US troops are starting to arrive in the Afghan capital of Kabul for the evacuation of the embassy. This is just one of many embassies that are packing their bags and are getting out while the getting is good.
The Taliban has taken most of the country is the past week, and while a few days ago US intelligence assessments said that Kabul might not last another 90 days, the concern now is that they might not last long enough for a secure weekend evacuation.
The Pentagon says that the the Taliban seem to be working to surround the capital before invading it. That strategy seems to be virtually the default as almost the whole rest of the country is lost already.
Vice President Saleh tried to sound defiant, saying that the forces in Kabul will continue to resist the Taliban. That was no certainty, as many cities have fallen in recent days with little to no fighting.
US officials are pressuring the Afghan government to do more to stop the Taliban, suggesting they could do so if they try hard enough. That does not appear to be in keeping with the fighting in the last week.
The US seems to be struggling, at least publicly, with the reality of a lost war, trying to put forward narratives about the Afghan government being able to turn things around, despite rout after rout in major battles.
It is hard to imagine Kabul not falling at this point, and with the rate of things, the 90 day estimate seems wildly optimistic. Other cities across Afghanistan are long gone.
Yep.
90 hours may be a more realistic time frame.
“the concern now is that they might not last long enough for a secure weekend evacuation.”
90 might even be a stretch.
They’re 10 kilometres from the main city last I saw.
You are thinking roof top helicopters at the Embassies.
Yeah, quite possible.
The Taliban were already in Kabul; they regularly staged jailbreaks after all.
Its only a question of how open their presence would be.
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A wise commander would wait until all (Western) foreigners are gone then take Kabul without a shot.
The Chinese Embassy in Kabul apparently remains and Putin’s too.
Seems like Taliban is capturing the country without much bloodshed (others and their own)… As such they won’t force foreigners to leave the country… More than anything it is the fear that forces foreigners to leave asap…!
When the losing side has no more food or ammo, and is surrendering for a meal and permission to go home, then there is little potential for bloodshed. No ammo, no shooting, no bloodshed.
Kidding…?! The losing side being Afghan Army have the ammo alright… But no guts to shoot…!
The next big event will be when the US sponsored “Afghan President” and his VP flee, to join their Finance Minister who left last week, to where they all can join their money.
I expect they’ll run before the last of the Embassy gets out, because that is all that keeps clear their path out.
Some Afghans will take US money, but no amount of US money is worth dying for or worth killing other Afghans over.
Isn’t it comforting to know that all the taxpayer money used over the past 20 years to finance the “war” in Afghanistan has been spent well?
The Taliban are not ‘surrounding; Kabul. They’ve been there for years.
The Taliban effectively ran a parallel government operating under the Occupation’s jackboots.
Why isn’t the U.S. bombing the Taliban advance? Because there’s nothing to interdict. NO columns of troops, no supply convoys, nothing short of carpet bombing everything flat.
The Taliban were already in Kabul and every strategic node and centre in Afghanistan.
Sheesh.
The real story is the fall of the West to COVID-1984 authoritarianism.