Taliban take districts in northeast Afghanistan from fleeing troops

How will the US make sure Afghanistan does to become a safe haven for terrorists groups who pose threats to the US?

Is there even a plan?

The Taliban are going to take over Afghanistan again. Poor people.

Now tell me what is the U.S/NATO going to do?? Invade Afghanistan again? All this is/was expected, all this is normal. For the Talibans, Afghanistan is their country and they know how to operate there, they know what to do to win and they are winning.

I think the Taliban are going to make sure the US and it's "advisors" leave either vertically or horizontally , but either way they're going to leave.

A Complete withdrawal undermines the progress made all these years I think I may be wrong but then again I am no expert and not fully briefed on the situation there. maybe they should have had a smaller amount of soldiers remain posted at key points the undeniable force and presence of the US Military and there weapons and technology has no doubt be a massive deterrent to the bloodshed and has kept the Afghani people safe I saw a documentary and it was really good to see a town flourish with a new economy stalls lining the roads I don't think the Taliban are detoured by the Afghan security forces as much I may be wrong but I saw something that a lot have fled or surrendered can not blame them it must be scary Its a complex issue but we should pray for the Afghan people that innocent people remain unharmed.

Like the Hardhome scene from game of thrones when the wildlings were escaping from the zombies.

P. SmithToday  08:29 am JST

The same people that screamed we needed to get out of Afghanistan and cheered Trump for tweeting the withdrawal deadline are now pillorying abides for actually getting us out of Afghanistan.

Weird that these people are suddenly concerned for the Afghanis when they had no worry for them under 45.

Weird 46 voted for the Afghanistan invasion in the first place, and now libs are celebrating his 'accomplishment' of withdrawing.

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but no one had the foresight to think we'd still be there 20 years later.

The same people that screamed we needed to get out of Afghanistan and cheered Trump for tweeting the withdrawal deadline are now pillorying abides for actually getting us out of Afghanistan.

I’m personally glad we are leaving. I feel sad for the good Afghan people that have to live in danger now from the increasingly growing threat of the Taliban, but we can’t do much more there and Trump was right, it’s their country and the people and military have to fight for it. They need to find the resolve to do whatever it takes to safeguard their country. We can assist, but ultimately, they need to take the burden and sacrifice.

Weird that these people are suddenly concerned for the Afghanis when they had no worry for them under 45.

Some do

The shame is that before the Taliban finish taking over Afghanistan again, the terrorist training camps will be up and running, with a huge axe to grind against the US, Europe and allies who took part in bringing down the Taliban for twenty years. Within a few years we will again be dealing with huge terrorist attacks as they take the violence to the "infidels" in America and elsewhere.

It is always better for the violence and death to occur in the enemies lands rather than your own.

Those who were against the initial invasion after 9/11 may well want to wage an endless air campaign to destroy training camps as they are identified in Afghanistan in the future.

The ground war may be closing, for now, but I doubt the war is over.

I witnessed first hand what these people are capable of…expect a Blood Bath to follow.

Cue International Red Cross / Crescent story..

Air strikes incoming.

dear US tax payers what do you think abt all of this invasion based on lie

You think 9/11 was a lie? OMG what are you smoking. The terrorists claimed responsibility for it and they were rooted out in Afghanistan. The only lie would be of trying to make out it never happened.

Destroyed buildings are plenty of evidence that it happened and was no dream.

So easy to see who's side some people are on.

"You break it, you own it."

Colin Powell to George W. Bush (the Republican and chief architect of the Iraq Invasion and Afghanistan Invasion)

If the situation in Afghanistan goes to hell now, who should be blamed?

If the Afghan people cannot defend themselves after 20 years of foreign support and treasure, then it is time to leave. It just shows that nation building in an area where there are really no nations is an exercise in futility.

"You break it, you own it."

Colin Powell to George W. Bush (the Republican and chief architect of the Iraq Invasion and Afghanistan Invasion)

If the situation in Afghanistan goes to hell now, who should be blamed?

Both the Bush and Obama (later) are responsible for this prolonged war, in the end what did we achieve and what did we get out of it really? Was all of the death and sacrifices worth it in the end?

Oh, just let the Afghan warlords destroy each other.

It's not our business. Not no more.

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but no one had the foresight to think we'd still be there 20 years later.

Obama/Biden could have ended it after eight years - but they decided to support the defense industrial complex instead.

They all had no strategy when they went in, no one while being there during 20 years and therefore of course also no one when hastily leaving. Unbelievable, the whole thing.

I disagree. It's related because it was part of the shell game these Republicans were playing after 9/11 with the American public. The great War on Terror . . . OK! Let's not just invade Afghanistan, let's take this opportunity to invade Iraq too.

Had the U.S. focused on Afghanistan instead of taking their eyes off the ball by invading Iraq, things may have been better in Afghanistan.

You might want to wish these Republican lies and stupid strategies away, but they're definitely connected. The focus should've been on Afghanistan, not Iraq.

The Soviet Union was right from the beginning! That Zigbignew and Thatcher/Regan screw up their task in 1980s and leave a very big mess until now!

Just like in South Vietnam in 1975, American guarantees aren't worth the paper they're written on.

America hasn't won a war since WW2, and the world increasingly sees through this paper tiger.

If the Taliban can gain control of more territory, they might plan another 9/11.

I heard that Billions spent on Afghan Army training and equipping them, seems everything was useless and wasted.

Aside from the political nonsense, Afghanistan was an even bigger mess on the ground.

Unmotivated and poorly trained Afghan security forces high on opium, no clear objective or plan other than “patrol from FOB A to secure MSR B.” 180degree policy changes every time there was a change of command. Severe lack of trust between US forces and Afghan forces. When ordered to give the initiative to the Afghan forces, as they would have to take over after the US left, some infantry commanders took that as a sign to basically use the Afghan troops as human shields… Afghanistan is a strategic nightmare and I’m glad the US is leaving.

Let the warlords and tribal elders duke it out like they have been for the last 1500 years.

If the Taliban can gain control of more territory, they might plan another 9/11.

They didn't make the first attack. The 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi.

No. Osama planned it all in caves with the help of Omar and ran terrorist training camps where they trained on monkey bars. Somehow, they learned how to fly jets they've never flown before and flew them into 3 buildings with surgical precision. Somehow, even buildings that weren't even hit by a plane came down.

unless USA was preparded for perpetual occupation there was no way this was going to end well.

bass4funkToday  09:39 am JST

The same people that screamed we needed to get out of Afghanistan and cheered Trump for tweeting the withdrawal deadline are now pillorying abides for actually getting us out of Afghanistan.

I’m personally glad we are leaving. I feel sad for the good Afghan people that have to live in danger now from the increasingly growing threat of the Taliban, but we can’t do much more there and Trump was right, it’s their country and the people and military have to fight for it. They need to find the resolve to do whatever it takes to safeguard their country. We can assist, but ultimately, they need to take the burden and sacrifice.

Weird that these people are suddenly concerned for the Afghanis when they had no worry for them under 45.

Some do

Since bin Laden is dead, I doubt if we'll have another 9/11. That was a set-up for the disasterous and wasteful Iraq War. This has gone on for 20 years and it's untenuable, wasteful and unwinable. It's Vietnam/Vietnow.

stormcrowToday  11:38 am JSTI disagree. It's related because it was part of the shell game these Republicans were playing after 9/11 with the American public. The great War on Terror . . . OK! Let's not just invade Afghanistan, let's take this opportunity to invade Iraq too.

Had the U.S. focused on Afghanistan instead of taking their eyes off the ball by invading Iraq, things may have been better in Afghanistan.

You might want to wish these Republican lies and stupid strategies away, but they're definitely connected. The focus should've been on Afghanistan, not Iraq.

Dumbya totally ignored it. Everything was Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq.

AttilathehungryToday  10:34 am JST

If the Afghan people cannot defend themselves after 20 years of foreign support and treasure, then it is time to leave. It just shows that nation building in an area where there are really no nations is an exercise in futility.

Or maybe it's a new Somalia. That place is still in a state of anarchy. Or maybe it's like with Haiti. Oh hell. A total waste, however you look at it.

Since bin Laden is dead, I doubt if we'll have another 9/11.

That is what all terrorists want us to think, Israelis never think like this, nor should we.

That was a set-up for the disasterous and wasteful Iraq War. This has gone on for 20 years and it's untenuable, wasteful and unwinable. It's Vietnam/Vietnow. 

You don't need to have a drawn-out war, make you kill every top leader each time they come out of the woodworks and want to take on the US in any capacity. 

Dumbya totally ignored it. Everything was Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq.

Obama was all Afghanistan. They both were wrong.

Or maybe it's a new Somalia. That place is still in a state of anarchy. Or maybe it's like with Haiti. Oh hell. A total waste, however you look at it.

These are countries that we need to watch, although...Haiti...?

"the party of famed anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, killed by a suicide bomber two days before the 9/11"

All those who want the US to leave Afghanistan to Taliban's diktats should remember that if the US had backed the lion of Panjshir after Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban may never have come to power and 9/11 may never have happened.

So, after 20 years of bloodshed, are we back to square one?

The Taliban are generally Pashtun from the south. Afghanistan is not their country, especially in the north.

But they are organized, they move stealthily, and they make offers that people cannot refuse. "You have a choice, either take this money and lay down your weapons, or we kill your whole family. We know exactly who they are and where they live."

zichiToday  12:48 pm JST

They didn't make the first attack. The 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi.

And Egypt. And Lebanon. And the UAE.

I just hope the neocon-neolib cabale does not uset his propaganda as an excuse to get back into the Afghanistan mess.

@stormcrow: You might want to wish these Republican lies and stupid strategies away, but they're definitely connected. The focus should've been on Afghanistan, not Iraq.

Democrats voted for both wars, including biden. Obama says he was against them but continued them over his eight years in office. Dems bad mouthed the war which made it harder for the troops in the field but didn’t vote against it when it counted. They even attacked Trump when he talked about pulling the troops out saying the women of Afghanistan would be brutalized. Well they will - and biden will be responsible.

P. Smith

The same people that screamed we needed to get out of Afghanistan and cheered Trump for tweeting the withdrawal deadline are now pillorying abides for actually getting us out of Afghanistan.

Weird that these people are suddenly concerned for the Afghanis when they had no worry for them under 45.

Which people? I do not know of any.

@sf2k: unless USA was preparded for perpetual occupation there was no way this was going to end well.

Perpetual occupation- you mean like in Europe, South Korea and Japan?

Wolfpack

Perpetual occupation- you mean like in Europe, South Korea and Japan?

In Japan, there is actually a point in the American presence, seeing the growing aggression of the CCP. In SK and Europe, yes, they should pack their bags and go home. And certainly in Syria, where the only point of their presence is warmongering. But dont count on that under the current neolib regime.

kurumazaka

But you don’t get to bash Biden for the same thing you would celebrate from Trump.

Who is the "you" you are talking about?

P. SmithToday  09:33 pm JST

> No reason to have a foothold on mainland Asia.

Is this a joke? Opinion? Or CNN fed?

P. Smith

Sure, this makes complete sense. SK you isn’t important in containing China. No reason to have a foothold on mainland Asia.

SK does not have a border with China and has enough economic and military muscle to defend itself against Kim Yong Uns starving armee. Your point?

It's a waste of a country. It proved to be nothing but a waste of lives. Good lives, with nothing but orders that failed to succeed in the ultimate objective. Vietnam, all over again, except this time with more international casualties. Seal the borders and f**k 'em. Except the women and children - those we should fly out to countries that will embrace them, show them what life is really all about and give the Taliban no way to breed. All it will take is 50 years, and the old goats will die away with no children. Extermination by any other means is a dream.

Some of the $500 million the CIA poured into Afghanistan reached Al-Zawahiri's group. Al-Zawahiri has become a close aide of bin Laden ... Bin Laden was only loosely connected with the [Hezb-i-Islami faction of the mujahideen led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar], serving under another Hezb-i-Islami commander known as Engineer Machmud. However, bin Laden's Office of Services, set up to recruit overseas for the war, received some US cash.

from The Guardian. January 17, 1999

P. SmithToday  05:10 am JST

You’d do well to read that sentence in the context of my post instead of cherry picking it in an attempt to do whatever it is you think you were doing.

Just difficult to determine what is meant to be irony or seriousness when the primary source is CNN.

bass4funkJuly 5  01:23 pm JST

Since bin Laden is dead, I doubt if we'll have another 9/11.

That is what all terrorists want us to think, Israelis never think like this, nor should we.

The greatest terrorist threat to America is here in America itself. Last year and six months ago today are all the proof we need to see that.

That was a set-up for the disasterous and wasteful Iraq War. This has gone on for 20 years and it's untenuable, wasteful and unwinable. It's Vietnam/Vietnow. 

You don't need to have a drawn-out war, make you kill every top leader each time they come out of the woodworks and want to take on the US in any capacity. 

Dumbya totally ignored it. Everything was Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq Iraq.

Obama was all Afghanistan. They both were wrong.

Or maybe it's a new Somalia. That place is still in a state of anarchy. Or maybe it's like with Haiti. Oh hell. A total waste, however you look at it.

These are countries that we need to watch, although...Haiti...?

The US invaded Haiti in 1994 when Bill Clinton was President, obstensably to restore their President who was elected in 1990 but overthrown in 1991 supposedly with approval by George Bush (supposedly). In 2004 another rebellion there leads to another US invasion and occupation courtesy of George W Bush, for what reason Heaven knows. in 2010 Haiti suffers a tremendous earthquake and Obama sends thousands of Marines and medics there. And there's been a UN Peacekeeper Force there already. Who really is ruling that nation now and why has the US been invading it so much lately? And every time there's been urban guerilla warfare with few if any US dead but plenty of Haitian dead. And for what real purpose?

Since this article was published Taliban controlled land in Afghanistan increased by 3%.

It was bound to happen. Thanks Trump and a little Biden for getting us out of this Fubar invasion.

Now, bring them home Joe and stop pandering to the energy globalists.

So the US troops really just left in the middle of the night with no notice to their Afghan partners?

if orange guy had done it like that we would never hear the end of it- ever.

As we write, Afghan soldiers are turning over their weapons to the Taliban.

Trump would have in no way allowed such a disgraceful pitiful withdrawal.

This is especially a dishonorable scene for people like me. US policy is not to apologize for its transgressions but I want to apologize personally to the people of Afghanistan and I hope those I know there remain safe, or get out before that country goes down the tube.

Commander in Chief?

Last week, when reporters asked President Biden whether he worried that Afghanistan’s government might collapse in the face of Taliban military advances, he responded with ill-concealed annoyance.

“I want to talk about happy things,” he said.

This is really scary when the world's most powerful leader cannot make comments without referring to notes, and worse, refuses to comment on dire situations. But CNN would never broadcast anything as provocative as this whisper.

This is really scary when the world's most powerful leader cannot make comments without referring to notes, and worse, refuses to comment on dire situations. But CNN would never broadcast anything as provocative as this whisper.

Those Americans trying to disdain the other team's media, as if their own media wasn't equally pathetic and biased makes those of us not part of the American media bubble look down on them as clear fools.

All American media is a mess. Just like pretty much everything American.