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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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.More than 28,000 Afghans seek temporary U.S. entry; only about 100 approved
By PHILIP MARCELO LOWELL, Mass©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
19 Comments
WA4TKG
Nothing has changed in that place for centuries..too bad.
Zaphod
WA4TKG
Not true. Read up on old reports and you find that Afghanistan under King Zahir Sha was a very different place, as was Afghanistan under Sovjet rule. Or go centuries back and look at Buddhist Afghanistan before the islamic conquest.
The current mess is the result of ill-advised support of islamist radicals in order to fight the Sovjets. To say Afganistan was always like that is simply incorrect.
Zaphod
P. Smith
This is not accurate. Trumps deal was a controlled withdrawal, with sensitive personnel first and military last. Biden blew that up and made the ridiculous decision to break the agreed deal make an uncontrolled withdrawal with military first and sensitive personnel last.... and announcing a one-sided withdrawal date half a year in advance. It is hard exaggerate what a mind-blowing mistake that was.
sourpuss
Zaphod, In February 2020 Trump promised the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners and a withdrawal by May 1, 2021. And he kept the pact despite the Taliban attacking the Afghan forces before the agreed withdrawal date.
Whatever Biden did or didn't do was an ad hoc attempt to deal with the mess Trump created.
umbrella
Biden's withdrawal was a total disaster. President Trump had a proper withdrawal plan as everybody knows.
GdTokyo
You are either joking or you are delusional. Trump couldn't plan a trip to the toilet.
This is actually a good thing given that he tried to execute a coup to overthrow the govt. to overturn the results of an election that he objectively lost.
RegBilk
More than 28,000 Afghans have applied for temporary admission into the U.S. for humanitarian reasons since shortly before the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan and sparked a chaotic U.S. withdrawal, but only about 100 of them have been approved, according to federal officials.
A highly accurate and succinct description of the damage Biden's ill-planned and poorly directed withdrawal has caused to the US image, the military, and the Afghanis.
Mr Kipling
How many applied to their Muslim brothers for humanitarian aid in Saudi? Qatar? UAE? Egypt?
WilliB
sourpuss
I am aware of the media talking points, however that is irrelevant. The prisoner release was part of the deal does not a difference in the big picture as the Taliban has a large enough pool of members. If you really want to go down that road, you might as well remember that the current leader was released by Obama.... and that without the background of a withdrawal deal.
Fact is, Trumps withdrawal was quick and systematic. And with a continous military backstop. The way a deal with bad actors has to be done. Biden first breaking that deal (something you do NOT do) and then announcing a withdrawal date on Sep. 11 for purely domestic American propaganda purposes is a textbook example of a monstrous diplomatic mistake.
And it is not like that was not pointed out while we were watching Bidens rolling Afghan disaster unfolding. The media are really hard pressed to put lipstick on that one.
M3M3M3
But the Afghan government was in no position to hold these 5000 indefinitely. For each man held in the Taliban prison there must have been 4 or 5 men in his home village preparing to march on Kabul to free him. The prisoners became a dangerous liability once the Afghan government started losing control of the country.
Mr Kipling
BigYen...
True, but wouldn't they be happier living in the land of Islam rather than that of the infidel who who has been bombing them?
OnTheTrail
If these were my family members I would have long ago flown them to Mexico and have them come across the Southern boarder. Definitely a tiresome way but the end result is assured of getting them to the US.