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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Deadly gunfire at Kabul airport; Taliban insist on U.S. pullout date
By AHMAD SEIR, RAHIM FAIEZ and JOSEPH KRAUSS KABUL, Afghanistan©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
58 Comments
GdTokyo
Dear Taliban, we will leave when we have everyone, thanks.
If you don’t like it, you can register a complaint with the USAF.
Ingvar
Dear USA, you already chose to leave those people behind. No doubt secret police, combatants and administrators among them who are deluded if they think they won't pay for their crimes. Leave by August 31st or the US soldiers at the airport will also be pay.
GdTokyo
Dont make me laugh. There’s a reason the US hasn’t had a combat death in 18 months: The Taliban are terrified of them. This is the part where we tell the (semi-literate) bring it, sweetheart.
Ingvar
Because they were hunkered down in heavily fortified bases while the Taliban, who for all intents and purposes had already won the war, roamed free taking more and more territory.
I think they already "brought it", sweetheart, and the occupiers ran for the lives leaving 10-15k behind.
Michael Machida
The Taliban have balls only when they are without in the area of treat from America.
Strangerland
The last time they "brought it", it was 9-11, and led to this complete travesty of American design in the first place. Oh, and Iraq. let's not forget that.
How many mass graves are the US leaving behind in the middle east after running rampant in it for 20 years?
So yeah, maybe you may prefer if they didn't "bring it".
Hiro
Pretty pathetic that the US troops can't even properly evacuate and secure the site even after years of planning. And this is the number one force in the world. Waste a waste of 20years.
Pretty sure this show just how weak the US is in the eyes of his enemies. China and Russia must be having a blast with this.
Ingvar
Inside job.
Yrral
Lots of the Taliban leaders,will meet their new buddy name Hellfire Missile
Wolfpack
Strangerland:
Care to elaborate on that wild claim?
quercetum
You know that the “peace talks” is the USA surrendering don’t you? The Taliban can continue the war.
The eviction notice was May 31st extended 3 months.
Blacklabel
"no one getting killed", false.
"no one stranded", false
"thinking about extending the deadline", cant.
such incompetence.
Albert DeFilippo
Good job Joe! How many countries are scrambling to get their people home safe? Did you not speak to the leaders of other countries before you abandoned them?
Blacklabel
"CNN panel blasts Biden's 'bizarre' messaging: 'You have to question, is the president insulated, isolated?'
Biden claimed to have seen 'no question of our credibility from our allies around the world'"
Blacklabel
Biden administration claims are absurd. We cant even evacuate our own people or even get them to the airport safely and now they are saying we are going to evacuate our allies too?
FizzBit
Amazing some still believe this was a war to win. It was never meant to be won. Me and Julian are on the same page. Give it a try so you can stop wasting your time with meaningless thoughts and comments.
Gobshite
But the Taliban have all the US equipment, what a mess. Sleepy Joe is a disaster
If you don’t like it, you can register a complaint with the USAF.
drlucifer
Count me as well.
Money and influence trumps everything and lives don't mean anything to some.
Slayer
Par for the course. The U.S. and its allies will pull out as China pulls in and pillages the last remaining natural resources the country has left.
bass4funk
They did, but the current President as a young senator back then had disdain for the Vietnam war and helping the very people that helped us is now in charge of trying to help those Afghanis that helped us and is once again making the same mistakes as he did in 1975
They absolutely could, but when the rules of engagement are blocking you from doing what you’re trained to do, what are you there? They absolutely could decimate these people. But as long as bureaucracy in and these pencil pushing Washington elites remain and dictates what happens on the battlefield, the US can’t win anything.
Paul
Afghans don't need Western propaganda!!! LOL They have vivid memories of what Taliban is capable of!!! Besides, it is yet to be seen if Taliban will ACTUALLY be able to govern as Taliban itself is fragmented and most of the population is illiterate, finding people and MONEY to govern is a major obstacle! Taliban can try to suck up to China, but they will find out that China will take everything from them and then lock them up in their huge newly built Re-education camps, they will all be speaking Chinese in no time. LOL
Wakarimasen
Amazes me that after 20 years of failure and the current self created mess many on here still think the solution is more bombing. This was never "winnable" (what does that even mean?) but the withdrawal could have been done properly and not in this pathetic and disorganised way. A result of Joe being useless and wanting to score political points rather than do this right.
James
now that the taliban have been lured out of hiding take em out....
bass4funk
He didn’t listen to them
He listened to his military advisors.
I didn’t. Trump begrudgingly listened to his military advisors and to his credit, it saves him and his reputation as well as innocent Americans, the world and our reputation. Biden chose the other route and here we are.
ulysses
The problem is that Trump, the one who invented a foot disease to get out of Vietnam, has a total disdain for the military. He thinks people who risk their lives for the country are losers. So he signed a deal with the taliban, giving them everything they wanted and getting nothing in return.
President Biden had to deal with Trump's incompetence and its consequences while working on keeping his promise to withdraw the troops from Afghanistan.
Could things have been done better, sure.
But dont feign amnesia on Trump's role in this mess!!!
Blacklabel
strangely, the previous narrative wasnt that Trump was strong enough to go against the outright falsehoods his intelligence agencies were spreading.
I believe it was "why does he refuse to listen to the the intelligence 'experts'?"
But now it is a "strength" to think you know more than your own military only when Biden does it?
Strangerland
Are you trying to claim that the US didn't bomb weddings and hospitals over the past 20 years?
Blacklabel
its very clear that Obama did, so yes.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/obama-says-u-s-drone-strikes-killed-civilians-that-shouldnt-have-been
“In the past, there was legitimate criticism that the legal architecture around the use of drone strikes wasn’t as precise as it should have been,” Obama said. “There’s no doubt that civilians were killed that shouldn’t have been.”
Wakarimasen
Negotiating a deal to leave by a specified date and unilaterally breaking that deal and moving troops and assets out and giving up secure bases prior to at least beginning the evacuation of Americans and at risk Afghans are 2 very different things.
NOMINATION
Maybe an idea is for the U.S. government stop throwing away money to Pakistan that does nothing about Taliban, Al Qaeda and IS hiding out there. If Taliban had no place to go, they wouldn't have been able to keep their strength over the past 20 years.
bass4funk
Yup, I sure did, but thanks to Graham and the Pentagon they were able to stop and convince Trump not to pullout and he listened.
I sure did a few times. Particularly when it came to leaving a residual force behind.
Yes, very true. He could have pushed and he didn’t and good that he didn’t otherwise he would be in this mess.
But Biden made the decision to pullout, he owns it 100% even CNN admits that. You can try to blame Trump, the hammer is coming down on the current commander-in-chief ans rightfully so.
The Avenger
Can anyone explain to me how Biden was supposed to simultaneously "stick to Trump's plan and withdraw our troops by the May deadline"....
...but also "keep our troops there until the civilians were evacuated?"
Anyone?
Blacklabel
start removing civilians sooner so that there was time before the deadline that troops have to leave. Pretty simple.
BeerDeliveryGuy
The evacuation should never have been announced, and executed over a period of several months, with a proper handover to the Afghan government before the troops leave.
The war itself can’t really be defined as “win or lose” because there was no clear objective. Unlike WW2 this wasn’t a war to beat an enemy into surrender or annihilation. “Hearts and minds” is what they told us.
If the US really wanted to conquer Afghanistan, it probably could have been done in a matter of months, but at a huge human cost for the Afghans.
Hiroshi13
"Afghan soldier"? The ANA no longer exists so does this really mean a Taliban fighter, an airport security guard or...?
bass4funk
Biden doesn’t, doesn’t even respect the Americans trying to get out!
What does that have to do with Biden currently?
Ok and this so called revelation will save Biden how?
Hiro S Nobumasa
OMG! President Joe Biden finally have all the Taliban leaders in one place!
What a great military genius!
Just one misile for Kabul and its Ka Boom!
Albert DeFilippo
Joe didn't inherit the mess. He created it by reversing all Trump's policies in January 2021.
ulysses
I totally respect the opinion about the lack of respect, there might not be any facts behind it, but there is a lot of respect behind the lack of respect.
Sorry I thought you knew, Mr Biden is the President of the United States of America, currently.
Oh there is no revelation here, I was just pointing out how rude Ms Haley is and how it will not affect the greatly respected Mr. Trump. Imagine comparing him to the devil!!
Albert DeFilippo
What do you call the family members of the "American contractors"? CIVILIANS!!
ulysses
It sure is interesting to know that Mr. Trump had policies, can you please point out his policy for Afghanistan?
Strangerland
This complete and utter failure of America is a travesty. How many thousands have died because the Americans freaked out after 9-11 and instead of taking a moment of self-reflection to wonder why people from other countries would want to do what America does to other countries, instead America went and did more of what they do to other countries - bomb the hell out of them.
Resulting in a net increase of 20 years of hatred against America.
But I'm sure that those who hate America will make sure to only hate Biden and his supporters. At least, as long as someone tells them that it's Biden's fault and not any other American's.
wtfjapan
Yup, I sure did, but thanks to Graham and the Pentagon they were able to stop and convince Trump not to pullout and he listened.
oh was that before or after Trump started surrender negotiations with the Taliban without the Afghan government Involvement, before or after they release 5000 taliban prisoners' one of which is now the currently leader of the Taliban, and the agreement that ultimately failed. the surrender negotiations from memory were started under Trump
Wolfpack
It’s sickening to see the Taliban driving around in American military vehicles and carrying the weapons biden left them. Think of that - biden gave the Taliban and by proxy all of the terrorist groups they provide aid and comfort to billions of dollars in US military equipment. Meanwhile he is slashing defense spending. It’s dumbfounding.
bass4funk
Ok, so how is this helping Biden to save his political neck?
bass4funk
Biden at this point is pretty much politically done.
Jimizo
What are you saying here? Are you predicting this will finish the Biden presidency?