WAR US to leave troops in Afghanistan beyond May, 9/11 new goal

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U.S. Says 1,500 Americans Remain in Afghanistan as Evacuation Enters Final Days
The State Department is frantically trying to track down U.S. citizens. Tens of thousands of Afghan allies will all but certainly be left behind.




People waiting to gain access to the international airport on Wednesday in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.

People waiting to gain access to the international airport on Wednesday in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.Credit...Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

By Lara Jakes and Michael Levenson
Aug. 25, 2021, 8:07 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — At least 1,500 American citizens remain in Afghanistan with just days left before the scheduled U.S. withdrawal from the country, but officials on Wednesday acknowledged the reality that tens of thousands of Afghan allies and others at high risk of Taliban reprisals would be left behind.
The sound of gunfire, and clouds of tear gas and black smoke, filled the air around the international airport in Kabul, the capital, as thousands of Afghans massed at the gates on Wednesday, desperate to escape ahead of the American military’s final departure on Aug. 31, after 20 years of war.

As military and government charter flights took off every 45 minutes as part of an airlift, Biden administration officials said they had evacuated about 82,300 people since Aug. 14, the day before Kabul fell to the Taliban. Around 4,500 of them were American citizens, with 500 more expected to depart soon.
But Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the government was trying to track down around 1,000 American citizens still believed to be in Afghanistan who had not responded to a frantic flurry of emails, phone calls or other messages offering to evacuate them.
“In this critical stretch, we’re focused on getting Americans and their families onto planes, out of Afghanistan, as quickly as possible,” Mr. Blinken said at the State Department.

He also sought to assure Afghans who had worked with the U.S. military or embassy, and potentially hundreds of thousands of people who challenged the Taliban’s extremist ideology, that “they will not be forgotten.”
Likening images and reports of Afghans being trampled at the Kabul airport in the crush to evacuate to “getting punched in the gut,” Mr. Blinken said it would be incumbent on the Taliban to guarantee their safe passage.
He signaled that such an arrangement could be reached with a mix of economic and diplomatic pressure, and the lure of international aid, but he would not discuss his level of confidence in the Taliban to keep their word beyond vaguely citing what he called their public and private commitments to allow people to leave.

“Let me be crystal clear about this: There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to leave to do so, along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years, and want to leave, and have been unable to do so,” Mr. Blinken said. “That effort will continue every day past Aug. 31.”
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Wednesday that Afghans with valid travel documents would not be prevented from entering the airport if they were allowed in by American and Afghan forces there.
In his first sit-down interview with a Western media organization since the Taliban’s arrival in Kabul, Mr. Mujahid disputed reports that the group would begin to keep Afghans away from the airport, which had been based on his statements during a news conference a day earlier.

“We said that people who don’t have proper documents aren’t allowed to go,” he said. “They need passports and visas for the countries they’re going to, and then they can leave by air. If their documents are valid, then we’re not going to ask what they were doing before.”
He also insisted that the Taliban would forgive those who fought against them, and that women would be allowed to attend school and work, within what he described as Islamic principles. Human rights officials have dismissed such assurances as disingenuous, and many Afghans have hidden in their homes, fearing harassment and violence.
Mr. Mujahid acknowledged that women would need a male guardian on journeys of three days or longer. He said that rumors that the Taliban would force women to stay in their homes or cover their faces were baseless, but he confirmed that music would not be allowed in public.

“Music is forbidden in Islam,” he said, “but we’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things.”
White House officials said on Wednesday that 90 U.S. and allied planes had flown out an estimated 19,200 people in a 24-hour period.
At least 500 were American citizens and their families, Mr. Blinken said, joining Afghans who were employees of the now-shuttered U.S. Embassy in Kabul and others who had worked for the American military and other government agencies, some since 2001, who qualify for a special immigration visa to live in the United States.
Congressional officials said earlier this week that the Biden administration had identified an estimated 50,000 Afghans who were eligible for the special visa. Former security forces, government officials and people who advocated women’s rights, the rule of law and other pillars of democracy also have been evacuated.

A new estimate from the Association of Wartime Allies released on Wednesday concluded that at least 250,000 Afghans — and perhaps more than a million — could be eligible for expedited immigration status. The advocacy group worked with American University to analyze employment contracts and other documents that those Afghans would need to prove their eligibility.

Mr. Blinken could not offer a more precise number, and noted the difficulty that even tracking down how many Americans might be in Afghanistan had been a challenge for the U.S. government.
He said the State Department had identified at least 6,000 Americans — many of them with dual Afghan citizenship — by searching various databases. Officials have sent more than 20,000 emails and placed 45,000 phone calls across Afghanistan to offer U.S. citizens a chance to leave, he said.

Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan ›
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Aug. 25, 2021, 7:58 p.m. ET

Thousands more American citizens may live in Afghanistan, but had not registered with the U.S. Embassy and otherwise could not be found, a senior State Department official later acknowledged.
Hours before Mr. Blinken spoke, lawmakers in Congress urged the Biden administration to extend the Aug. 31 deadline to ensure that all Americans and Afghan allies could leave Afghanistan safely.

“The reporting I’m getting on the ground are that our American citizens are trying to get out,” said Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Our Afghan partners and interpreters who served with our special forces, put their life on the line. We have a moral obligation to save them.”
Mr. Blinken would not discuss whether any semblance of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul — once one of the largest American diplomatic missions in the world — would remain open after the military exits next week. A small group of U.S. diplomats remain in Afghanistan, on a secure base at the airport in Kabul, to oversee the evacuation and continue negotiations with the Taliban.

Image

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arriving at a briefing on Afghanistan on Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.Credit...Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times
As the evacuation mission played out, world leaders — and millions of Afghans — waited with anxiety to discern the true shape of Taliban rule.
During the group’s last turn in power, Afghan women risked being beaten, tortured or executed if they left their homes. In the two decades since American-led forces ousted the militants from power, many young women have come to expect basic rights.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, interacting with journalists after a briefing on Tuesday in Kabul.Credit...Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times
In the first days after the Taliban seized Kabul, and national power, on Aug. 15, Afghan protesters have demanded that the militants accept their demands for greater freedom. Among the protests was a march by women demanding that their right to education and jobs not be harmed.
One activist, named Fariha, said she had taken part in the demonstration last week “to show the Taliban that they have to change, because we will not.”

Understand the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
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Who are the Taliban? The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Here’s more on their origin story and their record as rulers.
Who are the Taliban leaders? These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. Little is known about them or how they plan to govern, including whether they will be as tolerant as they claim to be.
How did the Taliban gain control? See how the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in a few months, and read about how their strategy enabled them to do so.
What happens to the women of Afghanistan? The last time the Taliban were in power, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school. Afghan women have made many gains since the Taliban were toppled, but now they fear that ground may be lost. Taliban officials are trying to reassure women that things will be different, but there are signs that, at least in some areas, they have begun to reimpose the old order.
What does their victory mean for terrorist groups? The United States invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago in response to terrorism, and many worry that Al Qaeda and other radical groups will again find safe haven there.

“We cannot breathe if we are deprived of our rights to education and work, and if we are not present in the society,” she said through sobs.
“There are women who haven’t gone to Europe or the U.S. — they have stayed and are ready to fight until death,” she said. “We have worked hard for 20 years to gain education and work. We will not let anyone ignore us.”
Despite Taliban efforts to reassure Afghans of their safety, ominous signs suggest that they have not abandoned their brutal tactics. On Tuesday, the United Nations’ top human rights official cited “harrowing and credible” reports that the Taliban had executed civilians and noncombatant soldiers.
With the future of international aid to Afghanistan unclear, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said on Wednesday that her country would maintain its support for the Afghan people after the U.S. troop withdrawal. She also called for talks with the Taliban.

“Our goal must be to preserve as much as possible what we have achieved in terms of changes in Afghanistan in the last 20 years,” Ms. Merkel told a session of Parliament convened to discuss the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan. “This is something the international community must talk about with the Taliban.”
Germany pulled its last contingent of about 570 troops out of Afghanistan in June, but several hundred Germans were still engaged in development work funded by their government.
Adding to the concerns about Afghanistan is its foundering economy, which had been propped up for the past generation by American aid, but is now in free fall. Banks are closed. Cash is growing scarce, and food prices are rising. Fuel is becoming harder to find. Government services have stalled as civil servants avoid work, fearing retribution.


Afghans waiting in line at an A.T.M. on Wednesday in Kabul.Credit...Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
People trying to flee, if they make it past Taliban checkpoints, have been met with chaotic scenes at Kabul’s airport. At least seven Afghan civilians, including a toddler, have been trampled to death.
On Wednesday, the Taliban brought what looked like about 200 people to a fenced-off area, where they were crammed together under a beating afternoon sun.
As the crowds continue to swell outside the airport, American officials said they were concerned that terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State could exploit the chaos by staging a bombing attack there, or a mortar strike against the airfield.


People waiting to gain access to the international airport on Wednesday in Kabul.Credit...Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times
The Islamic State group in Afghanistan has carried out dozens of attacks in recent years, with many targeting ethnic minorities and other civilians.
John F. Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesman, told reporters on Wednesday that American officers in Kabul, including Rear Adm. Peter G. Vasely, the top commander, and Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the head the 82nd Airborne Division, were talking to their Taliban counterparts every day to ensure safe passage of Americans and Afghan allies with proper credentials to flights leaving Kabul.

Mr. Kirby said that the Pentagon would prioritize the evacuation of American troops and equipment in the mission’s final days. About 5,400 American troops are now at the airport after 400 troops not essential to the evacuation left the country in recent days, he said.

Still, there have been numerous reports of Afghans with proper paperwork being turned away at Taliban checkpoints and even at the airport gates, where some 30 U.S. consular officials and Marines are checking credentials. Throughout the past week, many gates have closed intermittently to clear backlogs.
Lara Jakes reported from Washington, and Michael Levenson from New York. Reporting was contributed by Eric Schmitt in Washington, Matthieu Aikins and Jim Huylebroek in Kabul, Sharif Hassan in Kyiv, Ukraine, Melissa Eddy in Berlin and Lauren Leatherby in New York.

www.nytimes.com

U.S. Says 1,500 Americans Remain in Afghanistan as Evacuation Enters Final Days

The State Department is frantically trying to track down U.S. citizens. Tens of thousands of Afghan allies will all but certainly be left behind.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
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Secretary Antony J. Blinken On Afghanistan


Remarks to the Press

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Press Briefing Room

Washington, D.C.

August 25, 2021



SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon. I’d like to give you all an update on the situation in Afghanistan and our ongoing efforts there, particularly as they relate to U.S. citizens, and then I’m very happy to take your questions.


Let me begin with my profound appreciation for our diplomats and service members who are working around the clock at the airport in Kabul and at a growing number of transit sites to facilitate the evacuation of Americans, their families, citizens of allied and partner nations, Afghans who have partnered with us over the last 20 years, and other Afghans at risk. They are undertaking this mission under extremely difficult circumstances, with incredible courage, skill, and humanity.


Since August 14th, more than 82,300 people have been safely flown out of Kabul. In the 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday, approximately 19,000 people were evacuated on 90 U.S. military and coalition flights. Only the United States could organize and execute a mission of this scale and this complexity.


As the President has made clear, our first priority is the evacuation of American citizens. Since August 14th, we have evacuated at least 4,500 U.S. citizens and likely more. More than 500 of those Americans were evacuated in just the last day alone.


Now, many of you have asked how many U.S. citizens remain in Afghanistan who want to leave the country. Based on our analysis, starting on August 14 when our evacuation operations began, there was then a population of as many as 6,000 American citizens in Afghanistan who wanted to leave. Over the last 10 days, roughly 4,500 of these Americans have been safely evacuated along with immediate family members. Over the past 24 hours, we’ve been in direct contact with approximately 500 additional Americans and provided specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely. We will update you regularly on our progress in getting these 500 American citizens out of Afghanistan.


For the remaining roughly 1,000 contacts that we had who may be Americans seeking to leave Afghanistan, we are aggressively reaching out to them multiple times a day through multiple channels of communication – phone, email, text messaging – to determine whether they still want to leave and to get the most up-to-date information and instructions to them for how to do so. Some may no longer be in the country. Some may have claimed to be Americans but turn out not to be. Some may choose to stay. We’ll continue to try to identify the status and plans of these people in the coming days.


Thus, from this list of approximately 1,000, we believe the number of Americans actively seeking assistance to leave Afghanistan is lower, likely significantly lower.


Having said that, these are dynamic calculations that we are working hour by hour to refine for accuracy. And let me, if I can, just take a moment to explain why the numbers are difficult to pin down with absolute precision at any given moment. And let me start with Americans who are in Afghanistan and we believe want to leave.


First, as I think all of you know, the U.S. Government does not track Americans’ movements when they travel around the world. When Americans visit a foreign country or if they reside there, we encourage them to enroll with the U.S. embassy. Whether they do or not is up to them; it’s voluntary. And then, when Americans leave a foreign country, it’s also up to them to de-enroll. Again, that’s a choice, not a requirement.


Particularly given the security situation in Afghanistan, for many years we have urged Americans not to travel there. We’ve repeatedly asked Americans who are in Afghanistan to enroll. And since March of this year, we’ve sent 19 separate messages to Americans enrolled with the embassy in Kabul, encouraging and then urging them to leave the country. We’ve amplified those direct messages on the State Department website and on social media. We even made clear that we would help pay for their repatriation, and we’ve provided multiple communication channels for Americans to contact us if they’re in Afghanistan and want help in leaving.


The specific estimated number of Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave can go up as people respond to our outreach for the first time, and it can go down when we reach Americans we thought were in Afghanistan who tell us they’ve already left. There could be other Americans in Afghanistan who never enrolled with the embassy, who ignored public evacuation notices, and have not yet identified themselves to us.


We’ve also found that many people who contact us and identify themselves as American citizens, including by filling out and submitting repatriation assistance forms, are not, in fact, U.S. citizens – something that can take some time to verify. Some Americans may choose to stay in Afghanistan – some who are enrolled, and some who are not. Many of them are dual nationals who may consider Afghanistan their home, who’ve lived there for decades, or who want to stay close to extended family. And there are Americans who are still evaluating their decision to leave based on the situation on the ground that evolves daily – in fact, that evolves hourly.


Some are understandably very scared. Each has a set of personal priorities and considerations that they alone can weigh. They may even change their mind from one day to the next, as has happened and will likely continue to happen.


Finally, over the past 10 days we’ve been moving hundreds of American citizens out of Afghanistan every day, in most cases guided to the airport by us, in some cases getting there on their own, in other cases with the help of third countries or private initiatives. We cross-check our list against flight manifests, against arrival records, against other databases. There’s usually a lag of about 24 hours for us to verify their status. So when you take into account all of these inputs that we use to arrive at our assessment of the number of Americans still in Afghanistan and who want to leave, you start to understand why this is a hard number to pin down at any given moment and why we’re constantly refining it.


And that’s also why we continue to be relentless in our outreach. Since August 14th, we’ve reached out directly to every American enrolled with us in Afghanistan, often multiple times. Hundreds of consular officers, locally employed staff, here in Washington, at dozens of embassies and consulates around the world, are part of what has been an unprecedented operation. They’re phone banking, text banking, writing and responding to emails, working around the clock to communicate individually with Americans on the ground.


Since August 14th, we’ve sent more than 20,000 emails to enrolled individuals, initiated more than 45,000 phone calls, and used other means of communication, cycling through and updating our list repeatedly. We’re also integrating information in real time that’s provided to us by members of Congress, by nongovernmental organizations, and U.S. citizens about Americans who may be in Afghanistan and want to get out.


These contacts are how we determine the whereabouts of Americans who may be in Afghanistan, whether they want to leave, whether they need help, and then to give them specific, tailored instructions on how to leave with real-time emergency contact numbers to use should they need it.


Now, let me turn to the number of Americans who have been evacuated. As I said, we believe we’ve evacuated more than 4,500 U.S. passport holders as well as their families. That number is also a dynamic one. That’s because in this critical stretch, we’re focused on getting Americans and their families onto planes, out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible and then processing the total numbers when they’re safely out of the country. We also verify our numbers to make sure that we aren’t inadvertently undercounting or double counting.


So I wanted to lay all that out because I know it is a fundamental question that so many of you have had, and it really merits going through the information, the explanation so you see how we arrive at it.


While evacuating Americans is our top priority, we’re also committed to getting out as many Afghans at risk as we can before the 31st. That starts with our locally employed staff, the folks who’ve been working side by side in our embassy with our diplomatic team. And it includes Special Immigrant Visa program participants and also other Afghans at risk. It’s hard to overstate the complexity and the danger of this effort. We’re operating in a hostile environment in a city and country now controlled by the Taliban, with the very real possibility of an ISIS-K attack. We’re taking every precaution, but this is very high-risk.


As the President said yesterday, we’re on track to complete our mission by August 31st provided the Taliban continue to cooperate and there are no disruptions to this effort. The President has also asked for contingency plans in case he determines that we must remain in the country past that date. But let me be crystal-clear about this: There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to leave to do so, along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years and want to leave and have been unable to do so. That effort will continue every day past August 31st.


The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals, and Afghans at risk going forward past August 31st. The United States, our allies and partners, and more than half of the world’s countries – 114 in all – issued a statement making it clear to the Taliban that they have a responsibility to hold to that commitment and provide safe passage for anyone who wishes to leave the country – not just for the duration of our evacuation and relocation mission, but for every day thereafter.


And we’re developing detailed plans for how we can continue to provide consular support and facilitate departures for whose who wish to leave after August 31st. Our expectation – the expectation of the international community – is that people who want to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. military departs should be able to do so. Together we will do everything we can to see that that expectation is met.


Let me just close with a note on the diplomatic front. In all, more than two dozen countries on four continents are contributing to the effort to transit, temporarily house, or resettle those who we are evacuating. That didn’t just happen. It’s the product of an intense diplomatic effort to secure, detail, and implement transit agreements and resettlement commitments. We are deeply grateful to those countries for their generous assistance.


This is one of the largest airlifts in history, a massive military, diplomatic, security, and humanitarian undertaking. It’s a testament both to U.S. leadership and to the strength of our alliances and partnerships. We’ll be relying and building upon that strength moving forward as we work with our allies and partners to forge a unified diplomatic approach to Afghanistan. That was a point the President underscored in yesterday’s G7 leaders’ meeting on Afghanistan and it’s one that I and other senior members of the State Department have made in our constant communication with allies and partners in recent days to ensure that we’re aligned and united as we move forward – not only when it comes to the immediate mission, but also on what happens after August 31st on counterterrorism, on humanitarian assistance, on our expectations of a future Afghan government. That intense diplomatic work is ongoing as we speak and it will continue in the days and weeks ahead.


So I talked a lot about numbers this afternoon, but even as we’re laser-focused on the mission, we know that this is about real people, many scared, many desperate. I’ve seen the images, I’ve read the stories, I’ve heard the voices, so much of that reported by you and your colleagues so courageously. Like many of you, I read the report of the Afghan translator whose two-year-old daughter was trampled to death on Saturday while waiting outside the airport. I’ve got two small kids of my own. Reading that story and others was like getting punched in the gut.


All of us at the State Department and across the U.S. Government feel that way. We know that lives and futures, starting with our fellow citizens – including the lives of children – hang in the balance during these critical days. And that’s why everyone on our team is putting everything they have into this effort. Thanks very much, and happy to take questions.
 
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The Question portion of their presentation of their spin...


Secretary Antony J. Blinken On Afghanistan


Remarks to the Press

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Press Briefing Room

Washington, D.C.

August 25, 2021



MR PRICE: Matt.


QUESTION: Thanks. Thanks, Mr. Secretary, for coming down and doing this. On your – two things really briefly. I’ll try to be as brief as possible. Two things. On your numbers of the American citizens, does that include green card holders, LPRs? And if it doesn’t or does —


SECRETARY BLINKEN: No, it does not. Let me clear, it does not.


QUESTION: Oh, it does not. Okay. Is there a way to get the number?


SECRETARY BLINKEN: These are blue passport holders.


QUESTION: Okay. But have LPRs also been contacted?


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yep.


QUESTION: And what about SIV applicants, people who are eligible?


SECRETARY BLINKEN: We are in contact with —


QUESTION: So we can get numbers for those even if you don’t —


SECRETARY BLINKEN: — all of the different —


QUESTION: And then —


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Go ahead. I’m sorry, Matt.


QUESTION: It’s okay. I don’t expect you to have all of the numbers. But then since this whole thing began there’s been a lot of criticism of the administration over how it handled it, and there’s been a lot of pushback from people within the administration about the hand that you were basically dealt or what you say you were dealt by the previous administration in terms of the deal with the Taliban, in terms of the SIV program, in terms of the broader refugee program. But you guys have been in office for almost eight months. It’s been five months since the President’s decision was made. Is there anything about the shortcomings that have been so readily identified by all sorts of people that you guys are actually willing to take responsibility for yourselves?


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks, Matt. Let me say two things. First, with regard to the numbers and these different categories, as you’ve seen by how I’ve laid out how we get to the numbers of Americans, this is both incredibly complicated and incredibly fluid. Any number I give you right now is likely to be out of date by the time we leave this briefing room. So what we’re doing is very carefully tabulating everything we have, cross-checking it, referencing it, using different databases. We will have numbers for all those different categories in the days ahead and after this initial phase of efforts to bring people out of Afghanistan ends.


And with regard to the second part of your question, about taking responsibility: I take responsibility, I know the President has said he takes responsibility, and I know all of my colleagues across government feel the same way. And I can tell you that there will be plenty of time to look back at the last six or seven months, to look back at the last 20 years, and to look to see what we might have done differently, what we might have done sooner, what we might have done more effectively. But I have to tell you that right now, my entire focus is on the mission at hand. And there’s going to be, as I said, plenty of time to do an accounting of this when we get through that mission.


MR PRICE: Lara.


QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Could you speak today about the future of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, whether it will remain or American diplomats will remain in Kabul after the military withdrawal on the 31st? And also more broadly, we’re already seeing women being repressed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, people being attacked, intimidated, being kept from getting to the airport. I’m wondering if you can give us any concrete examples of steps that the United States is going to take to assure SIV applicants and other high-value – or I’m sorry, high-target, high-risk Afghans, that they’re not going to be forgotten when the United States military leaves.


SECRETARY BLINKEN: With regard to our diplomatic engagement, we’re looking at a series of options, and I’m sure we’ll have more on that in the coming days and weeks, but we’re looking at a variety of options. And as I said earlier, particularly because the effort to bring out of Afghanistan those who want to leave does not end with the military evacuation plan on the 31st, we are very focused on what we need to do to facilitate the further departure of people who wish to leave Afghanistan, and that is primarily going to be a diplomatic effort, a consular effort, an international effort because other countries feel exactly the same way.


And I’m sorry, the second part of your question?


QUESTION: Just if there are any concrete steps —


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Oh, yes, I’m sorry.


QUESTION: — that you can give to people who are very worried right now, understandably, about whether they’re just going to be forgotten, left behind, disappeared once the United States withdraws its military and can no longer protect their safe passage to the airport or their other livelihoods.


SECRETARY BLINKEN: The short answer is no, they will not be forgotten. And as I said, we will use every diplomatic, economic assistance tool at our disposal working hand-in-hand with the international community, first and foremost to ensure that those who want to leave Afghanistan after the 31st are able to do so, as well as to deal with other issues that we need to be focused on, including counterterrorism and humanitarian assistance, and expectations of a future Afghan government.


I mentioned a few moments ago that we got 114 countries around the world to make clear to the Taliban the international expectation that people will continue to be able to leave the country after the military evacuation effort ends. And we certainly have points of incentive and points of leverage with a future Afghan government to help make sure that that happens. But I can tell you again – from my perspective, from the President’s perspective – this effort does not end on August 31st. It will continue for as long as it takes to help get people out of Afghanistan who wish to leave.


QUESTION: What’s your level of confidence today that the Taliban will actually abide by some of these requirements and expectations that the international community has put on it?


SECRETARY BLINKEN: I’m not going to put a percentage on it. I can just tell you again that the Taliban has made their own commitments. They’ve made them publicly. They’ve made them privately. And again, I think they have a very strong self-interest in acting with a modicum of responsibility going forward. But they will make their own determinations.


MR PRICE: Andrea.


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Andrea.


QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you. But the Taliban right now, focusing on the mission right now, are not living up to their commitments. People are being stopped trying to get into the airport. I’m talking about women, SIVs, others – Afghans, people with papers – and they’re being stopped outside the airport now. There are total bottlenecks which seem to rise to the level of what the President said were the contingency – contingencies if the Taliban is not complying, if the flow can’t continue. We’re loading planes, but some planes are leaving without – and some people are people who have private planes waiting for them with landing rights but can’t get into the airport. As well as beyond the SIVs there are lawyers, there are judges, women lawyers, judges, educators – we’ve told them for 20 years you can live up to your potential, and now they feel abandoned.


And then finally, I’d like to ask you about the local hires. We evacuated our embassy, and there have been cables back that I know you must be familiar with or your teams are of people who feel completely betrayed. And these are thousands of people that we rely on in embassies all – embassies around the world. The message is going forward that we will not be loyal. They were not told about the evacuation. They were not put on those choppers with our American staff. And they were forced – many of them – to find their own way through the Taliban checkpoints and then get turned away at the airport, and some even got turned away once they were inside.


So what is the message to people working for the U.S. Government? Veterans’ groups are angry about the SIVs, and then there are all the millions of Afghan women who have told their daughters and been raised under this promise of a future which the Taliban are already, according to Ambassador Verveer today, is – are denying. There are horrifying examples from provinces and from inside Kabul of people being targeted door to door, people in safe houses being sought out. And all this promise of you will be safe – the Taliban spokesman said stay in your homes because we haven’t told all of our people how to treat women, how to respect women. They also say you can go to school, you can work, as long as you comply with Sharia law, which, under their interpretation, is the most extreme example of the Islamic code that is seen anywhere in the world.


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Andrea, a few things. First, of the 82,000-plus people who so far have been evacuated, about 45, 46 percent have been women and children, and we’ve been intensely focused particularly on making sure that we can get women at risk out of harm’s way.


Second, with regard to women and other Afghans at risk going forward, we will use, I will use, every diplomatic, economic, political, and assistance tool at my disposal, working closely with allies and partners who feel very much the same way, to do everything possible to uphold their basic rights. And that’s going to be a relentless focus of our actions going forward.


Locally employed staff – along with American citizens, nothing is more important to me as Secretary of State than to do right by the people who have been working side-by-side with American diplomats in our embassy. And I can tell you, Andrea, that we are relentlessly focused on getting the locally employed staff out of Afghanistan and out of harm’s way. And let me leave it at that for now.


MR PRICE: Rosiland.


QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you. I wanted to ask a more fundamental question about the Taliban. Your spokesperson indicated in recent days that de facto the Taliban are in charge in Kabul, but there is no legal recognized government by the United States at this moment. And it kind of begs the question: Why does the United States even have to pay attention to what the Taliban wants? It’s an SDGT; it’s sanctioned by many organizations. It’s already losing access to Afghan government resources because of its past and current behavior. Why should the United States even care what the Taliban wants to be done at the airport or, frankly, anywhere else in the country since they are not, in the U.S.’s eyes, a legally recognized government? Thank you.


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you. Thank you. Our focus right now is on getting our citizens and getting other – our partners – Afghan partners, third-country partners who have been working in Afghanistan with us – out of the country and to safety. And for that purpose, first, the Taliban, whether we like it or not, is in control – largely in control of the country, certainly in control of the city of Kabul. And it’s been important to work with them to try to facilitate and ensure the departure of all those who want to leave, and that has actually been something that we’ve been focused on for – from the beginning of this operation, because as a practical matter it advances our interests.


Second, we’ve been engaged with the Taliban for some time diplomatically going back years in efforts, as you know, to try to advance a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan. There’s still talks and conversations underway even now between the Taliban and former members of the Afghan government with regard, for example, to a transfer of power and some inclusivity in a future government. And I think it’s in our interest where possible to support those efforts.


Going forward, we will judge our engagement with any Taliban-led government in Afghanistan based on one simple proposition: our interests, and does it help us advance them or not. If engagement with the government can advance the enduring interests we will have in counterterrorism, the enduring interest we’ll have in trying to help the Afghan people who need humanitarian assistance, in the enduring interest we have in seeing that the rights of all Afghans, especially women and girls, are upheld, then we’ll do it.


But fundamentally, the nature of that engagement and the nature of any relationship depends entirely on the actions and conduct of the Taliban. If a future government upholds the basic rights of the Afghan people, if it makes good on its commitments to ensure that Afghanistan cannot be used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks directed against us and our allies and partners, and in the first instance, if it makes good on its commitments to allow people who want to leave Afghanistan to leave, that’s a government we can work with. If it doesn’t, we will make sure that we use every appropriate tool at our disposal to isolate that government, and as I said before, Afghanistan will be a pariah.


MR PRICE: Francesco.


QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. What will happen on September 1st? Will the U.S. keep any diplomatic and/or any other kind of presence in Kabul at all, and who will run the airport? Is there any progress in the discussions with the Turks – who announced their withdrawal, their military withdrawal – with the Qataris, and with the Taliban on the airport?


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks. There are very active efforts on the way – underway on the part of regional countries to see whether they can play a role in keeping the airport open once our military mission leaves or, as necessary, reopening it if it closes for some period of time. And that’s happening very actively right now. The Taliban have made clear that they have a strong interest in having a functioning airport. We and the rest of the international community certainly have a strong interest in that, primarily for the purpose of making sure that anyone who wants to leave can leave past the 31st using an airport. And so that’s a very active effort that’s underway as we speak. And again, with regard to our own potential presence going forward after the 31st, we’re looking at a number of options.


MR PRICE: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.


SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you all very much.


https://twitter.com/Rover829
Click to expand...
 
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Jacqui Heinrich
@JacquiHeinrich
6m

NEW: Afghan refugees to come to Quantico & Fort Pickett, per Senate source who’s office was informed the two sites were formally added. Separately - DoD had refused to comment on planning docs I have had for days, detailing plans to house refugees at Picket & 2 other locations
 
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U.S. Still Searching for Americans in Afghanistan as Deadline Closes In
Nancy A. Youssef, Saeed Shah and Courtney McBride

2 minutes


Facing an Aug. 31 deadline to leave Afghanistan, the U.S. must shift in a few days from evacuating thousands of Afghans and up to 1,500 Americans still in the country to the job of loading the remaining U.S. military personnel and essential equipment onto the final departing planes.

The evacuation operation in Kabul is taking place under increasingly perilous conditions. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, citing terror threats, issued a security alert late Wednesday to tell Americans not to travel to Hamid Karzai International Airport and said those already there should leave.

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the alert said. Officials have been warning that members of the Afghan branch of the Islamic State extremist group were trying to mount an attack on military personnel or civilians at the airport.

The Biden administration on Wednesday provided its first count of American civilians in Afghanistan, saying as many as 1,500 U.S. citizens remained in the country.

U.S. officials are trying to evacuate 500 of the Americans, and are in contact with them, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the State Department. The status of another 1,000 civilian Americans is unclear, said Mr. Blinken, adding that U.S. officials were trying to contact them.

Please see source for video
Rest beyond paywall
Posted for fair use
www.wsj.com

U.S. Still Searching for Americans in Afghanistan as Deadline Closes In

The U.S. is set to shift its focus in a few days from evacuating Americans and Afghans to removing its remaining military personnel and essential equipment.
www.wsj.com www.wsj.com
 
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Guy Elster
@guyelster
35m

#BREAKING European countries are ending their evacuations operations in #Kabul

*Dutch government expects to run its last evacuation flight today
*Belgian PM says to end evacuation due to imminent terrorist attacks
*France to stop evacuations from Friday
*Germany will end Afghanistan evacuations on Thursday — media reports
 
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Andrew Neil
@afneil
2h

The endgame now close for evacuations from Kabul airport. UK now telling those still trying to leave Afghanistan to head for the border rather than attempt to get into Kabul airport, where US and British forces are already winding down their operations.
 
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News
Germany will end Afghanistan evacuations on Thursday — media reports
The last A400M military transport aircraft is to take off from the Afghan capital Kabul four days before an August 31 deadline.



Evacuees pictured in a German transport plane, with flight crew standing nearby
Germany will be concluding its evacuation efforts in Afghanistan
The German military will halt airlift operations in Afghanistan on Thursday, according to local media reports.

The decision comes four days before an August 31 deadline for evacuations and a US troop withdrawal.

"The security situation at the Kabul airport has deteriorated further and the threat of a terror attack is becoming increasingly concrete," a spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry told DW.

The spokesperson refused to confirm the media reports about the end of the German evacuation operations, instead saying that the Bundeswehr continues to coordinate its planning and operations with its partners on the ground.

To date, Germany's Bundeswehr has managed to safely evacuate over 5,100 people, including more than 3,600 Afghans.

It's not clear how many German nationals are still left in the country. The German Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that some 200 German citizens are still believed to be in Kabul.

The number has even been rising "because people continue to report to us," a spokesperson said.

Why is there an August 31 deadline to end evacuations?
US President Joe Biden announced a plan to end evacuations by August 31.

Washington's NATO allies had tried to persuade him to extend airlift operations beyond that date. Those appeals ultimately failed.
In a session of virtual talks involving leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) countries, Biden held firm and said the risk of terror attacks presented too great a threat to remain beyond the deadline.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a press conference after a virtual G7 summit on the crisis triggered by Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said continuing airlift without US troops presence would not be possible

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was among the US allies who said continuing evacuations without US troop presence would be impossible. "Without the United States of America, for example, we — the others — cannot continue the evacuation mission," Merkel told reporters after the event.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We will go on right up until the last moment that we can." Johnson had been pushing for the cut-off date to be put back.

What the Taliban leadership has said about the deadline
The Taliban leadership would also not budge on the deadline date, saying "no extensions" would be accepted.

This emerged from the Islamic fundamentalist group's talks with CIA chief William Burns on Monday.

Thousands of people have been flocking to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, hoping to get on evacuation flights. There have been reports of Taliban atrocities since seizing the capital, and many fear the militant group will exact revenge on those who helped US and NATO forces during the 20-year war.



Watch video 01:49

Afghanistan: US, allies race to complete evacuation
When are other NATO nations ending their operations?

France has announced that it will end its evacuation operations on Friday afternoon.


Denmark said its last flight carrying troops and diplomats had already left Kabul's airport.


Poland and Belgium have already ended their evacuations and withdrawn all military personnel from Afghanistan.


Hungary said its army has evacuated all Hungarian citizens from Afghanistan.


How's the situation in Kabul?

In the past few days, concerns have been growing about the deteriorating security situation in Kabul, particularly at the airport where thousands of Afghans are scrambling to flee a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.


On Wednesday evening, the US embassy in Kabul advised citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately, citing unspecified "security threats."


The UK also advised people in the airport area to leave, warning of a potential attack by the so-called Islamic State terror outfit.


Despite the warnings, reports suggest that areas outside the airport continue to be crowded.


Please see source for video and additional photos
Posted for fair use
www.dw.com

Afghanistan: Final German evacuation flight leaves Kabul – DW – 08/26/2021

The last A400M military transport aircraft evacuating German nationals and local personnel took off from the Afghan capital Kabul five days before an August 31 deadline.
www.dw.com www.dw.com
 
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Russia begins evacuations out of Afghanistan as the security situation deteriorates
Four Russian military aircraft evacuated over 500 Russian and Central Asian nationals from Afghanistan on Wednesday on order from President Vladimir Putin. The move marks a shift in the country's stance on Afghanistan after being one of the only embassies to remain open, according to Reuters. Russia said that the situation was tense with a "very high" terrorism threat. The Russian Defence Ministry said that they had begun military exercises in neighboring Tajikistan.
 
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Jennifer Griffin
@JenGriffinFNC
28m

In last 24 hours: 13,400 people were evacuated from Afghanistan. 17 U.S. military flights (14 C-17s and 3 C-130s) evacuated 5,100 people from Kabul. In addition, 74 coalition aircraft evacuated approximately 8,300 people. Since Aug 14, the U.S. has evacuated 95,700 people.
 
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The Cavell Group
@TCG_CrisisRisks

Afghanistan: Our Ops to repatriate clients home from across Afghanistan are complete. It has been complex and we need to thank so many people privately for their professionalism. There are so many more unrelated to us suffering and in despair. Our hearts are with all of them.

Afghanistan: More assistance and reparations by many will continue, and we shall endeavour to provide professional support in any way we can. The people of Afghanistan are proud and courageous and the West owes them a great deal.

6:54 AM · Aug 26, 2021·Twitter for iPad
 
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Guy Elster
@guyelster
2h

#BREAKING European countries are ending their evacuations operations in Kabul

*Dutch government expects to run its last evacuation flight today
*Belgian PM says to end evacuation due to imminent terrorist attacks
*France to stop evacuations from Friday
*Canada has ended evacuations from Kabul airport, Gen. Eyre, the country’s acting chief of Defense Staff announced.

Kremlin: #Russia has yet to determine its position towards the #Taliban, and will see how they act toward Afghans and Russian diplomats
 
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UPDATED: 12 U.S. Troops Among Those Killed in Attacks on Kabul Airport

By: Sam LaGrone and Mallory Shelbourne


August 26, 2021 1:49 PM • Updated: August 26, 2021 4:14 PM​



Paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conduct security as they continue to help facilitate the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other at-risk Afghans out of Afghanistan as quickly and safely as possible from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 25, 2021. US Army Photo

This story has been updated to include additional information from the Pentagon.
Twelve U.S. troops are among the dead following two suicide bomb attacks on crowds struggling to get into the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, according to U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie.
Fifteen U.S. service members were wounded and an unknown number of Afghans were killed and wounded in an attack believed to have been perpetrated by ISIS Khorasan, McKenzie told reporters today at a Pentagon briefing. One bomb was detonated near the Abbey gate at HKIA and another was detonated near the Baron Hotel by the airport.

“The attack on the Abbey gate was followed by a number of ISIS gunmen, who opened fire on civilians and military forces. At this time, we know that 12 U.S. service members have been killed in the attack and 15 more service members have been injured,” McKenzie said. “A number of Afghan civilians were also killed and injured in the attack. We are treating some of them aboard HKIA. Many other Afghan civilians have been taken out to hospitals in town. We’re still working to calculate the total losses. We just don’t know it – what that is right now.”
McKenzie did not specify how many of the service members were Marines and how many were soldiers. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that four Marines were among the dead, citing information the U.S. Embassy passed on to its staff. Reports say up to 60 Afghans were killed in the attacks.
Navy and Maine Corps officials told USNI News that they were still gathering information on the explosion and would send updates as facts were confirmed.

The effort to evacuate Americans and Afghans seeking Special Immigrant Visas from Kabul will go on despite the attacks, according to McKenzie, who said he has the forces needed to continue with the evacuation. Currently, there are about 5,000 people waiting to leave Kabul at HKIA, McKenzie said.

The CENTCOM commander confirmed one bomb went off at the gate to HKIA, meaning the bomber was able to make it through prior Taliban checkpoints. U.S. service members are performing checkpoints at the gates to the airport to ensure no evacuees are carrying bombs, but doing so requires them to get close to the individuals they are checking, McKenzie noted.
“Now, the Taliban have conducted searches before they get to that point. And sometimes those searches have been good and sometimes not,” McKenzie said. “I will simply note that before this attack, we had passed 104,000 people through. So this attack is one too many, but we’ll evaluate what happened.”

The military has been using MQ-9 Reapers unmanned aerial vehicles to perform reconnaissance missions around the airport, McKenzie said. Additionally, CENTCOM has dispatched Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and Air Force F-15 Eagle strike fighters and AC-130 Gunships to patrol over Afghanistan.
Additionally, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is operating in the North Arabian Sea and has sent F/A-18E/F Super Hornets on missions over Kabul.

The U.S. dispatched 2,000 Marines who are trained in non-combatant evacuation operations from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Camp Lejuene, N.C., to HKAI, along with elements of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command, which includes 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Marines from the 24th MEU were dispatched from the three-ship Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group in early August and positioned in Kuwait to be transported via C-17 into Afghanistan in case of an armed evacuation from Kabul.
The Marines “primarily focused on … the evacuation control center. That is the efforts to process American citizens, [Special Immigrant Visas applicants] and other Afghans and partner-nation citizens for evacuation and ensure that they get on the planes and get out of the country to various locations,” Brig. Gen. Peter Huntley, director of operations at Marine Corps headquarters, told reporters last week. “We also are participating as part of the perimeter security,” along with the 82nd Airborne Division.

The two explosions are believed to be suicide attacks perpetrated by ISIS Khorasan – an ISIS affiliate that operates in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The deaths come as the U.S. is approaching the Aug. 31 deadline for leaving the country as part of a deal between Washington and the Taliban.

“On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I express my deepest condolences to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and wounded in Kabul today,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others. We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.”

UPDATED: 12 U.S. Troops Among Those Killed in Attacks on Kabul Airport - USNI News
 
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Lucy Fisher
@LOS_Fisher
8h

NEW: Britain enters final phase of airlift at Kabul airport, announcing no further Afghans will be called forward. Processing activities at the Baron hotel have ended, with focus on getting out those already at airport, plus diplomats and military, says Ministry of Defence
 
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Susan Page
@SusanPage
1h

Update on Americans in Afghanistan: A senior State Dept official says in the last 24 hours the U.S. has been in "direct contact" with about 600 citizens still trying to leave. They are being given "very targeted, tailored, specific instructions on how to get to the airport." 1/
2/ "But I don't want to sugar-coat it," the official said. "Given the situation at the airport, given the events of the last 24 hours, it's very, very challenging to get people in and to get people out." Another terror attack/attempt remains "highly likely."
 
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US plans to evacuate all diplomatic staff from Afghanistan: report

August 29, 2021 12:40am
Updated





The United States will evacuate the ambassador and all diplomatic staff who are in Afghanistan by Tuesday, according to a Washington Post report.
The United States will evacuate the ambassador and all diplomatic staff who are in Afghanistan by Tuesday, according to a Washington Post report. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images




The US is planning to evacuate all diplomatic staff in Afghanistan by Tuesday — without committing to plans about a possible return to the war-torn country, a report said.

The expected departures will include the ambassador, The Washington Post reported, citing two US officials.
The move could mean a lack of a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan for an extended period of time after the deadline-mandated withdrawal of American forces by the end of the month.
Such a situation could complicate the removal of Americans who choose to stay in Afghanistan beyond Tuesday.
A State Department spokesperson said Saturday that 280 people claiming to be Americans in Afghanistan have either said they want to stay in the foreign country beyond the deadline, or have failed to inform the department of their future intentions, the report said.

“We’re developing detailed plans for how we can continue to provide consular support and facilitate departures for those who wish to leave after August 31,” a senior State Department official told the newspaper.
The Biden administration is “looking at a series of options with regard to our diplomatic engagement,” the official said.

nypost.com

US plans to evacuate all diplomatic staff from Afghanistan: report

The United States will evacuate all diplomatic staff, including the ambassador, from Afghanistan by Tuesday.
nypost.com nypost.com
 
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Wait–The Taliban Offered Control of Kabul to US Forces...And We Turned Them Down? by Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa

4-5 minutes


Well, the fiasco that erupted concerning the safe evacuation of American citizens from Afghanistan could have been much less chaotic. The Washington Post had a lengthy piece Sunday detailing the fall of Kabul. It circles back to everything you already know. The Taliban were racing towards reconquering the country. The Afghan government was totally aloof. And everyone in the Biden orbit was on vacation when calamity hit. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani dithered on getting his act together, more concerned about the digitization of the economy than the Taliban threat. The publication noted that he agreed to step aside days before the Taliban took control of Kabul. The US assumed he would be there to help with the transitional government that included the Taliban. Instead, he fled, but here's the real issue. Buried mid-way through the piece is the Taliban offering the US to take control of not just the airport but all of Kabul. Chaos was engulfing the city as news of the government’s collapse spread. Security was a priority. The Taliban offered the US to take control of the city and we turned them down (via WaPo):
In the void, law and order began to break down, with reports of armed gangs moving through the streets.
In a hastily arranged in-person meeting, senior U.S. military leaders in Doha — including McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command — spoke with Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban’s political wing.
“We have a problem,” Baradar said, according to the U.S. official. “We have two options to deal with it: You [the United States military] take responsibility for securing Kabul or you have to allow us to do it.”
Click to expand...

Throughout the day, Biden had remained resolute in his decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan. The collapse of the Afghan government hadn’t changed his mind.
McKenzie, aware of those orders, told Baradar that the U.S. mission was only to evacuate American citizens, Afghan allies and others at risk. The United States, he told Baradar, needed the airport to do that.
On the spot, an understanding was reached, according to two other U.S. officials: The United States could have the airport until Aug. 31. But the Taliban would control the city.
Click to expand...
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) August 29, 2021
Click to expand...
The result of this decision by President Biden & Gen. McKenzie is that Khalil Haqqani—an al Qaeda-linked terrorist with a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head—was placed in charge of security of Kabul. pic.twitter.com/4OKP2d5wWg
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) August 29, 2021
Click to expand...
?@washingtonpost? reports that Taliban offered to stay out of Kabul and let US forces secure the city. We told them we only needed the airport. We could have controlled the airport and Kabul and evacuated everyone but chose not to. The incompetence is stunning. pic.twitter.com/5MbW6K81n3
— Marc Thiessen (@marcthiessen) August 29, 2021
Click to expand...
So, if we had taken control of the city, which we could have done, there would have been no Taliban checkpoints that have made access all but impossible. There would have been no beatings of Americans by the Taliban. No American passports would have been seized. We could have removed our citizens much more easily. Would it still have been chaotic due to the swarms of Afghan civilians trying to flee the Taliban? Probably—but perhaps processing them would have been smoother as well. Instead, we have terrorists handling security like TSA at Hamid Karzai Airport, which was rocked by a suicide bomber last week that killed at least 13 US service members, most of them Marines. The city would have been secured.

Our people could have ventured out without fear of violence. The civilians, the key Afghan allies we cleared to leave with us, could have been evacuated more efficiently as well. We wouldn’t have been subjected to handing the Taliban lists of those approved at the checkpoints which amount to a kill list. It’s one of many disastrous decisions the Biden administration has been a part of in recent days.


townhall.com

Wait – the Taliban Offered Control of Kabul to US Forces...And We Turned Them Down?

townhall.com townhall.com
 
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Frud Bezhan فرود بيژن
@FrudBezhan
22m

Spoke with several terrified #Kabul residents who say they received threatening phone calls from Taliban saying they know their names and locations. All of the residents, some from prominent families and others just ordinary people, have been in hiding since Taliban takeover
Unclear if Taliban plan to act on their threats or are trying to spread fear among certain sections of society They appear to be specifically targeting those who are educated and socially and culturally liberal
 
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Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
1m

TV interview #Taliban style A Taliban commander who was invited to speak on a television program, also brought 7 of his armed bodyguards behind the table. The questions in the interview had been cleared in advance & the commander reads the answers from a paper.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1432315229153607688
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1432315229153607688?s=20


_____________________________

Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
2m

Some #Afghans say that enemies of the #Taliban have begun to disappear. "Growing reports of detentions, disappearances & executions of officials at the hands of the Taliban as part of a covert & sometimes deadly pursuit of the Taliban's enemies."
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1432315204080062471
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1432315204080062471?s=20
 
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