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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Evacuees from Afghanistan plead for action: 'We are in some kind of jail'
By MATTHEW LEE, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ROBERT BURNS WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
18 Comments
JeffLee
Biden announced the Aug 31 pullout back in April, extending the deadline set by Trump. If these people thought they were in serious danger and needed to get out of the country, they could have/should done so during that nearly 5-month long window.
goldnugget
Anglo-Afghan wars, 1839-1919, Soviet invasion, 1979-89, US and Nato invasion, 2001-21
Please Don't give the Americans all the credit.
Yrral
These people should get a big bill, the US government has no legal obligation to pay your air fare
bass4funk
They shouldn’t get a bill, they shouldn’t even be there, they should be out the country. Biden messed this up so bad now you have Congressman Blumenthal outraged at seeing planes on the tarmac with Americans and just waiting while the State Department drags its feet and on tops of that we keep hearing more and more reports from Special Ops groups that are going in risking their lives extracting people and contradicting what Blinken and this White House are saying and that have a zero agenda other than trying to get Americans out.
Blacklabel
Biden State department will not grant the clearance needed for the planes to depart and land somewhere else.
Biden state department met the American woman and her 2 kids AFTER they crossed the border, yet try to claim credit for what private organizations did to get her and kids out.
Blacklabel
Over 1,000 await flight clearance to leave Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif -organizer
Clearance that will not be given by Biden State Department. After lying about it over the weekend.
sunfunbun
This is on the Taliban and the US for being in Afghanistan. Whatever reason, liberal or conservative, is a moot point, by those who argue it in that manner. It isn't the polarized one way or the other reasoning I keep seeing, it's the United States and her politics and business of money and oil that puts her squarely in areas of the world America has no real business being there.
What's happening in Afghanistan is a no clean way out scenario the moment we went in from 2001. This left/right stuff gets ridiculous. JT is proof how silly the split has become as every argument comes down one stance or another when America is at fault. America depends on war and the military for what they perceive as the need for freedom.
America reaps what it sows, and any damage, collateral or otherwise is just a part of participation in war and being in places we have no idea what their customs are about and shouldn't be trying to force our way of life to theirs. In truth, America loves its military, the propaganda to commercialize it and guns and violence. It'll never end in the lifetime of a newborn today in the USA.
lincolnman
It helps reading the article before posting...
*These groups say several dozen Americans, along with a much larger number of U.S. green card holders and family members, are among those waiting to board pre-arranged charter flights at the airport in Mazar-e-Sharif that are being prevented from leaving.*
lincolnman
You said;
I pointed out to you that the article says there are more refugees with green cards than Americans...
These groups say several dozen Americans, along with a much larger number of U.S. green card holders and family members, are among those waiting to board pre-arranged charter flights at the airport in Mazar-e-Sharif that are being prevented from leaving.
But that's not what you said before....
Why not just apologize for being wrong and move on?
Strangerland
Oh, another diversion to not talk about American responsibility for the American invasion, occupation, and destruction of Afghanistan.
Oh, except I guess by your logic, America has no responsibility since others also failed at conquering Afghanistan, right? Am I getting your logic correct?
Blacklabel
anything to deflect from the fact that the State Department lied that they were not preventing the planes with Americans from leaving. Anything to deflect from the lie that the State Department rescued an American woman and her 3 children.
they did not. and no amount of "but Roger Stone/Trump Jr./Trump neckties" drivel will change that fact.
bass4funk
Yeah, reading helps
https://twitter.com/LawEnforceToday/status/1435079130127736832?s=20
“If one life is lost as a result of this, the blood is on the White House’s hands. The blood is on their hands. It is not the Taliban that is holding this up – as much as it sickens me to say that – it is the United States government.”
Rick Clay, who runs a group called Plan B that is involved in evacuation efforts ongoing, also confirmed the aforementioned, saying they’ve been trying to get clearance from the State Department to run flights into Qatar where vulnerable Afghans can be vetted and processed at refugee centers in Doha:
“It is imperative that we get into Doha where there [are] other refugee centers. That is where I’ve asked for clearance.”
“As of right now they’re not really being helpful. We’ve worked with – my group is called Plan B, it’s Afghan Rescue Crew, we go by ARC for short – and we’ve worked with Pineapple and digital Dunkirk and No One Left Behind and Quiet Professionals and so forth, and also Coalition of Hope.
“We’ve been very successful with getting people out prior to the pullout of American troops from Kabul. Since then, it’s been very difficult – if not impossible – to get our aircraft into and out of Afghanistan for various reasons. And we’ve been working this problem for quite a while, and we now have aircraft that can get in – and are in Afghanistan.”
“I actually have three aircraft on standby to go in, with an improved manifest, the only problem we have is getting landing rights on the outbound leg into several countries. And we’ve contacted many of these countries and they’ll take our aircraft in, but they want assurances from the State Department that they can do it.”
This admin is in so much trouble, a life raft wouldn't be enough to save them at this point.
bass4funk
So what is the state department doing about getting them out? Why are the planes still on the tarmac? Why didn’t Blinken, Austin and Miley resign yet?
At this point the state department is even though as to how many Americans or how many SIV card holders there are.
if there were something to apologize for, I probably would.
bass4funk
Biden State department will not grant the clearance needed for the planes to depart and land somewhere else.
Yes, exactly. Congressman Mike Waltz
https://twitter.com/michaelgwaltz/status/1434275681291182082?s=21
Strangerland
Extremists are more about pushing an agenda than discussing an issue.
Not that I'm saying you're an extremist. It's not like you're pushing an agenda with that comment, rather than discussing the issue.
Strangerland
Americans: It's other Americans' fault!
Americans on America's responsibility: [crickets]
Strangerland
A rare American who understands their country's responsibility for the war. I agree fully, the idea that it's a Democrat/Republican thing is ridiculous - the whole nation bears responsibility for what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Remember, when someone bombed the World Trade Center, America went after the terrorists.... by bombing their hospitals and weddings, and raining missiles down on their people from drones piloted by millennials with joysticks on the other side of the planet. America got their terrorist by becoming one.