night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Here!!!
Here!!!
Here!!!
BRKG US Embassy in Kabul: potential security threats outside, advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport & avoid airport gates at this time
- Thread starter jward
- Start date
jward
passin' thru
yeah, that's been rollin' round my head as well since sat : (
https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/ind...-beyond-may-9-11-new-goal.598875/post-8657116
Has anyone else wondered if all these Americans are part of a blood ritual sacrifice????
Heliobas Disciple
TB Fanatic
It's Worse Than We Thought: Complete List of Armaments US Is Leaving to Taliban and Islamist Groups -- Enough to Fortify Them for Years - Secret Warehouse of US Equipment Captured? | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft
Taliban fighters in US military uniforms It’s worse than we thought.
www.thegatewaypundit.com
It’s Worse Than We Thought: Complete List of Armaments US Is Leaving to Taliban and Islamist Groups — Enough to Fortify Them for Years – Secret Warehouse of US Equipment Captured?
By Jim Hoft
Published August 23, 2021 at 9:31am
Taliban fighters in US military uniforms
It’s worse than we thought.
Joe Biden has supplied the Taliban terrorist organization and their Islamist accomplices with several years worth of US armaments.
Rather than destroying the equipment before leaving the country Joe Biden decided to leave the nearly $85 billion worth of US military equipment to the Taliban.
As The Gateway Pundit reported on Sunday — Joe Biden left 300 times more guns than those passed to the Mexican cartels in Obama’s Fast and Furious program.
This more complete list was created with public information and help from other intelligence sources.
The list does not include all the extra kinds of nonlethal equipment, everything from MRE’s, Medical Equipment, and even energy drinks.
The big story might be the pallets of cash the Taliban have been posting videos of pallets of weapons and stacks of $100 bills they have seized.
Here is a more complete list of US-supplied and left behind equipment list now controlled by Taliban:
-2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s
-75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans, Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc
-45 UH-60 Blachhawk Helicopters
-50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers
-ScanEagle Military Drones
-30 Military Version Cessnas
-4 C-130’s
-29 Brazilian made A-29 Super Tocano Ground Attack Aircraft
208+ Aircraft Total
-At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50 Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns and Ammunition
-61,000 M203 Rounds
-20,040 Grenades
-Howitzers
-Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds
-162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Comunications Gear
-16,000+ Night Vision Goggles
-Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes
-Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Googles
-10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets
-Recconaissance Equipment (ISR)
-Laser Aiming Units
-Explosives Ordnance C-4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT
-2,520 Bombs
-Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational
-Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency
-Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600 rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber
-Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor
-US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment Biometrics
-Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
Much of the information included in the above list is public record.
One example is below:
There are also rumblings of a warehouse of high-level US equipment left behind for the Taliban.
From our source:
Some of my sources are from my previous work background as private agency contractor etc. so can’t direct quote. But I can assure you those numbers are correct and if anything are low.
I have one friend on the ground in Kabul right now. He is with UK SRR they are trying to track and account for quantities of US Military and Russian Military Equipment now in the hands of Taliban. I spoke with him last night and tonight.
What’s really disturbing is a rumor circulating about some secured warehouses that only highest levels of security clearance US military staff had access to. No one seems to know what was in them. Taliban is in full control of those warehouses now. And those warehouses were full of equipment whatever it was.
He’s trying to confirm but believes that the Taliban also secured US military drone jamming equipment which is disastrous if true.
CCP has people on the ground right now negotiating on any US technology they see of value. Dealing directly with Taliban based on what he told me tonight. Not sure if that is any help. I’ll keep you posted if anything else pops up of value.
Hat Tip Lance at @LanceMigliaccio on Gab and GETTR ~~~~~~~~~~~
.
Heliobas Disciple
TB Fanatic
The Taliban Have Seized U.S. Military Biometrics Devices
Biometric collection and identification devices were seized by the Taliban last week.
theintercept.com
The Taliban Have Seized U.S. Military Biometrics Devices
Biometric collection and identification devices were seized last week during the Taliban’s offensive.
Ken Klippenstein, Sara Sirota
August 17 2021, 6:11 p.m.
The Taliban have seized U.S. military biometrics devices that could aid in the identification of Afghans who assisted coalition forces, current and former military officials have told The Intercept.
The devices, known as HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, were seized last week during the Taliban’s offensive, according to a Joint Special Operations Command official and three former U.S. military personnel, all of whom worried that sensitive data they contain could be used by the Taliban. HIIDE devices contain identifying biometric data such as iris scans and fingerprints, as well as biographical information, and are used to access large centralized databases. It’s unclear how much of the U.S. military’s biometric database on the Afghan population has been compromised.
While billed by the U.S. military as a means of tracking terrorists and other insurgents, biometric data on Afghans who assisted the U.S. was also widely collected and used in identification cards, sources said.
“We processed thousands of locals a day, had to ID, sweep for suicide vests, weapons, intel gathering, etc.” a U.S. military contractor explained. “[HIIDE] was used as a biometric ID tool to help ID locals working for the coalition.”
A spokesperson for the Defense Intelligence Agency referred questions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which did not respond to a request for comment.
An Army Special Operations veteran said it’s possible that the Taliban may need additional tools to process the HIIDE data but expressed concerns that Pakistan would assist with this. “The Taliban doesn’t have the gear to use the data but the ISI do,” the former Special Operations official said, referring to Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence. The ISI has been known to work closely with the Taliban.
The U.S. military has long used HIIDE devices in the global war on terror and used biometrics to help identify Osama bin Laden during the 2011 raid on his Pakistani hideout. According to investigative reporter Annie Jacobsen, the Pentagon had a goal to gather biometric data on 80 percent of the Afghan population to locate terrorists and criminals.
“I don’t think anyone ever thought about data privacy or what to do in the event the [HIIDE] system fell into the wrong hands,” said Welton Chang, chief technology officer for Human Rights First, himself a former Army intelligence officer. “Moving forward, the U.S. military and diplomatic apparatus should think carefully about whether to deploy these systems again in situations as tenuous as Afghanistan.”
The Defense Department has also sought to share the biometrics data collected by HIIDE with other government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security. In 2011, the Government Accountability Office criticized the Pentagon for not doing enough to ensure these other surveillance agencies had easy access to the information, warning that the military “limits its federal partners’ ability to identify potential criminals or terrorists.”
But the U.S. didn’t only collect information about criminals and terrorists; the government appears to also have been collecting biometrics from Afghans assisting diplomatic efforts, in addition to those working with the military. For example, a recent job posting by a State Department contractor sought to recruit a biometric technician with experience using HIIDE and other similar equipment to help vet personnel and enroll local Afghans seeking employment at U.S. embassies and consulates.
The federal government has collected biometric data from Afghans despite knowing the risks entailed by maintaining large databases of personal information, especially given recent cyberattacks on government agencies and private companies. These efforts are continuing to expand.
For example, a February 2020 article published by the Army indicated that the service was modernizing its 20-year-old biometric processing technology and had saved more than 1 million entries in the Pentagon’s Automated Biometrics Identification System, or ABIS, which hosts HIIDE and data collected by other devices as well.
“This updated database will make it more efficient for warfighters to collect, identify and neutralize the enemy,” wrote Col. Senodja Sundiata-Walker, project manager for the Pentagon’s biometrics program.
President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for the Army in fiscal year 2022 seeks more than $11 million to purchase 95 new biometric collection devices expanding upon those used in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Some of them are, but many are not - I read in one article that a lot of the younger Taliban, especially those who grew up in places like Pakistan are "smartphone junkies" and probably understand basic technology and computers really well.
Many of the leaders were trained in Pakistan, a lot of the "shock troops" maybe the sons of goat herders but the grandsons have had twenty years to grow up, and not all they stayed in the hills back home.
Also, I don't think we can underestimate the willingness of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and even China to "help out" the Taliban if they think it fits their own interests. Turkey is also a wild card, hard to know which way they would swing; but Pakistan has supported the Taliban and other radical groups for decades and while their country is poor they have highly advanced technical people and even nukes.
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
There are LOTS of guys out there in rags with terminal degrees in hard sciences who know what these tools are for.
northern watch
TB Fanatic
This goes beyond incompetence and should be fully investigated(fair use applies)It's Worse Than We Thought: Complete List of Armaments US Is Leaving to Taliban and Islamist Groups -- Enough to Fortify Them for Years - Secret Warehouse of US Equipment Captured? | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft
Taliban fighters in US military uniforms It’s worse than we thought.
It’s Worse Than We Thought: Complete List of Armaments US Is Leaving to Taliban and Islamist Groups — Enough to Fortify Them for Years – Secret Warehouse of US Equipment Captured?
By Jim Hoft
Published August 23, 2021 at 9:31am
Taliban fighters in US military uniforms
It’s worse than we thought.
Joe Biden has supplied the Taliban terrorist organization and their Islamist accomplices with several years worth of US armaments.
Rather than destroying the equipment before leaving the country Joe Biden decided to leave the nearly $85 billion worth of US military equipment to the Taliban.
As The Gateway Pundit reported on Sunday — Joe Biden left 300 times more guns than those passed to the Mexican cartels in Obama’s Fast and Furious program.
This more complete list was created with public information and help from other intelligence sources.
The list does not include all the extra kinds of nonlethal equipment, everything from MRE’s, Medical Equipment, and even energy drinks.
The big story might be the pallets of cash the Taliban have been posting videos of pallets of weapons and stacks of $100 bills they have seized.
Here is a more complete list of US-supplied and left behind equipment list now controlled by Taliban:
-2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s
-75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans, Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc
-45 UH-60 Blachhawk Helicopters
-50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers
-ScanEagle Military Drones
-30 Military Version Cessnas
-4 C-130’s
-29 Brazilian made A-29 Super Tocano Ground Attack Aircraft
208+ Aircraft Total
-At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50 Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns and Ammunition
-61,000 M203 Rounds
-20,040 Grenades
-Howitzers
-Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds
-162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Comunications Gear
-16,000+ Night Vision Goggles
-Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes
-Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Googles
-10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets
-Recconaissance Equipment (ISR)
-Laser Aiming Units
-Explosives Ordnance C-4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT
-2,520 Bombs
-Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational
-Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency
-Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600 rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber
-Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor
-US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment Biometrics
-Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
Much of the information included in the above list is public record.
One example is below:
There are also rumblings of a warehouse of high-level US equipment left behind for the Taliban.
From our source:
Some of my sources are from my previous work background as private agency contractor etc. so can’t direct quote. But I can assure you those numbers are correct and if anything are low.I have one friend on the ground in Kabul right now. He is with UK SRR they are trying to track and account for quantities of US Military and Russian Military Equipment now in the hands of Taliban. I spoke with him last night and tonight.What’s really disturbing is a rumor circulating about some secured warehouses that only highest levels of security clearance US military staff had access to. No one seems to know what was in them. Taliban is in full control of those warehouses now. And those warehouses were full of equipment whatever it was.He’s trying to confirm but believes that the Taliban also secured US military drone jamming equipment which is disastrous if true.CCP has people on the ground right now negotiating on any US technology they see of value. Dealing directly with Taliban based on what he told me tonight. Not sure if that is any help. I’ll keep you posted if anything else pops up of value.Hat Tip Lance at @LanceMigliaccio on Gab and GETTR
~~~~~~~~~~~
.
bw
Fringe Ranger
We'll queue it up right behind WTC and JFK.
jward
passin' thru
Travel - State Dept
@TravelGov
2m
#Afghanistan: Due to threats outside the Kabul airport, US citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates unless you receive instructions to do so. Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately. http://ow.ly/chJu50FYgpW
View: https://twitter.com/TravelGov/status/1430667319508938753?s=20
@TravelGov
2m
#Afghanistan: Due to threats outside the Kabul airport, US citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates unless you receive instructions to do so. Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately. http://ow.ly/chJu50FYgpW
View: https://twitter.com/TravelGov/status/1430667319508938753?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Security Alert – Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan
(August 25, 2021)
Home | News & Events | Security Alert – Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (August 25, 2021)
Event: Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.
U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.
Actions to take:
- Be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in large crowds.
- Follow the instructions of local authorities including movement restrictions related to curfews.
- Have a contingency plan for emergencies and review the Traveler’s Checklist.
- Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program(STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
By U.S. Embassy in Kabul | 26 August, 2021 | Topics: Alert, Messages for U.S. Citizens, Notification
Suggested for You
jward
passin' thru
Ali Özkök
@Ozkok_A
4h
The situation outside the #Kabul airport. People are desperate.
View: https://twitter.com/Ozkok_A/status/1430613902098944003?s=20
@Ozkok_A
4h
The situation outside the #Kabul airport. People are desperate.
View: https://twitter.com/Ozkok_A/status/1430613902098944003?s=20
jward
passin' thru
CNN Breaking News
@cnnbrk
2m
US Embassy in Kabul advises US citizens at a number of airport gates to "leave immediately," noting security threats outside
View: https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1430675338510708736?s=20
@cnnbrk
2m
US Embassy in Kabul advises US citizens at a number of airport gates to "leave immediately," noting security threats outside
View: https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1430675338510708736?s=20
Melodi
Disaster Cat
It is now 4:14 am in Kabul so this order was given at about 3:30 to 3:45 am in the morning!
Get to a "safe place" at 3 am, I think there is a curfew but I'm not sure, and not even my really rural village is totally safe at 3:45 am in the morning (I mean I wouldn't go out alone at that hour) and Kabul is a recently occupied city in a warzone!
The Brits are directing their people to do the same thing, so something obviously happened in the middle of the night, I suspect we won't know what yet for a few hours.
Get to a "safe place" at 3 am, I think there is a curfew but I'm not sure, and not even my really rural village is totally safe at 3:45 am in the morning (I mean I wouldn't go out alone at that hour) and Kabul is a recently occupied city in a warzone!
The Brits are directing their people to do the same thing, so something obviously happened in the middle of the night, I suspect we won't know what yet for a few hours.
jward
passin' thru
Some, probably forlorn, hope has been that it suggested some us pushback finally coming
..but yeah, FF would make far more sense as they've been beating the drumbeat about the ISIS
threat lately
..but yeah, FF would make far more sense as they've been beating the drumbeat about the ISIS
threat lately
jward
passin' thru
Andrew Beatty
@AndrewBeatty
Urgent update from Australian foreign ministry warning of "very high threat of terrorist attack. Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you're in the area of the airport, move to a safe location and await further advice. "
6:45 PM · Aug 25, 2021·TweetDeck
@AndrewBeatty
Urgent update from Australian foreign ministry warning of "very high threat of terrorist attack. Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you're in the area of the airport, move to a safe location and await further advice. "
6:45 PM · Aug 25, 2021·TweetDeck
jward
passin' thru
Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
56s
#BREAKING: Concerns about security around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have increased based on "a very specific threat stream" from #ISIS-K about planned attacks against crowds outside the airport. #Afghanistan 1/2
The US believes ISIS-K, which is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, wants to create mayhem at the airport and has intelligence streams suggesting it is capable and planning to carry out multiple attacks, according to the official. 2/2
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1430687273843150849?s=20
@JasonMBrodsky
56s
#BREAKING: Concerns about security around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have increased based on "a very specific threat stream" from #ISIS-K about planned attacks against crowds outside the airport. #Afghanistan 1/2
The US believes ISIS-K, which is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, wants to create mayhem at the airport and has intelligence streams suggesting it is capable and planning to carry out multiple attacks, according to the official. 2/2
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1430687273843150849?s=20
Jez
Veteran Member
While I'm disgusted about all the equipment that is being left behind, I'm not worried about it being used effectively against us. The big threat is how much will wind up in the hands of Russia and China to be reverse engineered.
Effective use of the equipment requires training which the Taliban doesn't have. All that equipment also requires skilled upkeep, which they don't have. It also requires spare parts which they will run out of.
Effective use of the equipment requires training which the Taliban doesn't have. All that equipment also requires skilled upkeep, which they don't have. It also requires spare parts which they will run out of.
jward
passin' thru
hmm. does that mean actual activity vs intel on possible operations?
Michele Kelemen
@michelekelemen
The State Dept is telling Americans at the airport in Kabul to leave immediately. Asked if there is a specific threat, a spox says "As a general rule, we don't speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation."
View: https://twitter.com/michelekelemen/status/1430687929584734219?s=20
Michele Kelemen
@michelekelemen
The State Dept is telling Americans at the airport in Kabul to leave immediately. Asked if there is a specific threat, a spox says "As a general rule, we don't speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation."
View: https://twitter.com/michelekelemen/status/1430687929584734219?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Video Purports To Show U.S.-Supplied Black Helicopter Taxiing In Taliban HandsThe Taliban have captured dozens of former Afghan military aircraft, prompting concerns about what the group might do with them.
By Joseph Trevithick August 25, 2021
A video has emerged online that is said to show a former Afghan Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk, supplied by the United States and now under the control of the Taliban, taxing on the ground at Kandahar Airport in southeastern Afghanistan. Whether the description of the video is accurate or not, it is likely to be at least a propaganda coup for the Taliban, which seized substantial amounts of American-financed military aircraft, light armored vehicles, weapons, and more that had belonged to government security forces over the course of its lightning-quick conquest of the bulk of the country earlier this month. At the same time, it remains to be seen how extensively the Taliban will use any of the Black Hawks, or any other aircraft the group has captured, or if they will serve other purposes, including simply as trophies.
It is important to note that the video, seen in the Tweet below, does not show the UH-60 in question actually flying and there is no indication one way or another that it got off the ground in this particular instance. It's also not clear who might be behind the controls.
It is difficult to accurately assess how many UH-60s, or any other types of former Afghan military aircraft, that the Taliban have now captured. Last week, Reuters reported that the Taliban had seized approximately 40 fixed-wing planes and helicopters, but satellite imagery from that The War Zone has reviewed from Planet labs indicates that this total is likely higher.
Dozens Of U.S.-Bought Afghan Air Force Aircraft Are Now Orphaned At An Uzbek Airfield By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
Pentagon Admits Afghanistan's New Black Hawks Can't Match Its Older Russian Choppers By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
The US Plan to Give Afghanistan a Fleet of Black Hawks Is Deeply Flawed By Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
These Are The Military's Options For Extending Evacuations In Afghanistan. None Of Them Are Good. By Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
The State Department Has Abandoned Its CH-46 Helicopters In Afghanistan By Joseph Trevithick and Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
Experts and observers had already identified what appeared to be at least four different Black Hawks under Taliban control. This included two at the airport in Kandahar, which is collocated with a major air base that the U.S. military turned over to the now-defunct government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in May.
It is also known that dozens of aircraft from the former Afghan military have fled the country to airports in neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Satellite imagery indicates that six UH-60s were among the dozens of fixed-wing types and helicopters that arrived at Termez Airport in Uzbekistan in the aftermath of the fall of Kabul on Aug. 15. You can read more about that in detail in this past War Zone piece.
PHOTO © 2021 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION
Some of the former Afghan military UH-60 Black Hawk and Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip helicopters at Termez Airport in Uzbekistan are seen in this satellite image taken on Aug. 16, 2021.
Accurate accounting, in any way, of former Afghan military aircraft is made even more difficult by the lack of available public information on the inventory of the former Special Mission Wing (SMW), a dedicated special operations aviation element that was separate from the Afghan Air Force. It is unclear what the SMW's overall size at the time of the collapse of the country's government, or at any time prior to then, and what overlap there might have been, if any, between in its fleets and those of the Afghan Air Force.
As of June 30, the Afghan Air Force had 45 UH-60s, 33 of which were categorized as "usable / in-country," according to the most recent quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a U.S. government watchdog that Congress established in 2008. That same report said that the SMW had just recently begun to integrate Black Hawks into its operations, but does not make clear whether or not those helicopters remained technically assigned to the Afghan Air Force's fleet.
SIGAR
SIGAR's public summary of Afghan Air Force fleet totals, as well as details about their readiness, as of June 30. This does not include aircraft assigned to the Special Mission Wing.
Whatever the total number of Black Hawks that remain in Afghanistan might be, and whether or not this newly emerged video does actually show one that now belongs to the Taliban moving on the ground, how many Black Hawks the group has now that could be reasonably described as flyable is a completely different question. The decision by the U.S. government to supply UH-60s to the Afghan Air Force, ostensibly to supplant its Russian-made Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip-type helicopters, was highly controversial, to begin with.
Though the case was made that the new helicopters offered valuable additional capability for Afghanistan's security forces, the decision was largely driven by U.S. sanctions on Russian creating significant hurdles for the continued sustainment of the existing Hips. A general push to "buy American" and other political considerations were also factors, despite the Afghan military's extensive experience with Mi-8/Mi-17 series and lack thereof with regards to the UH-60. It's worth noting that footage of the Taliban flying in Hips has, perhaps unsurprisingly, already surfaced.
By the time Kabul fell, maintenance of the Afghan Black Hawk fleet was still almost entirely reliant on foreign contractors, who left the country earlier this year as part of the U.S. government's existing drawdown plan.
Contractors continued to work with their Afghan counterparts remotely, but their absence on the ground have a huge impact on the readiness of the UH-60 fleet, as well as others. "The [readiness rate of the] UH-60 fleet was at 77% in April and May, but dropped to 39% in June," according to SIGAR's last quarterly review. That report also said that "the SMW can field no more than one UH-60 per night for helicopter missions," a notable detail, given that the SMW was long understood to be better resourced than the regular Afghan Air Force.
"A technical issue now meant an aircraft — a Black Hawk helicopter, a C-130 transport, a surveillance drone — would be grounded," Lieutenant General Sami Sadat, who had been the commander of the Afghan National Army's 215th Corps, wrote in a piece that The New York Times published just today. "The contractors also took proprietary software and weapons systems with them. They physically removed our helicopter missile-defense system. Access to the software that we relied on to track our vehicles, weapons and personnel also disappeared. Real-time intelligence on targets went out the window, too."
Contractor-related issues were only some of the factors in the readiness equation. As of June 30, despite having 45 UH-60s in inventory, the Afghan Air Force only had 28 complete, fully-qualified Black Hawk aircrews, which would include the pilot, co-pilot, and crew chief. It's also worth noting that the Taliban had been actively pursuing a campaign of assassinating Afghan Air Force pilots as part of the group's overall campaign to take control of the country.
As already noted, we don't know who might have been in the cockpit of the helicopter seen in the video reportedly taken in Kandahar and the Taliban may well have deliberately shrunk the pool of potentially available pilots with any experience on the Black Hawk. This does not, of course, completely eliminate the possibility that the group may have subsequently enticed or coerced at least one such pilot to defect.
A lack of qualified maintenance personnel and sources of spare parts could still lead to any remaining operational Afghan UH-60s ending up grounded. At the same time, depending on the state of the entire fleet of captured Black Hawks, the Taliban might be able to cannibalize other airframes to help keep a smaller number airworthy. The group, who is well on their way to establishing a new formal government in Afghanistan, could reach out to other countries. China, which has been actively engaging with the Taliban in recent months, notably purchased a small fleet of S-70s, the commercial version of the Black Hawk, in the 1980s and has experience operating and supporting the type.
jward
passin' thru
Regardless, the captured Black Hawks, flyable or not, will still be useful to the Taliban as trophies for propaganda purposes than as operational airframes. It also remains to be seen whether or not any foreign countries, such as Russia or China, will have any interest in the UH-60s for their intelligence value or any other reason, though this seems unlikely.
The Black Hawks that the U.S. government supplied to the Afghans were refurbished ex-U.S. Army UH-60A models brought up to a standard, referred to as UH-60A+, which was described as being close, performance-wise to the UH-60L. UH-60As and UH-60Ls, and equivalent commercial models, have been in service around the world for decades now, and are not representative of the latest UH-60M and UH-60V variants in U.S. Army service. There is also no indication that the United States ever followed through on plans to deliver more capable armed gunship variants of the Black Hawk to Afghan forces, which might have contained more sensitive systems.
Questions about the Taliban's ability to use and sustain any Black Hawks it now possesses, even in the near term, apply equally to other captured Afghan military aircraft. The need for extensive contractor support was a major factor in the readiness of other types, as well, including A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft and AC-208 armed light utility planes, both of which were capable of employing precision-guided munitions.
USAF
Contractors and Afghan personnel work on an Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano.
The A-29s and AC-208s were arguably the most modern aircraft in the Afghan Air Force's inventory and the systems on board those planes, such as their sensor turrets or avionics, could be of greater value to outside actors, including foreign intelligence agencies. This would also be the case with regards to any ex-SMW PC-12NG intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft now in Taliban hands. The actual capabilities of the specialized PC-12NGs and their overall configurations are somewhat of a mystery, making them perhaps the biggest question mark in terms of intelligence vulnerabilities.
DOD
An Afghan Special Mission Wing PC-12NG.
It is worth noting that General Sadat's New York Times piece does raise new questions about whether certain sensitive pieces of equipment were already removed from various Afghan military aircraft as contractors left the country, specifically to mitigate any security risks.
"It’s understandable for people to be concerned about any capability falling into the hands of folks where we don’t know exactly how they’re going to use it, who are going to use it against, whether that’s an M16 [rifle] or whether that’s an A-29,” U.S. Air Force General Mark Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, had also told Defense News in an interview last week. “But suffice to say that the technology that’s in the A-29 is not cutting-edge technology."
The Taliban could also seek to negotiate with the United States over the Black Hawks, or any other aircraft it has captured. Though the possibility seems remote, finding a way to effectively sell the aircraft back to the U.S. government could be especially beneficial for the group given that billions of dollars in Afghan government funds are now frozen in American banks. They could also seek to sell significant portions of the former Afghan military aircraft fleets to other buyers.
Whether the U.S. government might seek to impede any of this directly remains in question. There have been reported discussions among American officials already about the potential of using airstrikes to destroy captured equipment in Afghanistan after the ongoing evacuation operations in Kabul wrap up.
No matter what, the Taliban just getting a Black Hawk up and running at all is certainly embarrassing for the U.S. government and the group has multiple ways it could exploit those helicopters, as well as other U.S.-supplied aircraft it has now captured. At the same time, the actual operational utility of any of those planes or helicopters or the actual security risks they might pose to the United States, or its allies and partners, remain to be seen.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
Please see source for a number of videos related to story
Posted for fair use
www.thedrive.com
The Black Hawks that the U.S. government supplied to the Afghans were refurbished ex-U.S. Army UH-60A models brought up to a standard, referred to as UH-60A+, which was described as being close, performance-wise to the UH-60L. UH-60As and UH-60Ls, and equivalent commercial models, have been in service around the world for decades now, and are not representative of the latest UH-60M and UH-60V variants in U.S. Army service. There is also no indication that the United States ever followed through on plans to deliver more capable armed gunship variants of the Black Hawk to Afghan forces, which might have contained more sensitive systems.
Questions about the Taliban's ability to use and sustain any Black Hawks it now possesses, even in the near term, apply equally to other captured Afghan military aircraft. The need for extensive contractor support was a major factor in the readiness of other types, as well, including A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft and AC-208 armed light utility planes, both of which were capable of employing precision-guided munitions.
USAF
Contractors and Afghan personnel work on an Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano.
The A-29s and AC-208s were arguably the most modern aircraft in the Afghan Air Force's inventory and the systems on board those planes, such as their sensor turrets or avionics, could be of greater value to outside actors, including foreign intelligence agencies. This would also be the case with regards to any ex-SMW PC-12NG intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft now in Taliban hands. The actual capabilities of the specialized PC-12NGs and their overall configurations are somewhat of a mystery, making them perhaps the biggest question mark in terms of intelligence vulnerabilities.
DOD
An Afghan Special Mission Wing PC-12NG.
It is worth noting that General Sadat's New York Times piece does raise new questions about whether certain sensitive pieces of equipment were already removed from various Afghan military aircraft as contractors left the country, specifically to mitigate any security risks.
"It’s understandable for people to be concerned about any capability falling into the hands of folks where we don’t know exactly how they’re going to use it, who are going to use it against, whether that’s an M16 [rifle] or whether that’s an A-29,” U.S. Air Force General Mark Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, had also told Defense News in an interview last week. “But suffice to say that the technology that’s in the A-29 is not cutting-edge technology."
The Taliban could also seek to negotiate with the United States over the Black Hawks, or any other aircraft it has captured. Though the possibility seems remote, finding a way to effectively sell the aircraft back to the U.S. government could be especially beneficial for the group given that billions of dollars in Afghan government funds are now frozen in American banks. They could also seek to sell significant portions of the former Afghan military aircraft fleets to other buyers.
Whether the U.S. government might seek to impede any of this directly remains in question. There have been reported discussions among American officials already about the potential of using airstrikes to destroy captured equipment in Afghanistan after the ongoing evacuation operations in Kabul wrap up.
No matter what, the Taliban just getting a Black Hawk up and running at all is certainly embarrassing for the U.S. government and the group has multiple ways it could exploit those helicopters, as well as other U.S.-supplied aircraft it has now captured. At the same time, the actual operational utility of any of those planes or helicopters or the actual security risks they might pose to the United States, or its allies and partners, remain to be seen.
Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
Please see source for a number of videos related to story
Posted for fair use
Video Purports To Show U.S.-Supplied Black Helicopter Up And Running In Taliban Hands
The Taliban have captured dozens of former Afghan military aircraft, prompting concerns about what the group might do with them.
www.thedrive.com
jward
passin' thru
Nafiseh Kohnavard
@nafisehkBBC
8m
There is potential threats of car bombs at the gates of Kabul Airport, sources say. Not confirmed, but there has been warnings
jward
passin' thru
Lara Logan
@laralogan
20m
This is the desperation right now in Kabul at just one airport gate.
View: https://twitter.com/laralogan/status/1430713683408211973?s=20
@laralogan
20m
This is the desperation right now in Kabul at just one airport gate.
View: https://twitter.com/laralogan/status/1430713683408211973?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Asia Pacific
Taliban guards continue to provide security outside Kabul airport-Taliban official
August 25, 202110:03 PM CDTLast Updated an hour ago
Reuters
1 minute read
Members of Taliban forces sit at a checkpost in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Taliban guards continue to protect civilians outside Kabul airport, an official from the Islamist group said on Thursday, adding that Western forces must stick to a deadline of completing evacuations from Afghanistan by the end of the month.
"Our guards are also risking their lives at Kabul airport, they face a threat too from the Islamic State group," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Reporting by Rupam Jain, Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
View: https://twitter.com/IntelTweet/status/1430741057927589889?s=20
Taliban guards continue to provide security outside Kabul airport-Taliban official
August 25, 202110:03 PM CDTLast Updated an hour ago
Reuters
1 minute read
Members of Taliban forces sit at a checkpost in Kabul, Afghanistan August 17, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Taliban guards continue to protect civilians outside Kabul airport, an official from the Islamist group said on Thursday, adding that Western forces must stick to a deadline of completing evacuations from Afghanistan by the end of the month.
"Our guards are also risking their lives at Kabul airport, they face a threat too from the Islamic State group," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Reporting by Rupam Jain, Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
View: https://twitter.com/IntelTweet/status/1430741057927589889?s=20
jward
passin' thru
The Cavell Group
@TCG_CrisisRisks
1m
Afghanistan: The situation at Kabul airport remains complex and surreal. The Taliban providing security to so many trying to evacuate so close to UK/US troops, whilst a highly credible ISKP threat grows. The risk for error is high. Serious precautions required.
jward
passin' thru
Al Jazeera English
@AJEnglish
8m
People are urged to move away from Kabul airport due to the threat of an attack by ISIL as evacuation planes take off every 39 minutes https://aje.io/c5nr2d
@AJEnglish
8m
People are urged to move away from Kabul airport due to the threat of an attack by ISIL as evacuation planes take off every 39 minutes https://aje.io/c5nr2d
Replying to
Of course... Why not bring in the US funded militia groups ISIL.. ISISlike variants of covid, they change the name however, are the same group/s. War is imminent.
jward
passin' thru
ITV News
@itvnews
22m
The desperate countdown to the end of evacuations from Kabul airport continues to dominate the nation’s front pages, which also bring more Covid news and pressure on Dominic Raab
View: https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1430810349494841347?s=20
jward
passin' thru
West warns of possible attack at Kabul airport amid airlift
By ZIARMAL HASHIMI, JILL LAWLESS and JON GAMBRELL
7-8 minutes
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Western nations warned Thursday of a possible attack on Kabul’s airport, where thousands have flocked as they try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the waning days of a massive airlift. Britain said an attack could come within hours.
Several countries urged people to avoid the airport, but with just days left before the evacuation effort ends and American troops withdraw, few appeared to heed the call. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America’s longest war and the Taliban’s takeover, as flight after flight landed to pull out those who fear a return to the militants’ brutal rule.
Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, likely signaling the beginning of the end of one of history’s largest airlifts. The Taliban have so far honored a pledge not to attack Western forces during the evacuation, but insist the foreign troops must be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31.
But overnight, new warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from Afghanistan’s Islamic State group affiliate, which likely has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban’s freeing of prisoners during their blitz across the country.
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC on Thursday there was ”very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the airport, possibly within “hours.”
Heappey conceded that people are desperate to leave and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”
“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew, but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.
Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airport, with Australia’s foreign minister saying there was a “very high threat of a terrorist attack.”
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent. “It’s not correct,” he wrote in a text message after being asked about the warnings. He did not elaborate.
The warnings come as many Afghan are fleeing the country in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. The hard-line Islamic group wrested back control of the country nearly 20 years after being ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group.
Amid concerns about attacks, military cargo planes leaving Kabul airport already use flares to disrupt any potential missile fire. But troops also worry about the teeming crowds outside the airport.
While the Taliban and others have tried to control them, there’s no formal screening process as there was under Afghanistan’s former government. That raises the risk that someone could slip through and detonate explosives in the crowd.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country had been warned about just that kind of attack.
“We received information at the military level from the United States, but also from other countries, that there were indications that there was a threat of suicide attacks on the mass of people,” he said, talking about the threat around Kabul airport.
Senior U.S. officials said Wednesday’s warning from the embassy was related to specific threats involving the Islamic State group and potential vehicle bombs. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations.
The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan grew out of disaffected Taliban members who hold an even-more extreme view of Islam. Naming themselves after Khorasan, a historic name for the greater region, the extremists embarked on a series of brutal attacks in Afghanistan that included a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul that saw infants and women killed.
The Taliban have fought against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan. However, their advance across the country likely saw IS fighters freed alongside the Taliban’s own. There are particular concerns that extremists may have seized heavy weapons and equipment abandoned by Afghan troops who fled the Taliban advance.
Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, some European nations said they would have to end their evacuations.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex told French radio RTL on Thursday that “from tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport” due to the upcoming American withdrawal.
Danish defense minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned: “It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.”
Denmark’s last flight, carrying 90 people plus soldiers and diplomats, has already departed, and Poland and Belgium have also announced the end of their evacuations. The Dutch government said it had been told by the U.S. to leave Thursday.
The Taliban have said they’ll allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the deadline next week, but it remains unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said talks were underway between his country and the Taliban about allowing Turkish civilian experts to help run the facility. But Turkish troops are starting to withdraw currently, he said.
The Taliban has promised to return Afghanistan to security and pledged they won’t seek revenge on those who opposed them or roll back progress on human rights. But many Afghans are skeptical.
Fueling fears of what Taliban rule might hold, a journalist from private broadcaster Tolo News described being beaten by Taliban along with a cameraman from the channel. Ziar Yad said the fighters beat him and his colleague and confiscated their cameras, technical equipment and a mobile phone as they tried to report on poverty in Kabul.
“I still don’t know why they behaved like that and suddenly attacked me,” Yad wrote on Twitter. “The issue has been shared with Taliban leaders; however, the perpetrators have not yet been arrested, which is a serious threat to freedom of expression.”
___
Lawless reported from London and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris; Jan M. Olsen from Copenhagen, Denmark; Tameem Akhgar and Andrew Wilks in Istanbul; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida; and Mike Corder at The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.
apnews.com
By ZIARMAL HASHIMI, JILL LAWLESS and JON GAMBRELL
7-8 minutes
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Western nations warned Thursday of a possible attack on Kabul’s airport, where thousands have flocked as they try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the waning days of a massive airlift. Britain said an attack could come within hours.
Several countries urged people to avoid the airport, but with just days left before the evacuation effort ends and American troops withdraw, few appeared to heed the call. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America’s longest war and the Taliban’s takeover, as flight after flight landed to pull out those who fear a return to the militants’ brutal rule.
Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, likely signaling the beginning of the end of one of history’s largest airlifts. The Taliban have so far honored a pledge not to attack Western forces during the evacuation, but insist the foreign troops must be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31.
But overnight, new warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from Afghanistan’s Islamic State group affiliate, which likely has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban’s freeing of prisoners during their blitz across the country.
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC on Thursday there was ”very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the airport, possibly within “hours.”
Heappey conceded that people are desperate to leave and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”
“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew, but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.
Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airport, with Australia’s foreign minister saying there was a “very high threat of a terrorist attack.”
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent. “It’s not correct,” he wrote in a text message after being asked about the warnings. He did not elaborate.
The warnings come as many Afghan are fleeing the country in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. The hard-line Islamic group wrested back control of the country nearly 20 years after being ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group.
Amid concerns about attacks, military cargo planes leaving Kabul airport already use flares to disrupt any potential missile fire. But troops also worry about the teeming crowds outside the airport.
While the Taliban and others have tried to control them, there’s no formal screening process as there was under Afghanistan’s former government. That raises the risk that someone could slip through and detonate explosives in the crowd.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country had been warned about just that kind of attack.
“We received information at the military level from the United States, but also from other countries, that there were indications that there was a threat of suicide attacks on the mass of people,” he said, talking about the threat around Kabul airport.
Senior U.S. officials said Wednesday’s warning from the embassy was related to specific threats involving the Islamic State group and potential vehicle bombs. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations.
The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan grew out of disaffected Taliban members who hold an even-more extreme view of Islam. Naming themselves after Khorasan, a historic name for the greater region, the extremists embarked on a series of brutal attacks in Afghanistan that included a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul that saw infants and women killed.
The Taliban have fought against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan. However, their advance across the country likely saw IS fighters freed alongside the Taliban’s own. There are particular concerns that extremists may have seized heavy weapons and equipment abandoned by Afghan troops who fled the Taliban advance.
Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, some European nations said they would have to end their evacuations.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex told French radio RTL on Thursday that “from tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport” due to the upcoming American withdrawal.
Danish defense minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned: “It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.”
Denmark’s last flight, carrying 90 people plus soldiers and diplomats, has already departed, and Poland and Belgium have also announced the end of their evacuations. The Dutch government said it had been told by the U.S. to leave Thursday.
The Taliban have said they’ll allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the deadline next week, but it remains unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said talks were underway between his country and the Taliban about allowing Turkish civilian experts to help run the facility. But Turkish troops are starting to withdraw currently, he said.
The Taliban has promised to return Afghanistan to security and pledged they won’t seek revenge on those who opposed them or roll back progress on human rights. But many Afghans are skeptical.
Fueling fears of what Taliban rule might hold, a journalist from private broadcaster Tolo News described being beaten by Taliban along with a cameraman from the channel. Ziar Yad said the fighters beat him and his colleague and confiscated their cameras, technical equipment and a mobile phone as they tried to report on poverty in Kabul.
“I still don’t know why they behaved like that and suddenly attacked me,” Yad wrote on Twitter. “The issue has been shared with Taliban leaders; however, the perpetrators have not yet been arrested, which is a serious threat to freedom of expression.”
___
Lawless reported from London and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris; Jan M. Olsen from Copenhagen, Denmark; Tameem Akhgar and Andrew Wilks in Istanbul; James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida; and Mike Corder at The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.
Kabul airport attack kills 60 Afghans, 13 US troops
Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
apnews.com
jward
passin' thru
Jacqui Heinrich
@JacquiHeinrich
4m
NEW: British reports of imminent threat confirmed per a senior US official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Threat by ISIS-K or another affiliate of a vehicle bomb or suicide bomber has been measured as “more likely than unlikely” for over the last 24 hours.
jward
passin' thru
Reuters
@Reuters
4m
The Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara's military also withdraw fully by the end-August deadline, two Turkish officials told
@Reuters
View: https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1430839585140101122?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Muslim Shirzad
@MuslimShirzad
29m
Kabul airport - Continuation of catastrophe
View: https://twitter.com/MuslimShirzad/status/1430843346910654469?s=20
@MuslimShirzad
29m
Kabul airport - Continuation of catastrophe
View: https://twitter.com/MuslimShirzad/status/1430843346910654469?s=20
from Michael Yon. M. Yon was a war correspondent in Afghanistan with the Brits... I think.
He has a running commentary on the situation on his blog, listed above. Tho you do have to register with locals.
his latest:
Michael Yon@MichaelYon
6 hours ago
Afghanistan: US Forces are Collapsing now and pulling out
Confirmed — this is a very dangerous time. We have been tracking massive air movement including B-52 and tanker that appeared to head to Afghanistan. (Turned off beacons).
Many tankers in the air. Much information various sources. This is it. Pulling out. Very dangerous time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Yon@MichaelYon
6 hours ago
Many Aircraft Heading Afghanistan: B-52 in area
Looks like we are beginning to collapse forces. This is all open source. Am not publishing anything that I think is classified or dangerous to our people. Many people trying to get Americans, Afghans, and others out. Need information.
Update: B-52 appears to have turned off beacon. Probably heading to Afghanistan with a belly full of small bombs to defend retreat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Yon@MichaelYon
7 hours ago
Afghanistan: GET out or Go to Ground Now
People not out of Afghanistan yet should go to ground. Hit a land border -- or into a safe part of Afghanistan. Go to ground and let the first wave of killing pass over top.
He has a running commentary on the situation on his blog, listed above. Tho you do have to register with locals.
his latest:
Michael Yon@MichaelYon
6 hours ago
Afghanistan: US Forces are Collapsing now and pulling out
Confirmed — this is a very dangerous time. We have been tracking massive air movement including B-52 and tanker that appeared to head to Afghanistan. (Turned off beacons).
Many tankers in the air. Much information various sources. This is it. Pulling out. Very dangerous time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Yon@MichaelYon
6 hours ago
Many Aircraft Heading Afghanistan: B-52 in area
Looks like we are beginning to collapse forces. This is all open source. Am not publishing anything that I think is classified or dangerous to our people. Many people trying to get Americans, Afghans, and others out. Need information.
Update: B-52 appears to have turned off beacon. Probably heading to Afghanistan with a belly full of small bombs to defend retreat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Yon@MichaelYon
7 hours ago
Afghanistan: GET out or Go to Ground Now
People not out of Afghanistan yet should go to ground. Hit a land border -- or into a safe part of Afghanistan. Go to ground and let the first wave of killing pass over top.
jward
passin' thru
Apex
@Apex_WW
4m
Italian military source: An Italian military plane was fired upon as it took off from #Kabul Airport
@Apex_WW
4m
Italian military source: An Italian military plane was fired upon as it took off from #Kabul Airport
Donna_in_OK
Veteran Member
If there is an attack, I would expect it to be on the runway(s). That way, everyone is trapped. God I hope not.