of U.S.-led NATO troops fear the insurgency will target them and their families as retribution for helping foreign forces.

The Biden administration says it is adding staff to expedite the visa process for Afghans. Refugee advocates and some members of Congress, however, say the effort falls short of their expectations.

Speaking in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the issue was of "paramount priority" to Biden and that the administration was getting people out "at a record pace," although he gave no specific figure.

"And we are doing the kind of extensive planning for potential evacuation should that become necessary. We will take all of these steps to ensure that we do right by the people who did right by us," he said.

Asked if the increased violence in the country was forcing the administration to delay U.S. departure from Bagram Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, Sullivan said there has been no change in plans so far but added:

"What we're doing is looking every week to check as the drawdown unfolds, whether or not it lines up with our effort to ensure that there is a sufficient security presence at the embassy, that the airport will be secure."
Click to expand...
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-meets-afghan-leaders-us-troops-leave-fighting-rages-2021-06-25/

U.S. President Joe Biden meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his former political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, on Friday to discuss Washington's support for Afghanistan as the last U.S. troops pack up after 20 years of war and government forces struggle to repel Taliban advances.

The Oval Office meeting may be as valuable to Ghani for its symbolism as for any new U.S. help because it will be seen as affirming Biden's support for the beleaguered Afghan leader as he confronts Taliban gains, bombings and assassinations, a surge in COVID-19 cases and political infighting in Kabul.

"At a time when morale is incredibly shaky and things are going downhill, anything one can do to help shore up morale and shore up the government is worth doing," said Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul. "Inviting Ghani here is a pretty strong sign that we're backing him."

Biden's embrace, however, comes only months after U.S. officials were pressuring Ghani to step aside for a transitional government under a draft political accord that they floated in a failed gambit to break a stalemate in peace talks.

Hours before the talks, Biden said on Twitter that he looked forward to the meeting and that "as the U.S. military drawdown continues, we affirm our enduring support for the Afghan people."

He has asked Congress to approve $3.3 billion in security assistance for Afghanistan next year and is sending 3 million doses of vaccines there to help it battle COVID-19.

Biden will urge Ghani and Abdullah, foes in Afghanistan's two last presidential elections, "to be a united front" and he will reaffirm U.S. support for a negotiated peace deal, said White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

U.S. officials, however, have been clear that Biden will not halt the American pullout – likely to be completed by late July or early August – and he is unlikely to approve any U.S. military support to Kabul to halt the Taliban's advances beyond advice, intelligence, and aircraft maintenance.

Before heading to meet Biden, Ghani and Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, met at the Pentagon with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other top U.S. civilian and military officials.

Austin reaffirmed continued U.S. security aid to Afghanistan, according to a pool report from the opening of the talks.

Speaking of a "new phase" in the U.S.-Afghan relationship, Ghani asserted that the "narrative of abandonment is just false," and that his forces have made "significant progress" even though the situation "presents challenges," the pool report said.

Earlier, the Afghan leaders met for a second day on Capitol Hill, where Biden's withdrawal decision met objections from many members of both parties.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, welcoming Ghani to a bipartisan leadership meeting, said she looked forward to hearing about what more can be done with U.S. humanitarian aid, especially for women and girls.

Many lawmakers and experts have expressed deep concerns that the Taliban - if returned to power - will reverse progress made on the rights of women and girls, who were harshly repressed and barred from education and work during the insurgents' 1996-2001 rule.

The Ghani-Abdullah visit comes with the peace process stalled and violence raging as Afghan security forces fight to stem a Taliban spring offensive that threatens several provincial capitals and has triggered mobilizations of ethnic militias to reinforce government troops.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking during a visit on Friday to Paris, said Washington is "looking very hard" at whether the Taliban are "serious about a peaceful resolution to the conflict." read more

The crisis has fueled grave concerns that the Taliban could regain power - two decades after the U.S.-led invasion ended their harsh version of Islamist rule – allowing a resurgence of al Qaeda. U.S. and U.N. officials say the extremists maintain close links with the Taliban.

"The Pentagon and the intelligence community are saying it is very likely that al Qaeda will come roaring back. It is very likely that our soldiers and our troops may have to go back into Afghanistan," said U.S. Representative Mike Waltz, a former Army officer who commanded U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials respond that the United States will be able to detect and thwart any new threats by al Qaeda or other Islamists. The Taliban insist al Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan.

U.S. government sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting describe the situation as dire. Ghani, they said, has been urged to do more to step up pressure on the insurgents while U.S.-led coalition forces are still there.

Biden, who pledged to end America's "forever wars," announced in April that all U.S. forces would be out of Afghanistan by the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by al Qaeda on the United States.

He made the decision even though a 2020 U.S.-Taliban deal forged under former President Donald Trump set May 1 as the U.S. pullout deadline.
Click to expand...
 
"The Pentagon and the intelligence community are saying it is very likely that al Qaeda will come roaring back. It is very likely that our soldiers and our troops may have to go back into Afghanistan," said U.S. Representative Mike Waltz, a former Army officer who commanded U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan.
Click to expand...

The warmongers dont ever learn. It seems the Yanks will look for another excuse down the line to feed their military industrial complex and shed more blood.
 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/01/afghan-civilians-forced-to-fight-taliban-as-foreign-troops-depart

Haji Ghoulam Farouq Siawshani watched the Taliban rampage across northern Afghanistan this month, weighing up the threat from militants on his doorstep. Then, 10 days ago, the former oil trader turned militia commander issued a call to arms.

“Where the Taliban go, they bring destruction, and they are one kilometre away from my village,” he told the Guardian. “We decided to respond.”

He now leads a few dozen men he armed with ageing Kalashnikovs, in Gozara district, just south of the ancient trade and cultural centre of Herat, on the country’s western border with Iran.

Foreign troops are racing to leave Afghanistan ahead of the final departure of the US military, who led and underpinned the foreign mission for nearly 20 years. They are now expected to be gone by the middle of July, and most of their Nato allies have already departed, leaving only British and Turkish forces still on the ground.

From Washington to Germany, generals and officials have claimed “mission accomplished” as their last men and women head home.

It is a message that may play well at home, but rings hollow in Afghanistan, where violence is spiralling and the Taliban threat grows by the day.

At least 50 of Afghanistan’s nearly 400 districts have fallen to the Taliban since May, the UN says. In the north, far from the group’s traditional southern stronghold, they have seized dozens, with eight falling over just two days. In several districts security forces surrendered without a fight, or elders negotiated a transfer of control.

The militants now control or contest more than half of rural Afghanistan. The cities tend to be bulwarks of security and anti-militant sentiment, but the Taliban are closing in on several, and are expected to mount a serious military push for some of the provincial capitals once the US withdrawal is complete.

“We have been betrayed by the Americans,” said Jawad, one of the militia commanders under Siawshani, who two weeks ago had a steady job as a mechanic. “We are prepared for the situation to get a lot worse.”

Even the departing head of US forces, Gen Austin S Miller, charged with ending the US’s longest war, admits he will be leaving behind a country on the brink. Trillions of dollars and more than 2,300 US military deaths did not buy security.

“A civil war is certainly a path that can be visualised if this continues on the trajectory it’s on right now, that should be of concern to the world,” he told journalists in a rare news conference in the fast-emptying Nato headquarters in Kabul.

He has refused to be drawn on when the US departure will be complete. The deadline is officially 11 September, but the US made clear it was aiming for July, and officials told Reuters this week the final departures were expected within days. A small force of 650 troops will stay on to protect the embassy.

Allies who rely on the US for logistics including air support have mostly packed up already. On Wednesday, as Siawshani discussed tactics with the district police chief in Gozara, the last of the Italian troops who operated out of nearby Herat airbase for two decades touched down at home. Germany’s last soldiers arrived back the same day.

Peace talks in Doha, launched as part of the US withdrawal agreement, have all but stalled. Afghan officials accuse the Taliban of engaging in bad faith, to provide cover for the departure of foreign forces. With intense fighting under way, and their military position improving almost daily, there is little expectation that will change, at least in the near-term.

Joe Biden, the US president, promised his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, ongoing backup for the huge financial cost of the country’s security efforts, and training and other technical support from outside the country. But Miller and others have refused to be drawn on how much help they can offer the embattled army and police.

“What I don’t want to do is speculate what that [support] looks like in the future,” he said. One of the biggest questions is about air support, which has been vital to staving off major Taliban advances in recent years, particularly on cities such as Kunduz.

Afghanistan runs a small air force, which carries out attack operations and medical evacuations, and supplies remote and besieged outposts. But Afghan pilots and aircraft are badly stretched by the pace of the war, and for maintenance they rely on US contractors, whose future in the country is unclear. There is some support from American bomber planes, and armed drones now fly into Afghan skies from beyond its borders, but they reportedly struggle to coordinate strikes with troops on the ground.

“The Taliban launched the attack at 10pm and we were fighting until 6am. We called our commanders, we called Kabul, we called the Herat governor begging for air support, but no one arrived,” said a commando who was besieged in Obe district before it fell to the Taliban.

“In the morning we called and said we don’t need airstrikes, just pick up the dead and injured, but they never came either,” added the commando, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions.

And so as officials cast around for ways to protect their population, they are embracing militias, after years of western-backed efforts to disarm the country’s unofficial bands of armed men. After the Guardian’s meeting with Siawshani, he sat down with the district governor and police chief to discuss tactics and support.

In a different Afghanistan, the one the US once dreamed of building, the young men waiting outside for him would have had different futures. Salim Shah graduated from high school last year, and planned to study law at university. Now Jawad has given up his job as a mechanic, he is unsure how he will support his two children.

But collectively they decided that the fight for their country had become critical. Many have already lost brothers, cousins and neighbours to the Taliban. “Our main aim is protecting our family, our relatives and our land,” Jawad said.

While this iteration of the long Afghan civil war will be his first time in a conflict, many of those leading the militias were battle hardened in past cycles of violence. Siawshani first picked up a gun with the Mujahideen in the 1980s to fight the Soviets. Among his key lieutenants is Rahmatullah Afzali, a retired general who spent over three decades in the government army that Siawshani fought.

Afzali raises an eyebrow at their current alliance. “When he was doing jihad, I worked for [the then president] Najibullah. Now the Taliban have brought us together,” he says with a grin. But never has the fight been so critical.

“I have fought all over Afghanistan, I was injured 17 times, and I have never felt under as much pressure as the last four months, since Biden said he was giving Afghanistan to the Taliban.”
Click to expand...
 
US Troops Leave Bagram Air Base In Afghanistan After Nearly 2 Decades

Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in Afghanistan, where the long war against the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield.
US Troops Leave Bagram Air Base In Afghanistan After Nearly 2 Decades
The US military and NATO are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan

Kabul: All US and NATO troops have left the biggest air base in Afghanistan, a US defence official told AFP Friday, signalling the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country was imminent after two decades of war.
Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield.

"All coalition forces are off Bagram," said the official -- who asked not to be identified -- without specifying when the last foreign troops left the base, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital Kabul.

He did not say when it would be officially handed over to Afghan forces, but ministry of defence spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai said government authorities were "fully prepared" to take over the base.

The US military and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan, bringing home an unspecified number of remaining troops by a deadline of September 11.

The Taliban has launched relentless offensives across Afghanistan in the past two months, gobbling up dozens of districts as Afghan security forces have largely consolidated their power in the country's major urban areas.

The ability of Afghan forces to maintain control of Bagram airfield will likely prove pivotal to maintaining security in Kabul and keeping pressure on the Taliban.

The exit of foreign forces from Bagram base "symbolises that Afghanistan is alone, abandoned, and left to defend itself against the Taliban's onslaught", said Australia-based Afghanistan expert Nishank Motwani.

"Having reached home, Americans and allied forces will now watch what they fought so hard to build over 20 years burn down from afar and knowing that the Afghan men and women they fought with risk losing everything."

'A Lot Of Insecurity'

Media reports say the Pentagon will probably retain about 600 US troops in Afghanistan to guard the vast US diplomatic compound in Kabul.

Residents from Bagram said security will only deteriorate with the exit of foreign forces.

"The situation is already chaotic... there is a lot of insecurity and the government does not have (enough) weapons and equipment," Matiullah, who owns a footwear shop in Bagram bazaar, told AFP.

"Since they started the withdrawal, the situation has got worse. There is no work... there is no business," said Fazal Karim, a bicycle mechanic.

Over the years the mini-city has been visited by hundreds of thousands of US and NATO service members and contractors.

At one point it boasted swimming pools, cinemas and spas -- and even a boardwalk featuring fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.

The base also housed a prison that held thousands of Taliban and jihadist inmates.

Bagram was built by the US for its Afghan ally during the Cold War in the 1950s as a bulwark against the Soviet Union in the north.

Ironically, it became the staging point for the Soviet invasion of the country in 1979, and the Red Army expanded it significantly during its near-decade-long occupation.

When Moscow pulled out, Bagram became central to the raging civil war -- it was reported that at one point the Taliban controlled one end of the three-kilometre (two-mile) runway and the opposition Northern Alliance the other.

In recent months, Bagram has come under rocket barrages claimed by the jihadist Islamic State, stirring fears that militants are already eyeing the base for future attacks.

As of May 2021, there were about 9,500 foreign troops in Afghanistan, of which US troops made up the largest contingent of 2,500.

So far Germany and Italy have both confirmed the full withdrawal of their contingents.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/all-us-nato-troops-leave-bagram-air-base-in-afghanistan-news-agency-afp-quoting-us-defence-official-2477451
 
Afghan Conflict Rages As US Forces See Exit By August-End

Over the past 24 hours, more than 300 Taliban fighters were killed in fighting with the Afghanistan forces, the ministry of defence said Saturday.

Kabul: Hundreds of Taliban fighters were killed in fierce battles with government forces across several provinces of Afghanistan, officials said Saturday, as Washington announced it would finish withdrawing its troops from the country by the end of August.
Washington's announcement came after all US and NATO troops vacated their main Bagram Air Base, from where the coalition forces led operations for two decades against the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies.

Over the past 24 hours, more than 300 Taliban fighters were killed in fighting with government forces, the ministry of defence said Saturday.

Scores were killed in air strikes, including a pre-dawn assault on Saturday, in the southern province of Helmand, where the insurgents and government troops have regularly clashed.

There have been fears that Afghan forces would struggle without the air support that the United States has provided.

"In recent days, the Afghan air force has intensified its air strikes against the Taliban hideouts and the insurgents have suffered casualties," Attaullah Afghan, a member of Helmand provincial council, told AFP.

The Taliban rejected the government's claims.

Both sides often exaggerate each other's casualties and their claims are difficult to independently verify.

But since May 1 when the US military began its final withdrawal of about 2,500 troops, the two warring sides have clashed fiercely across the rugged countryside.

As a result, the Taliban has seized dozens of districts in blistering assaults targeting government forces.

Even as the fighting rages, the Pentagon has pressed on with its withdrawal to end America's longest war.

On Friday, all US and NATO troops left Bagram Air Base, signalling that the military involvement for coalition forces was finally nearing its end.

'Hub For Foreign Intervention'

Over the years, the mini-city north of Kabul has been visited by hundreds of thousands of US and NATO service members and contractors.

It has great military and symbolic significance.

"For many Afghans, Bagram is remembered as the hub for more than one foreign intervention, as it was the main air base for the Soviets throughout their occupation of the country as well," said Andrew Watkins, an Afghanistan expert at the International Crisis Group.

"Not only has it been the entry point of most foreign troops that have passed through the country since 2001, it has been home to many of the in-country air assets that have lent the Afghan security forces such a vital advantage on the battlefield."

The exit of foreign troops from Bagram has further fuelled concerns the country might slide into new civil war, as in the 1990s after the Soviets left.

"I see history repeating. The Americans are doing the same what the Russians did. They are going without ending the war," said Kabul resident Dawood Hotak.

"I feel our country will slide back into another civil war as the Taliban have intensified their attacks and the Americans are exiting."

At the White House Friday, President Joe Biden attempted to ease these concerns.

He said the US military is keeping an "over the horizon capacity" which could bring firepower to help the government and its forces if needed.

Media reports say the Pentagon will probably retain about 600 troops in Afghanistan to guard the vast US diplomatic compound in Kabul.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said that the exit of foreign troops from Bagram did not mean that the overall withdrawal of foreign forces would be completed within days.

Foreign troops would be out of Afghanistan "by the end of August", she said, closer to the September 11 deadline set by Biden.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/afghanistan-conflict-rages-as-us-forces-see-exit-by-august-end-2478463
 
King-Misbah said:
Hope Pakistan completes fencing the border soon and we stay clear of this mess. Let them do what they want in their country, it is not our issue. We just need to secure our borders strictly. There will be a massive power struggle in July, August potentially. Stay clear.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, we need to make sure that the border is fenced and secure in case the United States has any tricks up their sleeves when exiting Afghanistan.

No doubt, there will be a surge of refugees, but I think it's time we let the United Nations do their job and hold them accountable for these types of situations.

Pakistan needs to make sure that it's sole focus is high economic growth to assist an ailing economy. Over the next 3 years, we need to make sure that we are getting good growth in the economy, and that we are attracting foreign investment.

Groups like the Taliban are unpredictable, they will no doubt try to expand their operations into neighboring countries, so we will need to be vigilant and extremely strict with refugee policies. We cannot let our economy and country sink due to a conflict which will begin once the United States leaves.

Unfortunately, the Americans have no interest in negotiating peace deals with the Taliban, because it brings them no benefits. That's usually how anything related to America goes, unless it brings them benefits, they won't act in a reasonable manner. With this in mind, Pakistan should make it even clearer that the United States is in no position to request anything from Pakistan regarding the Afghanistan issue.

IA we will get through this and improve as a nation.
 
Afghans queue in their thousands for passports as mass exodus begins before Taliban return

Day after day this week, across town from where American and UK troops have been finalising their withdrawals from Afghanistan, thousands of more modest departure plans have been underway.

Crowds of Afghans have queued at the capital's passport office to secure a travel document many feel may soon become a lifeline.

With the Taliban making sweeping gains, poverty deepening and the prospect of a return to the anarchy and lawlessness of the 1990s, aid agencies warn that Afghanistan could be about to generate a new surge of refugees.

Four decades after the Soviet invasion triggered the first wave, poverty, unemployment and the prospect of the Taliban regaining control, or deepening civil war, are driving hundreds of thousands more abroad.

“We don't have any hope for the future,” a 33-year-old called Abdul Hadi told The Telegraph as he queued with his 18-month-old daughter to get her a passport.

Mr Hadi, who worked for a landmine clearance agency before becoming unemployed, said he had been raised during the 1990s civil war and had no desire for his daughter to go through the same ordeal. Moreover, he and his four brothers were all unemployed and could not support their families.

“If I can get her a passport, I would like to go immediately,” he said, gesturing to his daughter wearing a turquoise dress. “I want to go to Turkey.”

Haseebullah, another man in the queue, said he and his family had fled their homes in Faryab six weeks ago as security plummeted and had taken refuge in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. That too now looked at risk, he said, and the Taliban capture of dozens of rural districts had been enough to convince him to renew his passport.

“We are just getting ready. We haven't decided where to go, but if it doesn't get better, we will go anywhere,” he said.

The United Nation's migration agency estimates that the numbers leaving Afghanistan have jumped a third, with some 500,000 extra departing in the past six months.

Najeebullah Alikozai, who runs a translation agency rendering Afghan identity documents and registrations into English or Russian, said business is booming.

While he might have translated 15 marriage certificates a week until recently, he is now doing more than 100 a week.

Millions of Afghans have fled their country in four decades of war, mainly to Pakistan and Iran. While many have since gone back, Afghans are still the third largest group of forcibly displaced people, behind only Syrians and those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pakistan is estimated to still be home about 3 million Afghans, around half of whom are registered as refugees. Iran has 1 million official refugees, with 2.5m either undocumented or in the country on their Afghan passports.

Afghans making their way across Asia have also been one of the biggest groups reaching Europe via Turkey. A 2016 deal between the EU and Turkey halted much of the flow of refugees and migrants after a large flow of asylum seekers into Europe.

The UK government in 2017 used the spectre of a collapsing Afghan state triggering a wave of migration to justify Britain keeping troops in Afghanistan.

Sir Michael Fallon, then defence secretary, said at the time that if Afghanistan imploded “there could be three to four million young Afghan men sent out by their villages to migrate westwards, and they are heading here.

“They are heading to Germany or Britain and that could be the consequence if this entire country collapses.”

None of those interviewed by The Telegraph mentioned aiming for Europe, but Turkey remained a popular destination, along with Central Asia, India, Iran and Pakistan.

For those with contacts, education or money, routes out can include buying property to secure long-term visas, or scholarships and academic courses. For the poor, there is little option but to submit to often ruthless people traffickers.

“I will go legally if I can, but otherwise, I will go illegally,” said Mr Hadi.

The journey out has also got more difficult as borders with both Pakistan and Iran have become increasingly militarised and fenced. Iran's frontier with Turkey is also increasingly fenced and Tehran has been deporting huge numbers of Afghans, said Nicholas Bishop, emergency response officer in Kabul for the International Organisation for Migration.

He said the agency expected numbers leaving to grow, “considering the scale of the conflict gripping the country”.

The sight of Western embassies closing, and their nations warning citizens to leave, has joined with the sight of apparently unchecked Taliban advances to deepen a sense of dread.

Yet Covid-19 has further complicated any route out for Afghans, with many countries closing their consulates, or insisting on quarantines.

“Yes, people would certainly like to leave,” said Mr Bishop. “Can they leave is another question.”

The international community has poured vast sums of aid into the country during the past 20 years, but poverty rates are high and growing and it is the economic crisis that is driving most emigration.

As people have left their homes to deal with waves of fighting and drought in recent years, their savings have been depleted, leaving them with few resources to pack up and begin again somewhere else.

America's drawdown is already largely complete after troops left its main military hub, Bagram airfield, in the early hours of Friday. Mr Biden has said all troops will be out by September, though officials had suggested the pull-out could be done as early as this weekend.

The Pentagon on Friday announced a shake-up of its command structure to accommodate the changes, and said a final withdrawal announcement was not imminent. The new mission will focus on protecting US diplomats in Kabul and liaising with the beleaguered Afghan military. Contractors will fix and maintain the Afghan air force fleet from outside the country.

Mr Biden on Friday appeared in no mood to field questions on developments in the country. "I want to talk about happy things, man," he said after repeated questioning.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/afghans-queue-in-their-thousands-for-passports-as-mass-exodus-begins-before-taliban-return/ar-AALJzb2?ocid=msedgntp
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hundreds-afghan-security-personnel-flee-into-tajikistan-taliban-advances-2021-07-05/

Tajikistan's president on Monday ordered the mobilisation of 20,000 military reservists to bolster the border with Afghanistan after more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the frontier in response to Taliban militant advances.

The crossings on Sunday underscored the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, where foreign troops near a complete withdrawal after 20 years of war and with peace negotiations stalled.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon made a flurry of international calls to discuss the situation with allies in the region, including Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin whose country has a big military presence in Tajikistan.

Putin assured Rakhmon that Moscow would support the former Soviet republic to stabilise its border with Afghanistan if needed, both directly and through a regional security bloc, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia operates its largest military base abroad in the impoverished Central Asian country, where it stations tanks, helicopters and ground attack aircraft.

Tajikistan is looking into setting up camps for potential refugees from Afghanistan, government sources told Reuters earlier on Monday.

Hundreds of Afghan security force members have fled swift Islamist Taliban advances in the north. But Sunday's retreats were the largest confirmed, coming just two days after the United States officially vacated its main Bagram air base in Afghanistan as part of a plan to withdraw all foreign troops by Sept. 11.

The Taliban took over six key districts in the northern province of Badakhshan, which borders both Tajikistan and China, following which 1,037 Afghan servicemen fled across the border with Tajikistan's permission, its border guard service said.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke to Rakhmon by phone to discuss the developments.

"Special attention was paid to the escalation of the situation in Afghanistan's northern areas adjacent to Tajikistan," the Tajik president's office said in a statement.

It added that Rakhmon expressed concern about "forced crossings" by members of the Afghan security forces.

Rakhmon also called fellow Central Asian leaders Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and held a security council meeting, his office said.

A senior Afghan official confirmed there had been hundreds of crossings into Tajikistan but did not know the exact number.

"The Taliban cut off all the roads and these people had nowhere to go but to cross the border," he told Reuters.

Last week, U.S. forces vacated Bagram, bringing an effective end to the longest war in U.S. history, as part of an understanding with the Taliban, against whom it has fought since ousting them from power after the Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

The air base was a vital military hub for the Soviet Union after it invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviets withdrew in 1989.

The Taliban have ceased attacks on Western forces but continue to target Afghan government and security installations as they make rapid territorial gains across the country.

Peace talks between the two sides remain inconclusive.

Zabihullah Atiq, a parliamentarian from Badakhshan, told Reuters that the Taliban had captured 26 of the border province's 28 districts - three of which were handed over to the insurgents without a fight.

Afghan security force members used various routes to flee, he said, but added that the Taliban captured dozens of personnel in Ishkashem district where Tajik border forces had blocked any crossing.

Tajik officials said they let in 152 people from Ishkashem, but did not comment on whether anyone was denied entry.

Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, in Moscow on Monday for security talks, said government forces had not anticipated the Taliban offensive but would counterattack. read more

Moscow said the Russian consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif was suspending operations over security concerns, TASS news agency reported.
Click to expand...
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bidens-promised-review-pullout-afghanistan-not-yet-started-source-2021-08-19/

The Biden administration has not yet begun a promised review of its handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as officials focus on the more immediate issue of evacuations, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

President Joe Biden, facing strong criticism from bipartisan lawmakers for his handling of the crisis, told ABC News in an interview on Wednesday "we're going to go back in hindsight and look" at whether the U.S. exit could have been conducted in a better way.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that "we will conduct an extensive hotwash," meaning a performance evaluation, on how the pullout was handled.

"We will take a look at every aspect of this from top to bottom," he said.

The source, asked Thursday if the review had begun, told Reuters on the condition of anonymity that the U.S. focus for now is on operations on the ground and getting as many people out of Afghanistan as possible.

Several congressional committees have promised to hold hearings and House Intelligence Committee is to receive a classified briefing on Monday on the situation from the intelligence community.

Biden told ABC Wednesday that "the idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."
Click to expand...
 
About two dozen US diplomats in Afghanistan sent an internal cable last month warning US State Secretary Antony Blinken of the potential fall of Kabul to the Taliban as troops withdrew from the country, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said the confidential cable sent through a so-called dissent channel was signed on July 13 and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and accelerate an evacuation.

The administration has been criticised for leaving efforts to get American diplomats and other citizens, as well Afghan allies, out of the country, until after a Taliban takeover was well under way.

US officials declined to confirm specific details or share the contents of the cable.

“I think the cable reflects what we've said all along, which is nobody had this exactly right in predicting that the government and army of Afghanistan were going to collapse in a matter of days,” White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer told CNN.

A source familiar with the situation said the US State Department took on board the concerns of those who drafted the cable, including by condemning the Taliban's atrocities ahead of the group seizing the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said diplomats' views shared with Blinken through the channel were incorporated into policy and planning.

“We value constructive internal dissent. It's patriotic. It's protected. And it makes us more effective,” Price said.

DAWN
 
US President Joe Biden has continued to defend the chaotic evacuation effort out of Kabul as desperation grows for those still stranded in Afghanistan.

Speaking at the White House, Mr Biden said the US had evacuated 13,000 people to date in "one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history".

Mr Biden has promised to bring home all remaining Americans, along with 50-65,000 Afghans who assisted US troops.

He has faced international criticism over the Taliban's rapid takeover.

Follow live updates on Afghanistan crisis
"Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home," Mr Biden said.

Taking questions from reporters, the president said the US military would make the "same commitment" to Afghan allies hoping to leave, before clarifying that the evacuation of US citizens was the "priority".

But he also noted the danger of the ongoing mission, saying "I cannot promise what the final outcome will be".

The Biden administration has been probed repeatedly this week on how the US intelligence service seemed to so seriously misjudge the situation in Afghanistan.

On Friday, Mr Biden again rejected the notion of an intelligence failure, saying there was a "consensus" among officials that the Taliban surging to power this quickly was "highly unlikely".

The president also pushed back on the suggestion that events in Afghanistan had tarnished the US' reputation on the world stage, insisting there had been "no question of our credibility from our allies around the world".

Describing the war in Afghanistan as a "joint effort" with allied countries, Mr Biden said he would convene a meeting with G7 allies to discuss next steps.

The president acknowledged that the scenes out of Kabul in recent days were "heartbreaking". Images from Afghanistan's capital show distressing scenes of desperation from those trying to flee as the Taliban tightens its grip on the country.

Thousands of Americans, Afghan allies and others have been evacuated from Afghanistan by both US military planes and commercial flights.

Tens of thousands of people are still waiting to be evacuated ahead of the looming 31 August deadline for the US withdrawal. Mr Biden suggested earlier this week he would consider keeping US forces in Afghanistan beyond the deadline to ensure the evacuation of all US citizens.

The US has nearly 6,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan to assist with the evacuation effort and maintain control at the airport in Kabul, Mr Biden said.

But those seeking to leave Afghanistan face massive crowds, violence and Taliban checkpoints just to reach the airport.

The US has maintained constant contact with the Taliban, Mr Biden said, adding that the group has allowed all American citizens to pass through.

Asked by reporters on Friday if the US would consider expanding its security perimeter outside the airport, Mr Biden said such a move would likely lead to "unintended consequences". He did not specify what those might be.
 
Americans are too stupid to realize, this pulling out of Afghanistan was gonna happen, no matter which sample was the current POTUS:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No Enemy has EVER done this to America, befouled Iwo Jima’s eternal sacrifice, whilst wearing our equipment. <br><br>Until Biden. <br><br>He has betrayed all Americans, alive and dead. <a href="https://t.co/3WlZpLuy6v">pic.twitter.com/3WlZpLuy6v</a></p>— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) <a href="https://twitter.com/SebGorka/status/1429222974880731145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

6121a69e85f5405963337451.png
 
Last edited:
I am getting fed up of listening to criticism of Joe Biden, or Trump for that matter, at least with regard to pulling out of Afghanistan. Why should America be responsible for the whole world? If they can't afford to police Afghanistan properly, they shouldn't be anywhere near the country. I just hope they can stay out properly and not interfere from a distance like they did previously. If they get out and stay out, I don't see any reason why they would be targeted for revenge attacks either.
 
Where Nato goes next: alliance urged to beef up intelligence after Afghan collapse
Nato leaders were caught out by rapid Taliban victory after troop withdrawal

Nato must improve its intelligence capabilities after the fall of Kabul and rethink its foreign training missions to prevent a similar fiasco elsewhere, former officials have said.

The alliance is in a downbeat mood and facing questions over its future after the swift collapse of the Afghan capital to the Taliban, which Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg admitted it had failed to see coming.

Two months ago, the Nato summit in Brussels offered hope of renewed ties after the tumultuous Donald Trump years. But European politicians rounded on Washington this week after its unilateral withdrawal left the hands of its partners tied.

Former officials who worked with Nato told The National that the crisis was not terminal for the alliance. But they said Europe must address the reliance on America that left it unable to go its own way.

They said the lessons Mr Stoltenberg has promised to learn should include an upgrade of its intelligence capabilities to enable it to face other foes, such as Russia.

“It’s got to rethink its approach to intelligence,” said Jamie Shea, a former Nato spokesman and deputy assistant secretary general.

“It’s invested a lot in intelligence reform over the last couple of years, but clearly this hasn’t been successful. This really should not happen.”

US President Joe Biden acknowledged that Washington was caught out by the speed of the Taliban advance after Nato troops withdrew.

He drew criticism after suggesting that Afghan forces should have fought better after the equipment and training they had received.

Nato runs another training mission in Iraq to help its government prevent the return of ISIS, and has similar operations in Eastern Europe and Africa.

“It has aspirations to be a kind of super-trainer and clearly on the basis of Afghanistan, the model has to be rethought,” Dr Shea said.

“Nato can’t afford to have the Iraqi forces, for example, collapsing in the way that the Afghan forces just have.”

European autonomy
The fallout from the US withdrawal led to much discussion about whether European countries could have mounted their own defence of Afghanistan.

Mr Biden’s decision is set to have major ramifications for Europe, which is predicting a refugee crisis after the fall of Kabul.

In a heated parliamentary debate in Britain, some politicians criticised Mr Biden’s decision to pull out from Afghanistan, despite the consequences.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the “hard reality” was that the US had provided most of the air power and boots on the ground in the country.

But his predecessor Theresa May called for a “reassessment of how Nato operates” after its weaknesses were exposed to rivals such as Russia and China.

“It is not a happy picture at the moment in terms of Nato solidarity,” said Sir Adam Thomson, a former UK permanent representative to Nato.

“The Europeans, to some extent, have only themselves to blame for this. They are not militarily capable – even on a relatively small effort, such as Afghanistan was this year – without the United States. That’s one of the big, uncomfortable facts about Nato.”

Scarred by the tension of the Trump years, the EU has a policy of pursuing strategic autonomy in security, trade and technology matters.

French President Emmanuel Macron – who provocatively described Nato as “brain dead” in 2019 – has openly talked about creating a European army.

Germany has been less enthusiastic. It has said Nato remains essential and that it would take decades for Europe to match America’s defensive might.

Sir Adam said an independent European capability was more likely to come from within Nato and should be led by Britain, which is no longer an EU member.

“The UK should be leading the European effort to make Europe collectively a more capable, more effective partner for the United States,” he said.

“If the UK led this, we could be sure that it would be a transatlantic and partnering effort and not a divisive one that got politicised over US-EU differences or UK-EU differences.”

Having withdrawn from Afghanistan, Nato’s focus will switch to preventing terrorist attacks from being planned within the country.

When the Taliban last ruled, it was a haven for Al Qaeda, who used it as a base from which to plan the 9/11 attacks on America.

Nato members are working on a new strategic concept. Officials say it should reflect modern threats such as the growth of terrorism and cyber attacks.

But Dr Shea said the alliance must retain a credible military capability as well as dealing with new types of warfare.

“Nato can’t just define the problem in terms of the newfangled technologies,” he said.

“It’s going to have to go back – if not to boots on the ground – at least to the notion of containment and deterrence of physical terrorist attacks.”

Dr Shea said Nato could recover some of its standing with a well-run operation to bring its people home from Kabul.

“It’s obviously not Nato’s finest hour. Let’s be frank about that,” he said. “But I tend not to indulge in catastrophism.

“If Nato can now get the evacuation operation better organised in the next week or so, that may help to diminish all of the very negative images. That could salvage something from the wreckage.”

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2021/08/22/where-nato-goes-next-alliance-urged-to-beef-up-intelligence-after-afghan-collapse/
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
I am getting fed up of listening to criticism of Joe Biden, or Trump for that matter, at least with regard to pulling out of Afghanistan. Why should America be responsible for the whole world? If they can't afford to police Afghanistan properly, they shouldn't be anywhere near the country. I just hope they can stay out properly and not interfere from a distance like they did previously. If they get out and stay out, I don't see any reason why they would be targeted for revenge attacks either.
Click to expand...

Switch off MSM.

Why is Amreeka responsible, simples, Amreeka claims to be the beacon of civilisation, the world police.
 
The 'Muricans' squealing is hilarious:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Barack Obama's administration had to soft-pedal Iran in order to justify his cowardly nuclear deal; now Biden's administration has to soft-pedal the Taliban in order to cover for their surrender to them. <a href="https://t.co/1VrViuKFwR">https://t.co/1VrViuKFwR</a></p>— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1428709706537779200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--
Bonus:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Priorities of our military leadership:<br>✓ Diversity<br>✓ Revising restrictions on trans troops<br>✓ Lecturing Tucker Carlson<br>✓ Combatting "white rage"<br>❌ Winning wars<br>❌ Evacuating Americans<br>❌ Keeping commitments to allies<br>❌ Basic competence</p>— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1428363682027769861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ouch!
 
Mass murderer Tony Blair

Tony Blair calls US Afghanistan withdrawal ‘imbecilic’ – What, then, was the Bush-Blair invasion of 2001?
Source: https://www.rt.com/op-ed/532761-tony-blair-afghanistan-withdrawal/
Neil Clark
is a journalist, writer, broadcaster and blogger. His award winning blog can be found at www.neilclark66.blogspot.com. He tweets on politics and world affairs @NeilClark66

Serial warmonger Tony Blair has blasted the US decision to pull out from Afghanistan, but history tells us the real madness was invading the unconquerable country in the first place.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair –aka ‘The Blair Creature’– is not a happy bunny this Sunday, folks. He has said that the decision to withdraw western forces from Afghanistan was made “in obedience to an imbecilic slogan about ending the ‘forever wars’.”

What he calls the US’ ‘abandonment’ of Afghanistan was “tragic, dangerous and unnecessary.”

In fact we could say the same about Tony Blair himself – and certainly the wars of choice he promoted.

Imbecilic? That’s the perfect word to describe what happened in October 2001 when Afghanistan was invaded in response, we were told, to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, even though none of the terrorists were Afghan nationals.

Had Blair read just a little bit of history, he would have pursued an exclusively diplomatic path to try and get Osama Bin Laden handed over and not have been so keen to send in the troops.

As I wrote in the Daily Express in 2009 in an article entitled ’Afghanistan: History repeats itself,’ “‘That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history,’ said Aldous Huxley. Nowhere is this more applicable than in the case of the many unsuccessful attempts by foreign powers to conquer Afghanistan.”

I went on: “The mighty forces of the British Empire failed three times between 1839 and 1919. The Soviet Union, which at the time had the largest army in the world, tried in 1979: they too were defeated.”

But in 2001, Blair and the then American President George W. Bush thought they would buck the trend. They could topple the Taliban (which they did) and remake Afghanistan – a deeply conservative and very religious country – in the western secular image. Afghanistan would be transformed from a ‘failed terror state’ into a ‘functioning democracy.’ What folly. What imperial arrogance.

Today, Blair is busily trying to spin the invasion of 2001 as a ‘success.’ But, while some things did improve, 'Operation Enduring Freedom' certainly didn’t bring peace to Afghanistan.

According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 579 civilians were killed in aerial operations between January and September 2019. That’s more than double the amount ten years earlier. Nearly 111,000 civilians have been killed or injured in the country since 2009.

Far from bringing stability, the 2001 western military invasion, just like the 2003 invasion of Iraq, was a major cause of instability.

I recall chatting to a friendly Afghan taxi driver a couple of years ago and saying to him how I’d love to visit the country to see its great natural beauty. “Don’t go,” he said. “It‘s far too dangerous. You would be targeted.”

So much for Afghanistan being ‘safe’ post-invasion.

Whenever the US withdrew, we would have had scenes of chaos. But the Americans had to pull-out at some point otherwise its forces would have been in Afghanistan forever. That doesn’t seem to concern ‘The Blair Creature’ too much. ‘Forever wars’ aren’t a great problem to him or indeed the ‘Inside the Tent‘ political and media figures who promote them. They are, though, for the soldiers who die in them, and for their grieving families.

‘But the US and British forces could have stayed in a support role,’ we’re hearing. But, as was pointed out last week, there is a word for countries whose governments only endure because of foreign military support. The word is “colony.”

Blair and his supporters are tacitly admitting that Afghanistan, billed as a ‘sovereign democratic country’, was actually a colony. I thought ‘imperialism’ was supposed to be a bad thing that we’re all supposed to be ashamed of. So why is it ok when it comes to Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is virtually impossible for foreign powers to subjugate. There’s its hostile terrain, its harsh weather, its fiercely independent people who are very brave, very tough and are highly skilled in mountain warfare. But anyone who’d read the history books would have known all this and not intervened in the first place.

Tony Blair, with his Messiah complex, thought he’d be different. He could succeed in Afghanistan where other, lesser mortals had failed. But the ‘new’ neocon empire met with exactly the same result as the old empire did. Wasn’t it ‘imbecilic’ to think it would be any different?
Click to expand...
 
Robert said:
You expect unbiased reportage from RT?
Click to expand...

It is literally an "op-ed piece".

Bonus:

The Taliban 'has changed' - according to Chief of the Defence Staff:

General Sir Nick Carter has said British troops are "happy to collaborate with" the Taliban and he believes they have changed in recent years.

He tells Kay Burley "may always be a threat from homogeneous elements" of the Taliban, but at the moment the group is helping to keep the streets of Kabul "very safe and calm".

Sir Nick said the Taliban lives by a "code of honour" that has "honour at the heart of what they do", and they "don't like corrupt governments" and want to be "inclusive for all".
Click to expand...


World is changing, Robert. There is no room for crusader extremists in it.
 
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/was-it-worth-it-pain-anger-inside-pentagon-after-afghanistan-crumbles-2021-08-23/

On the second floor of the Pentagon, a small map marks the path that a hijacked American Airlines plane took before hitting the military headquarters on Sept. 11 2001, an attack that propelled the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

A few corridors over hangs a full wall-sized poster of a 2009 Time magazine cover, with the words "How not to lose in Afghanistan" and an image of a U.S. soldier smoking a cigarette somewhere in the country.

The building near Washington that houses offices for more than 20,000 service members and civilian defense employees, is littered with reminders of 20 years of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, America's longest war.

Was it all worth it? - That's a question senior military leaders are grappling with following the collapse of the U.S.-trained and funded Afghan military, the Taliban's shockingly rapid takeover, a bungled evacuation of civilians from Kabul and the prospect of Afghans who helped Americans in the war being left behind to face reprisals from the Islamist militants in power.

"We see videos and photos, we read stories that bring back memories for some of us, and it becomes intensely personal," General David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote in a memo to Marines.

"Was it worth it? Yes. Does it still hurt? Yes," Berger wrote.

It is common for service members to form bonds with the countries they deploy to, especially in combat.

There was deep frustration among service members deployed to Syria when then-President Donald Trump in December 2018 abruptly announced the withdrawal of 2,000 troops who had largely defeated Islamic State (ISIS). The move was criticized by officers and lawmakers as abandonment of Kurdish allies and leaving unchecked Russia and Iran's influence in Syria.

But unlike Syria, a generation of service members were shaped by Afghanistan, a war at first intended to oust the Taliban and target al Qaeda militants there who planned the attacks on New York and Washington.

Over the years, 800,000 Americans deployed to Afghanistan as the mission developed into a nation-building exercise. Nearly 2,400 were killed and more than 20,000 injured.

To critics, the U.S. military was part of the problem. Senior military leaders have often presented overly-optimistic views. U.S. airstrikes and raids killed women and children.

As intelligence reports started trickling in two weeks ago that the Taliban were sweeping through the country with little resistance by the Afghan forces, Pentagon officials said they were shocked.

When President Joe Biden gave a speech in which he said some at-risk Afghans did not want to leave, there was anger over his perceived lack of empathy.

In the past few days, there has been frustration over the slow pace of the evacuations of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans.

U.S. military officials said they were unable to hold back tears during the past week.

For some, it was reading reports about the bases they lived in being overrun. For others it was receiving messages from Afghans, begging for help and warning that the Taliban would kill them.

"I want to be very clear: your service was not in vain, and it made a difference," Admiral Mike Gilday, the chief of U.S. Naval operations, said in his own memo last week.

Aides to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, who both served in Afghanistan, included references to the range of emotions service members were feeling when they spoke to reporters.

Both said they understood that the events in Afghanistan were personal for service members and these were difficult times.

"It was going to end sometime. It just didn't have to end like this," one military official said.
Click to expand...
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump’s new ad, "Surrenderer-In-Chief," is absolutely devastating to Biden.<br><br>Watch. <a href="https://t.co/sGj9QaR89u">pic.twitter.com/sGj9QaR89u</a></p>— Benny (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1430295968835153927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
[MENTION=149166]Technics 1210[/MENTION]

Trump might be the next POTUS!

Next presidential race / elections will be brutal!
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
World is changing, Robert. There is no room for crusader extremists in it.
Click to expand...

There haven’t been any crusaders since the Crusader States fell in 1300 CE. Bush 43 described the invasion of Iraq as a “crusade” but he didn’t know the original meaning of the word. Eisenhower used the same word regarding the invasion of France in 1944.
 
Robert said:
There haven’t been any crusaders since the Crusader States fell in 1300 CE. Bush 43 described the invasion of Iraq as a “crusade” but he didn’t know the original meaning of the word. Eisenhower used the same word regarding the invasion of France in 1944.
Click to expand...

Don't forget that French rat who kicked Saladin's tomb...

Following the Battle of Maysalun, Gouraud reportedly went to the Tomb of Saladin, kicked it, and said: Awake, Saladin. We have returned. My presence here consecrates the victory of the Cross over the Crescent."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Gouraud_(general)
Click to expand...

The 'Murican bible belt and European far right are still in the same extremist mindset.

(Hey, I hope I am wrong and am simply typing rubbish but facts and wars state otherwise)
 
WhenSultansBowled said:
Don't forget that French rat who kicked Saladin's tomb...



The 'Murican bible belt and European far right are still in the same extremist mindset.

(Hey, I hope I am wrong and am simply typing rubbish but facts and wars state otherwise)
Click to expand...

I guess there are a few such throwbacks. Colonel Collins of the Royal Irish said he met fundamentalist US soldiers. But actual Crusades were declared by Papal Edict.

I rather admire old Salah ah-Din who was a decent person. Bad form to kick his tomb.
 
Afghans race to flee Taliban after Biden confirms airlift deadline

Afghans on Wednesday faced an increasingly desperate race to escape life under the Taliban after President confirmed US-led evacuations will end next week.
More than 80,000 people have been evacuated since August 14, but huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of reprisals and repression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Biden said Tuesday the United States would stick to his August 31 deadline to completely withdraw its troops despite warnings from European allies that not all vulnerable Afghans would be able to leave by then.
"The sooner we can finish, the better... each day of operations brings added risk to our troops," said Tuesday.

We are currently on the pace to finish by August 31."

Washington and its allies have been flying out thousands of such Afghans every day on hulking military transports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task.

Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taliban regime that was toppled in 2001, and violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions and the previous US-backed government.
There are particular concerns for women, who were largely banned from education and employment and could only leave the house with a male chaperone during the group's rule in the 1990s.

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the international community must maintain dialogue with the Taliban if it is to protect any progress made over the past 20 years.

"Our goal must be to preserve as much as possible what we have achieved," she said.
The Afghan capital's airport has been gripped by chaos as US-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by desperate Afghans.

Some have foreign passports, visas, or eligibility to travel, but most do not. At least eight people have died in the chaos.

"Does anyone ... ANYONE ... have a contact inside the airport," pleaded one American on a group set up to share information on how people can access the airport.

"My guy worked for us 2010-15 and needs to get out with 5 of his family. This is real bad." The Taliban have also been accused of blocking or slowing access for many trying to reach the airport, although they denied the charge again late Tuesday.

Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an "acute and growing risk" of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group. Director William Burns flew to Kabul for a secret meeting with top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, US media reported Tuesday, the highest-level meeting so far between the US government and the new rulers of Afghanistan.

The said he was there for general talks on "evacuation operations and terrorist threats".
Despite the harrowing scenes at Kabul airport, the Taliban have ruled out any extension to next Tuesday's deadline to pull out foreign troops, describing it as "a red line".

"They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday.

European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before August 31.
"Even if (the evacuation) goes on... a few days longer, it will not be enough," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.

A hard withdrawal deadline presents a further complication that may reduce the number of daily evacuations.

The United States deployed fresh troops for evacuations. That 6,000-plus contingent, as well as hundreds of US officials, 600 Afghan troops and the equipment, will have to be flown out. To do that by August 31, the said operations would have to start winding down days in advance.

Following their lightning victory that stunned the world, the Taliban have so far been content to allow the US-led operation to continue, focusing instead on consolidating control and forming a government.
They have vowed a different, more inclusive regime this time around, offering amnesty to opponents.

An aid worker in Khost, a deeply conservative region in the southeast that fell to the Taliban shortly before they seized Kabul, told the attitude of the former insurgents has so far been "much softer" than people expected.

"But the people are afraid of a bad economic situation," he added. Many Afghans, however, remain fearful and sceptical. The Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the
country needed "expert" Afghans such as doctors and engineers.

But Zabihullah Mujahid added that women who work for the Afghan government should stay home until the security situation improves. The movement has offered vague rights to women, who will be able to get an education and work, but within what they consider Islamic bounds.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/afghans-race-to-flee-taliban-after-biden-confirms-airlift-deadline/articleshow/85622894.cms
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Stewie
Donald Trump's war on Harvard University
Replies
19
Views
608
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
FearlessRoar
  • Poll Poll
What shifts might we anticipate in US-Pakistan relations under a second term of Donald Trump’s presidency?
Replies
66
Views
4K
Devadwal
Devadwal
Cricket Warrior
Trump pauses some reciprocal Tariffs for 90 Days, Raises China Tariffs to 125% [Update@post270]
8 9 10
Replies
780
Views
14K
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
Cricket Warrior
  • Poll Poll
Donald Trump announces Israel-Iran ceasefire
2
Replies
145
Views
2K
Devadwal
Devadwal
Cricket Warrior
  • Poll Poll
Should Donald Trump be awarded a Nobel Prize for peace for his role in world tranquility?
2
Replies
159
Views
3K
Rajdeep
R
Back
Top