ALERT We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport - UPDATE: AT LEAST THIRTEEN U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN ACTION!

annieosage

annieosage

Inactive
And private planes barred from entering Afghanistan

FAA bans US planes in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Kabul airport is without air traffic control services now that the U.S. military has withdrawn from Afghanistan, and U.S. civil aircraft are barred from operating over the country unless given prior authorization, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday.

The FAA said in a statement that "due to both the lack of air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan, as well as ongoing security concerns, U.S. civil operators, pilots, and U.S.-registered civil aircraft are prohibited from operating at any altitude over much of Afghanistan."

Talk about zero hope for Americans and those who aided us.....:(:(
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
I'm going to add the last half dozen US MILITARY members who lost their lives in this
intentionally evil episode, because unlike the thief in office, we real Americans do not
leave anyone behind. They deserve to be here.

..As I double checked the thread to see who'd not been highlighted yet, it occurred to
me that we're not grieving 13 souls Dead, but rather 660 +/- years of LIFE LOST. : (
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
1630364431324.png
RIP Rylee :sal:

RYLEE McCOLLUM, 20

Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, a Marine and native of Bondurant, Wyoming, was married and his wife is expecting a baby in three weeks, his sister, Cheyenne McCollum, said.

“He was so excited to be a dad, and he was going to be a great dad," McCollum said. She said her brother “was a Marine before he knew he was allowed to be a Marine. ... He’d carry around his toy rifle and wear his sister’s pink princess snow boots and he’d either be hunting or he was a Marine. Sometimes it would be with nothing on underneath, just a T-shirt.”
McCollum said her brother wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach once he completed his service. Another sister, Roice McCollum, told the Casper Star Tribune that her brother was on his first deployment when the evacuation in Afghanistan began.

“We want to make sure that people know that these are the kids that are sacrificing themselves, and he’s got a family who loves him and a wife who loves him and a baby that he’ll never get to meet,” Cheyenne McCollum said.

Regi Stone, the father of one of Rylee McCollum’s friends, described McCollum as “a good kid,” who was resilient, smart and courageous. Stone shared a note that his wife, Kim, sent to their son Eli Stone, who is also in the military and deployed elsewhere. Kim wrote that she remembered telling the friends to run the other way if they had to go in first and that both of them said, “If we die doing this, we die doing what we love.”
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
1630364996067.png
RIP Humberto :sal:

HUMBERTO SANCHEZ, 22

Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez was among 17 members of his Indiana high school class who joined the military after graduation.

Sanchez played on Logansport High School’s varsity soccer team and was in the homecoming court his senior year, Principal Matt Jones said. Jones called Sanchez a dedicated artist who took many art classes along with honors and dual credit college courses.

“Humberto was a bright, athletic young man who was popular, well-liked by his soccer teammates, classmates, coaches and teachers,” Jones said. “He was honored to be putting on the Marine uniform and serving his country.”
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
1630365166197.png
RIP Dylan :sal:
DYLAN MEROLA, 20


In his last message home, Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola told his mother he wouldn't be able to speak to her for a while because he was being moved to a new location in Afghanistan.

“I love you and I’ll talk to you as soon as I get home,” were his final words, Cheryl Merola told KCAL-TV.

Merola, from Rancho Cucamonga, California, had only been in the country less than two weeks when he was killed, family members said.

He planned to study engineering in college after his military service.

Before the football game Friday at his alma mater, Los Osos High School, fans were told the school had received “devastating news" and a moment of silence was observed in his honor.

A GoFundMe account for his funeral had far exceeded its goal of $15,000 by Saturday afternoon.
“Dylan was a beloved son, brother, grandson, great grandson, nephew, a great friend, and a brave soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice at the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the evacuation," the announcement said.
His tearful mother said he was “one of the best kids ever.”
“Kind loving, giving to every single person,” she said. “He would give anything for anybody.”
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
1630365614385.png
RIP Taylor :sal:
TAYLOR HOOVER, 31


Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, of Utah, had been in the Marines for 11 years and was remembered as a hero, his father, Darin Hoover, said.

“He gave his life protecting those that can’t protect themselves, doing what he loved serving his country,” said Darin Hoover, who lives in a Salt Lake City suburb.
He said he had heard from Marines who said they were grateful they had his son as their sergeant.

“They look back on him and say that they’ve learned so much from him,” Hoover said. “One heck of a leader.”

Hoover said his son was also a best friend to his two sisters and loved all his extended family. He had a girlfriend in California and was the kind of guy who “lit up a room” when he came in, his father said.

Nate Thompson of Murray, Utah, first met Hoover when they were 10 years old in Little League football. They stayed friends through high school, where Hoover played lineman. He was undersized for the position, but his heart and hard work more than made up for what he lacked in stature, Thompson said. As a friend, he was selfless and kind.

“If we had trouble with grades, trouble with family or trouble on the field, we always called Taylor. He’s always levelheaded, even if he’s struggling himself,” he said.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
1630365845147.png
RIP Ryan :sal:

RYAN KNAUSS, 23

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss was remembered as a funny man who loved his country and was looking forward to coming home and moving to Washington, D.C., relatives told WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“He was a super-smart hilarious young man,” stepmother Linnae Knauss said.
Knauss had been stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and he was part of the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 8th Psychological Operations Group, the Defense Department said.

“A motivated young man who loved his country,” his grandfather, Wayne Knauss, told the TV station. “He was a believer, so we will see him again in God’s heaven.”
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
jward said:
No. Too clean for the likes of their evil. Time to bring back the power of the people
and la guillotine for the whole bunch o syphalactic skin sacs...or to at least sharpen
our pitchforks, locate our lampposts and cut our rope down to size.
Click to expand...

Yes, ropes and pitchforks. String them up from the lamp posts. There's plenty of them on the PA av. side of the WH.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
1630366248830.png
RIP David :sal:

DAVID LEE ESPINOZA, 20


Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza, a Marine from Laredo, Texas, joined the military after high school, and was being remembered as a hero by his mother.

“He was just brave enough to go do what he wanted and to help out people. That’s who he was, he was just perfect," his mother, Elizabeth Holguin. told the Laredo Morning Times.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said Espinoza “embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valor. When he joined the military after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service.”

Cuellar concluded, “The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero.”
 
Seeker22

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
jward said:
No. Too clean for the likes of their evil. Time to bring back the power of the people
and la guillotine for the whole bunch o syphalactic skin sacs...or to at least sharpen
our pitchforks, locate our lampposts and cut our rope down to size.
Click to expand...

Four strong Horses and some rope. And for those who are trying to say that we pulled all of the dogs out of A-stan - BRAVO SIERRA!!! Posted on Melodi's Kabul Rescue Animal Evacuation Updates thread:

Here is what we know: In the end, the dogs and their caretakers were explicitly NOT allowed to board military aircraft, and numerous private charter aircraft were not granted access to the airport either. Charlotte was informed that most of the KSAR dogs had to be released into the airport on August 30 as the airport was evacuated – turning once rescued shelter dogs into homeless strays.

They were not given access to the flight we had secured to transport them out of the country. They are within the airport in an area used for housing employees at the far end of the flight line. We haven’t been able to confirm the number of dogs released, nor can we confirm whether the U.S. Military evacuated the 46 working dogs that had been under KSAR’s care when they left. We are urgently pressing for more details, and while this is more difficult now that the U.S. military has completely evacuated Kabul, we refuse to give up.

Urgent Update and Action Plan from Charlotte & Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR) - SPCA International

We’re writing with an urgent update on the status of Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, founder of Kabul Small Animal Rescue; the animals under the care of Kabul Small Animal Rescue, including 130 dogs; and the ongoing efforts to evacuate them along with the shelter’s staff. This update includes...
www.spcai.org www.spcai.org

Not all of these dogs were housepets, some were Military Working Dogs that so called Contractors abandoned. I have no proper words for a family forum for what I am feeling right now.
 
wvstuck

wvstuck

Only worry about what you can control!
jward said:
View attachment 286579
RIP David :sal:

DAVID LEE ESPINOZA, 20


Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza, a Marine from Laredo, Texas, joined the military after high school, and was being remembered as a hero by his mother.

“He was just brave enough to go do what he wanted and to help out people. That’s who he was, he was just perfect," his mother, Elizabeth Holguin. told the Laredo Morning Times.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said Espinoza “embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valor. When he joined the military after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service.”

Cuellar concluded, “The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero.”
Click to expand...
jward, Thank you! Hooah!
 
Sacajawea

Sacajawea

Has No Life - Lives on TB
This is going to come back and bite the gov HARD. Talk about creating one's own karma. But the problem is that all of us, anywhere, at any time... now are potential "collateral damage" of that karma.

There are just no words to explain how I feel about that level of betrayal; and treason is NOT a word too far either.
 
Seeker22

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Sacajawea said:
This is going to come back and bite the gov HARD. Talk about creating one's own karma. But the problem is that all of us, anywhere, at any time... now are potential "collateral damage" of that karma.

There are just no words to explain how I feel about that level of betrayal; and treason is NOT a word too far either.
Click to expand...

As Valeria so poinantly expressed, "Do you want to live forever?"
 
vector7

vector7

Dot Collector
WH Press Sec Jen Psaki, August 23: "I think it's irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not."

Pentagon Spokesman, today (August 31): “We have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time”
RT 14secs
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1432687187548647437
View: https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1432687187548647437?s=20


(Like) Being stranded in Aruba because you overslept and missed your flight is totally the same thing.

Yes and the Taliban will then show up at your hotel room with US firearms to execute you.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1432698535888183305
View: https://twitter.com/McPamie/status/1432698535888183305?s=20
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
Here's What Is Really Going On With Those Dogs The U.S. Supposedly Abandoned At Kabul's Airport
Joseph Trevithick

10-13 minutes



The U.S. Central Command has denied leaving any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, or abandoning any U.S. military working dogs, as the last American troops made their final historic exit from the country. A picture of rescue dogs in carriers in a hangar at the airport has been circulating online and has prompted a firestorm of criticism. However, questions do remain about the ultimate fate of these non-U.S. working dogs.

U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Karen Roxberry, a spokesperson for Central Command (CENTCOM), issued an official statement on the matter today. Various animal welfare organizations in Afghanistan and outside of the country had been working to evacuate dozens of dogs and cats from the country as part of the larger evacuation operations at the airport in Kabul over the past two weeks. The work of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR), a non-profit organization, and Nowzad, an animal rescue charity, have drawn particular media attention.

message-editor%2F1630433165449-ksar-puppy.jpg

Kabul Small Animal Rescue

A member of Kabul Small Animal Rescue's staff holds a puppy.


"The U.S. priority mission was the evacuation of U.S. citizens, SIV and vulnerable Afghans," Roxberry's statement reads, referring to, in part, Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) due to the risks they face from the Taliban due to having worked with the U.S. government. "However, to correct erroneous reports, the US military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, to include the reported 'military working dogs.'"

"Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under the care of the U.S. military," the statement continues. "Despite an ongoing complicated and dangerous retrograde mission, U.S. forces went to great lengths to assist the Kabul Small Animal Rescue as much as possible."


The U.S. military is known to have evacuated its own working dogs previously. The U.S. State Department has also denied that any of its working dogs were left behind in Afghanistan.
Many Afghans outraged and offended Americans evacuated service dogs in Kabul, but left people behind, including so many who helped the United States pic.twitter.com/DpnaZpWCux
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 16, 2021
Click to expand...
State Dept spox also confirms that all of its working dogs were evacuated from Afghanistan. “None were left behind.” https://t.co/xrgVmc7SHA
— Jacqueline Feldscher (@jacqklimas) August 31, 2021
Click to expand...


The CENTCOM statement, however, does not speak directly to some of the other allegations leveled by KSAR and other animal welfare organizations regarding the fate of approximately 130 other dogs that had been at Hamid Karzai International Airport. This group of animals is understood to have included some number of former Afghan security forces working dogs. KSAR had been working to get them out of the country as part of an effort dubbed Operation Hercules.
"In the end, the dogs and their caretakers were explicitly NOT allowed to board military aircraft, and numerous private charter aircraft were not granted access to the airport either," according to a lengthy statement issued yesterday by SPCA International, which cited information provided by KSAR founder Charlotte Maxwell-Jones. "Charlotte was informed that most of the KSAR dogs had to be released into the airport on August 30 as the airport was evacuated – turning once rescued shelter dogs into homeless strays."

At the time of that statement, Maxwell-Jones remained in Afghanistan and had reportedly been escorted from the airport back to her shelter, which is situated approximately seven miles outside of Kabul, by the Taliban. Other KSAR staff, along with an unspecified number of rescue cats, were described as being "at another location in Kabul."

message-editor%2F1630434267283-ksar-shelter.jpg

Kabul Small Animal Rescue

KSAR employees at work.


The exact particulars of why the animals were reportedly not allowed to board military evacuations flights and why chartered aircraft arranged on behalf of KSAR may not have been allowed to land at the airport in Kabul are still murky. "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently enacted policy suspending transports of dogs from Afghanistan and more than 100 other nations into the U.S., was another terrible impediment, despite our negotiations and pleadings," according to the SPCA International statement.

"We applied for an Emergency Exemption so that Charlotte and the dogs could get out on our chartered flight this week. But the CDC’s adherence to its import policy during this time of crisis put animals and people at risk," it continued. "We are alarmed that leaders at the CDC are not bringing a more balanced perspective to the importation of dogs, especially after the U.S. House of Representatives rebuked CDC on this issue and passed an amendment to restore a proper screening process."

There could also have been similar issues at play with regards to the importation of animals into countries other than the United States. U.S. military evacuation flights did not head straight to the United States after leaving Afghanistan.
In addition, in a now-deleted Tweet yesterday, KSAR had also mentioned "we have so much $ awaiting refunds in canceled flights," raising questions about the actual status of the expected charter flight. As of Aug. 29, there had been word that another non-profit organization called Veteran Sheepdogs of America had offered to take KSAR's animals out on a plane it had chartered, but that there were concerns about whether that aircraft could even get to Kabul. Tweets today between Veteran Sheepdogs of America and Gray Television personality Greta Van Susteren indicate that there may be an emerging legal tussle over the whole situation.
Sorry @greta your wrong We are working with Charlotte's lawyer for them to sign an NDA to show proof of life of dogs so they release their portion of money to plane company DIRECTLY not to us! Check my account. About to give update! @JoshuaHosler https://t.co/tt8PegmNLg
— Veteran Sheepdogs of America (@VetSheepdogsUS) August 31, 2021
Click to expand...
2/3 State Department has heard your cries & is assisting. THANK YOU! The Turkish have taken over the airfield & things are actually smoother than the last 2 days to get info & PPR papers to Ramstein.
— Veteran Sheepdogs of America (@VetSheepdogsUS) August 31, 2021
Click to expand...


Regardless, everything we know and continue to learn about the last few days of the evacuation operations indicates that it was full of mad scrambles to get people to the airport in Kabul and onto planes on the ground to get them out. It would not necessarily be surprising that many charter aviation companies, whether they believed they could get approval to land or not, might have been hesitant to make the trip.
The U.S. military had separately stressed that in the final stages of the evacuations it would prioritize people above all else, as CENTCOM's statement today reiterates. It is not hard to see how American officials at Hamid Karzai International Airport would have been more preoccupied with finding space on any remaining flights for humans, rather than animals. At the same time, there were reports of official evacuation flights leaving Kabul with room to spare in the leadup to the final American withdrawal. As it stands, the United States was not able to evacuate everyone it had wanted to in the end, regardless, and is now exploring other options to get remaining American citizens and at-risk Afghans out of the country.

"We’ll continue to do everything we can to evacuate Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s staff and animals from the country after August 31," Lori Kalef, Director of Programs at SPCA International, had said in the statement from that organization yesterday, highlighting that people, as well as animals, are also part of this particular equation. "We cannot thank our supporters enough for everything they’ve done to help the dogs and cats of Kabul and their caretakers."
"Charlotte here! I want to apologize for the quiet social media," according to a post just today on KSAR's official Facebook page. "We are busy making plans, checking them twice, sorting out details, and keeping things quiet to maintain our own and the animals' security."


This is not the only instance of disputes between animal welfare organizations operating in Afghanistan and government officials during the recent evacuations from Afghanistan, either. Nowzad, which is based in the United Kingdom and is run by Paul "Pen" Farthing, a former Royal Marine, drew criticism in the past week over its own rescue effort.
Farthing arrived in London on Sunday with 150 rescue animals on a private charter flight, but left 68 members of his staff behind. He had been working to get the animals to the airport in Kabul right as Afghanistan's branch of ISIS launched its deadly terrorist attack last week. A total of 13 American service members and at least 170 Afghans died in that attack, and dozens more were wounded.

Critics in the United Kingdom, including government officials, had implied that Farthing's activities had taken up valuable resources that could have been used to help people get inside to safety before and after that attack. Farthing disputed that U.K. authorities had provided any assistance to him, at all. "I did that with the Taliban... Nobody facilitated my entry... any interpreters or anybody else, there was me and the truck full of dogs and cats," he said in a subsequent interview.

message-editor%2F1630434449507-pen-farthing-puppy.jpg

Nowzad

Paul "Pen" Farthing holds a puppy.


However, he also thanked the U.K. government for its support in the end. That statement came after The Times newspaper reported that it had obtained an audio recording of him leaving an expletive-laden voicemail for a special adviser to the country's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace over allegations that his animal evacuation flight was being blocked.
All told, the exact fate of KSAR's dogs that were at the airport in Kabul remains unknown. Beyond that, only time will tell what will now happen to that organization, its staff, and its remaining cats, as well as Nowzad staff.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
Don't forget to sign up

Your Email Address



annieosage said:
And they left the service dogs.....

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1432469795354644480
View: https://twitter.com/PTNewsnetwork/status/1432469795354644480?s=20
Click to expand...
www.thedrive.com

Here's What Is Really Going On With Those Dogs The U.S. Supposedly Abandoned At Kabul's Airport (Updated)

Images of crated dogs left in a hangar at Kabul's airport surfaced as the U.S. military left the country leading to a growing controversy.
www.thedrive.com www.thedrive.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top