President Biden has decided to stick with the August 31st Afghanistan withdrawal deadline after consultations with his national security team on the matter, CNN reported on Tuesday.
The White House confirmed later on Tuesday that President Biden told G7 leaders in a meeting that he intends to complete the evacuation and withdrawal by August 31st despite pressure from US allies to extend the deadline. The White House said that meeting the deadline relies on the “continued coordination with the Taliban.”
CNN cited an unnamed administration official who said Biden made the decision mindful of the security risk that would be created if he decides to keep troops beyond the withdrawal deadline. However, Biden did ask for “contingency plans” if he changes his mind and decides to stay for longer.
The decision comes a day after the Taliban warned there would be “consequences” if foreign troops stay in Afghanistan after August 31st. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the issue is a “red line” for the group. The Taliban reiterated the warning on Tuesday and also called on the US to stop evacuating skilled Afghans, such as engineers and doctors.
Biden had previously said that he would extend the deadline if not all US citizens who want to leave Afghanistan were evacuated by that date. But on Monday, the Pentagon reported the biggest day of airlifts and evacuations, as flights out of the Kabul airport have stepped up in recent days.
On Tuesday, the White House said that since the airlift began on August 14th, the US has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of about 58,700 people. It’s not clear how many Americans are still in Afghanistan or exactly how many more Afghans want to leave. Last week, estimates put the number of Americans between 10,000 to 15,000 and the number of Afghans between 50,000 to 65,000. If the numbers are accurate and the US continues the pace of flights out of Kabul, that means the evacuations should be done by August 31st.
So where did all the money go? Obviously not on the Afghanistan troops. Politicians and weapons manufacturers made a killing. The levels of corruption in the US are through the roof. Who is Delta Crescent Energy LLC. It is run by ex Delta Force agents who served as operations officers in the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Investors include international oil executives, diplomats and US politicians.
The invasion, occupation and looting of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya etc are all against international law and are horrendous crimes against humanity. Arrest Bush, Obama, Clinton, Trump and Biden and present them to the Hague.
The US ‘loss’ of Afghanistan is a repositioning and the new mission is not a ‘war on terror,’ but Russia and China. A war The Empire will loose, that they know they will loose, but will fight it anyway.
For the global elite, Politicians and weapons manufacturers war is a huge success. Win or loose they make a killing.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/08/the-borg-and-the-retreat-from-afghanistan-by-michael-brenner.html#more
The Borg and the retreat from Afghanistan.
The US’ enthusiasm to stay beyond August 31 may be dictated somewhat by the aircraft and helicopters left behind. Will the Taliban destroy them or utilize Afghan air force personnel to service and fly them?
A nod to Russian military pilots. The Antonov AN-225 can carry a massive load of precious cargo, if need be.
U.S.-made military equipment left behind for the ANA is not likely to be of the exact same caliber as that the U.S. uses.
During Cold War I the U.S. and Soviets both had domestic-use and export models of their advanced equipment, the Soviets going so far as to call calling their export grade ‘monkey models’.
This would have continued on to the modern day. F-22 Raptors are still so advanced, there’s no such thing as export model F-22.
The prop planes of the Afghan National Air Force, are completely expendable. The helicopters have almost no-one to service them, let alone fly them. Lack of expertise and spare parts means the Taliban, remain as low-tech as ever.
They already had infantry tech like night vision equipment.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/08/worse-thought-complete-list-armaments-us-leaving-taliban-islamist-groups-enough-fortify-years-secret-warehouse-us-equipment-captured/
I wonder how much of that stuff was intentionally left with tracking chips, listening devices, etc. hidden in it?
FYI, Jim Hoft is about as reliable a source as Judith Miller.
“I wonder how much of that stuff was intentionally left with tracking chips, listening devices, etc. hidden in it?”
I assume that the Taliban can import experts from Russia or perhaps China to go through every US left-behind electronic device they find. And without having to pay for that service. I guess that Putin will offer it for free.
Since when did the Russians and Taliban have a rapprochement?…
No rapprochement is needed. This is a specific area in which both sides have a common interest.
I’d say they have a more immediate interest in containing Islamic militancy on their border.
In some alternate universe, perhaps.
The same one where a u.s. stealth fighter was sold to China. The enemy of my enemy . . .
Um, OK but that list doesn’t even say exactly how much money was left behind never mind the quality of the equipment.
Even diagnosing problems with a modern civilian truck engine means knowing how to hook up with its computers.
Attack helos are probably a bit more complicated than what an average Toyota service specialist deals with.
“Lack of expertise and spare parts means the Taliban, remain as low-tech as ever”.
They can always import experts. In this case without having to pay.
Yeah, well, that would really be scraping through the bottom of the talent bucket there…
Sell critical parts for inspection.
Biden is right to stand firm on the 31st, resisting the War Party’s camel’s nose. In nothing flat it would be another 10k troops to secure the perimeter, then Kabul itself, …. The momentum behind an established master policy vector is so massive it’s near impossible to deflect. Give an inch and you’re lost. The economic opportunists who battened on the the US military/money machine have to be left to suffer the immemorial consequences of collaboration.
So far, Biden is demonstrating something Trump never had with regards to ending the Forever Wars; resolve. Biden is showing resolve, Trump backed down.
That Trump initiated the withdrawal, is mostly forgotten and its clearly Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan now.
Trump is even advocating COVID vaccines, to uncharacteristic boos at his rallys. The media takeaway, honest this time, is Trump lacks resolve (to do the right thing, depending on your COVID-1984 position). Past a certain point, willingness to make deals is weakness.
Popular resolve involves making popular decisons and sticking to them in the face of apparent elite opposition.
Biden probably knows this. He’s been in politics too long not to. Biden also understands that Trump-fueled Republicans are the force to beat in 2022 and 2024. Cheating elections, is not sustainable.
If Biden can shepherd the withdrawal till its irrevocable past August 31 thru September 11, the Democrats will be significantly advantaged in 2022. They can coast on posturing against the Chinese and Russians, though it would be better to just choose one and stick to that.
Meanwhile, the Republicans look like they’re opposing the withdrawal and pro-war, ignoring Trump’s lead to only critcize the messiness. People will remember that, and the right will remember Trump shilled for vaccines over promoting personal freedom.
If the Democrats heed pragmatic moderates and quietly drop COVID-1984 and other extreme leftisms down the road, the Democrats should do well in 2024 as well.
Forever Wars and COVID unrest are no longer separated in the public mind with the economic malaise created; this unrest fuels the Republicans.
Power first, then the agenda, but sometimes you can’t have both.
I think it behooves us Repubs to suspend our partisan inclinations until the end of the month and give our full support to President Biden’s wise decision to uphold our agreement with the Afghans.
BRING THEM HOME!
“. . . . . .despite pressure from US allies to extend the deadline.”
Maybe those allies should extend their own deadlines and face the consequences all by their obedient selves.”