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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.More than 30 California children still stuck in Afghanistan
By JULIE WATSON SAN DIEGO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
56 Comments
JeffLee
Biden announced the August 31 pullout back in April. News reports reported on the Taliban's quick progress throughout this summer. Whoever decided on these visits is responsible for putting their lives and those their children danger.
Mr Kipling
They are all native Afghans living in the US. The chose to visit even after the pullout was announced to happen during their visit.
Busby
Conservative icon Ann Coulter had some scathing criticism of Trump and Afghanistan today;
“Thank you, President Biden, for keeping a promise Trump made, but then abandoned when he got to office,”
“Trump REPEATEDLY demanded that we bring our soldiers home, but only President Biden had the "courage" to do it."
https://news.yahoo.com/ann-coulter-praises-biden-afghanistan-191912659.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Interesting, who will be the next conservative icon praising Biden and slamming Trump?
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
LoL don't forget his predecessor. He released 5,000 Taliban fighters. Brilliant.
Fighto!
Very reckless to send children over to Afghanistan for a visit. What could possibly go wrong at this time?
Jimizo
Yes, Bass. And Trump’s ‘lunatic fringe’ will fizzle out, Clinton will beat Trump, Trump will beat Biden and the Republicans will keep the senate.
Best leave the predictions alone.
I’m not sure. There are some who are saying this has lasting damage in that it has reinforced the image of Biden as mentally incapable, but that didn’t hinder Reagan who was clearly in severe decline, and Bush 2 and Trump were born ignoramuses. Others are saying electorates have short memories ( this is certainly true ).
As you loved to say, the economy is all that matters. Have you done a u-turn on that?
Kaerimashita
PS
So this is an issue of party politics and not one of these kids likely being in some mortal danger?
Garthgoyle
Too bad for them but why did they choose to go during such time? The planning for the US pulling out of Afghanistan wasn't done two nor three weeks ago.
theFu
Sure we can.
I suppose there hasn't been any time the last 20 yrs when Afghanistan was safe for children. They should have had family travel to the US, instead of sending their children to a war zone.
plasticmonkey
For all you people whining about Biden's "bungle" or "botch" or whatever, I still haven't heard you propose any concrete and verifiably effective measures that would have made a difference. It's mostly "he should have listened to the military" or "vets are angry" or "the Taliban knows Biden is weak" and blah blah blah.
U.S. involvement in Afghanistan has been a mess for 20 years. What's happened in the past 2 weeks is not surprising, and it would have looked similar no matter who was in charge, including the former guy who has recently said the U.S. should have "let [Afghanistan] rot".
It's important to look at the whole situation in a historical and geopolitical context. Afghanistan is the size of Texas. It's not like clearing out of a rented office space.
AlternativeOpinion
As usual the democrats having to clean up the the republicans mess, while the republicans play the blame game. The republicans know that the attention span of the average citizen is quite low, hence the incessant shouting about how the democrats are to blame. But don't worry, I'm sure the the democrats will leave a healthy economy for the republicans to stuff up once again.
Jimizo
That does seem to be the pattern. It’s like housetraining puppies.
Asiaman7
The Californians. How are they going to get back? Perhaps take the A1 to Khan Watt, Watt down to Shash Darak, hang a left on Microrayan, swing that first exit on the roundabout, and boom — straight down Airport Road!
NOMINATION
They are Americans born in the U.S. and immigrants with special visa status to work and contribute to American society.
onedragon
Biden says the mission was an amazing success, then why does he constantly blame everyone for the mission?
sf2k
It wouldn't have mattered what was done, the moment USA decided to leave the airport would have been flooded anyway. Either Trump in May or Biden in August. There was no partial or middle step
Maybe if the people there were interested in ending corruption and willing to fight for their nation, they could have kept it. Now as refugees, why would you want that in a refugee?
Yrral
Flight out of Kabul are still happening ,look at the departure board Google Flightaware Kabul
kwatt
Maybe they might have thought Afghanistan is a resort for vacation? Better send special forces there soon to rescue them.
Wakarimasen
And if one more cable host uses the term "behind enemy lines" I will scream.
Busby
Trump signed the surrender agreement, in Black Sharpie...
I'm a Vet, and I'm not angry. But I now almost every one of my fellow Vets were very angry when Trump called us "Losers and Suckers"....
Hmmmm....save everyone, but don't save everyone....welcome to MAGA-world....
How do you know?
The conservative icon you have said in many posts you "loved"...
Your beloved conservative icon disagrees with you...
Given the COVID surges in Red States, and the bungling by clowns like Abbott and DeSantis, that will only happen if they allow voting from the grave...and I'm sure the Repubs will limit that too...
Chiba Semi-Lurker
It's good for US to pull-out now. Otherwise there will always be alibi to stay. Biden is the only one who have the guts to do this and take responsibility for any mishap. US should focus more on America.
Express sister
This is an extremely funny joke.
Richard Gallagher
A convoluted article. Some of the children were born in the U.S. and are citizens. Eh? What does that mean?
Three school districts, in California have students who were visiting Afghanistan and were stranded either temporarily or remain 'in-country'. Among the stranded: 7 families were able to exit Afghanistan - without notating how many children were in their care. Six were from San Diego.
San Juan Union School District: 27 students from 19 families
Sacramento City Unified School District: a family with three children.
Cajon Valley Union School District in a San Diego suburb with a large refugee population, eight families. Six families have returned. So. Two families are stranded.
Good luck!
jack o helen
If Republicans want to play the blame game, they should blame Trump. All Biden did was follow up on keeping his word to honor that terrible one-sided deal that Trump made. It ended up being a sweet deal for the Taliban because although it required that the Taliban keep "their word' that they would not attack Afghan forces, people and American interests, there was nothing in place to enforce that "promise".
And we all know how much a Taliban's word is worth. And lest we forget, he had almost universal appeal to bring the troops home from all Americans. And so when Biden does keep his own word to bring the troops home from a war that we should never have been in in the first place, something Trump never did in his term, now Republicans are crying foul? I'm sorry, but you reap what you sow.
Let this be proof that Trump is terrible at making deals. People from Putin to the Taliban know this and end up licking their chops by playing Trump for the fool he is. Trump's deals give up more to the opposition with getting back very little in return.
finally rich
always spot on
https://www.amren.com/videos/2021/08/our-rulers-never-learn/
ulysses
It might not have been a smart decision to travel to Afghanistan in these conditions, but one cannot judge others’ attachment to the country they were born in.
I hope they are able to get back safely.
Sven Asai
You are not kidding, right? San Juan Afghan community… That was a bit too much and has just completely burnt through the chips in my little brain. lol
snowymountainhell
Hypocrisy. - “World’s greatest “Double Standard” says someone who routinely demands the U.S. & other western allies to “get out” (abandon) Japan & Taiwan to ‘The Neighbors’?
Attilathehungry
I served in the military, but before 9/11. I have two close family members who DID serve in Afghanistan. Does that qualify me to have an opinion? Just as an aside, both of them are horrified at the way things went.
One thing that the current and former Presidents have in common is that neither one of them served in the military. Both were able to use medical/student deferments to avoid the draft and going to Vietnam.
The accounts given by the families of those who were killed in Kabul last week, and met the President when the bodies were repatriated, are maddening. They were less than impressed with the President's demeanour and shallow displays of sympathy.
As for how this could have been done better, a few ideas:
Don't surrender Bagram air base, even if it requres a few more troops
Wait a couple months until the 'fighting season' ends and the Taliban retreat to the mountains
Disable/destroy/recover the billions of dollars' worth of military equipment given to the Afghan military
Coordinate with NATO partners
Coordinate with private air carriers to provide flights BEFORE the evacuation startedI am sure there are others.
Mike
Two hundred children. A great success?
bass4funk
Yes and you saw how nearly impossible amid that chaos to get past the 3 point Taliban check parameter, every person that was a Green card holder or the ones that had special visas were attacked, documents taken and torn up and the ones with Americans passports didn’t want to take the chance of either getting killed or out in an hostage situation. They tried and were left behind. And it seems more and more like the State Department did (from the start) actually know how many Americans or Green card holders were in that country.
bass4funk
Not like this, not like this, Biden won't recover from this one, the Vets and hundreds of families men and women that served and are deeply proud of the uniform and to their word will never forgive this President for what he did to those Americans. Again, the midterms next year don't look good at all for the Democrats.
bass4funk
Because he thinks if he keeps telling himself that, maybe he will believe it, because no one with a straight face believes this, we all watched in real-time he this all unfolded disastrously.
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/poll-nearly-70-percent-of-americans-disapprove-of-bidens-handling-of-afghanistan/
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/poll-americans-give-biden-low-marks-on-afghanistan-pullout-want-to-see-evacuations-through
Attilathehungry
It is fascinating to see all the attempts at distraction by the Joey B Fan Club: "but Trump....", "but Ann Coulter said...", "but conservatives...", "but Tucker..."
None of it matters.
Biden messed this up royally, as is his way. He left people behind, in spite of his promise just 2 weeks ago to get everyone out. Reports of American citizens at the gates of the airport waving their American passports and being refused entry are numerous and growing. The fact that the military did their best in a crap situation doesn't in any way excuse the horrid decision making that came from the administration.
This will be an albatross around the neck of this administration that won't go away any time soon. They will be slaughtered in the mid term elections.
Goyt
Anyone else want to get back on topic? This is Biden's mess. Take responsibility for who you voted for. What a major tragedy, and so early in the presidency. Looking forward to hearing more weak excuses from the liberal voters, you guys messed up, plain and simpke. Deal with your errors.
bass4funk
What?
I thought the State Department has no idea as to how many Americans are left, but yeah they gave them the biometrics.
No, but I get that Blinken desperately wants the people to think that and they don’t and he knows it, that’s why he’s always incognito.
79% of Americans thought Biden botched this poorly and 84% of Americans believed we should have stayed until every American is out of that country.
But they’re not
bass4funk
For one thing, not giving the Taliban all of our equipment and leaving Americans behind would be a good start.
Yeah, as Bob Gates said, Biden has been wrong on every foreign policy issue, but blah, blah, right? Even Leon Panetta thing this guy is a joke.
Actually, it is to most of the vets how this was botched, it is very surprising.
Not to this level, even Obama could have done a better job and that says a lot.
bass4funk
And Biden was the President that bungled this, ask the parents of the dead soldiers who are to blame. You won't hear the 4 previous Presidents for sure.
One of the few.
Biden is MAGA now?
This is not about COVID or Trump, let's stick with the person in charge.
Actually, it's the other way around. But no one is surprised, we kind of expected that. Dems could care less about accountability.
bass4funk
Obama let these new leaders out in exchange for a AWOL solder, Bergdahl
But Biden pulled that final pin. What a mess.
Americans, yes, sir!
Yeah, right, nice try, but I had no idea they were the POTUS
Is she POTUS?
He didn't, because if he did, Americans wouldn't be stranded and 13 Marines might still be alive.
bass4funk
Logic? Coming from the people that are trying to stupidly blame a former President who’s not even in office, which on its face is hilarious. Do what makes you feel good, hold on to that, it just gets better for the GOP and 2022 thank you Biden.
https://ussanews.com/News1/2021/08/30/democrats-bracing-for-gop-house-takeover-in-2022-amid-bidens-afghanistan-crisis/
And still has the backup from the network to make sure he stays on and can say what he wants and once again the left failed miserably in that pathetic endeavor again and again and again. Lol
I see, so Biden bungling this to the point where on the ground people had no idea what was going on amidst all the confusion and chaos and then when you do what you can after getting last minute warning (the reason why we are in this mess and why this President is getting so badly hammered) you try to make it out and then you get turned away, beaten and documents torn from the Taliban. Wonder how people that say these things would act were they in that same situation…..
bass4funk
btw, Biden didn’t “give”the Taliban all that military gear. He gave it to the Afghan government/ANA. The same one delegitimized by the Trump admin
You just made everyone's point once again, thank you. Just like I said.....
Tom San
I think Biden's plan failed.
bass4funk
Dont his predecessor that did an exchange deal with an American deserter that went AWOL and now those people are running the country, brilliant.
Again, who is President now?
bass4funk
No, they always cared and voiced concerns about the pullout being done so hastily.
No, didn’t like Obama but he did a great job of ordering the death of OBL give credit where credit is due. Glad we left Afghanistan, long overdue, didn’t like how we left, most Americans didn’t like how he botched this
Tucker doesn’t control anything his numbers climb and continue to climb higher because more and more people can’t trust the msm and they’re tired of hearing 24/7 attacks on a former President instead of talking about the current.
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jul/7/inside-beltway-tucker-carlson-ratings-king/
bass4funk
And? He’s not the President.
Biden left a lot of people behind. Never have I seen so many angry vets at Biden, but they know this guy who has been like this since the fall of Saigon. Bob Gates was right. “Joe Biden has been wrong on every foreign policy issue for 4 decades”
Well, they took everyone including not the best and brightest just anyone.
That is not happening.
Who?
What promise? The one we’re he said all agreements would be reneged if the Taliban abused women and attacked soldiers? Like Rob O’Neill said, Biden makes Carter look like a decent President.
But at least Biden gave the nation one good thing, the best chance to retaking the House next year, so there is one positive outlook from all of this blunder.
bass4funk
After what we saw happen over the last two weeks, we’ll believe it once it actually happens.