Not me….
Not with stuff like the below reported going on….
Defense Sec Austin was in country last week and his bosses told him NOT to pull the troops ….
President Biden’s instincts are to pull the troops , but he is alone in that view ….Congress actually wants more troops sent to the country….
He also does NOT want to have to send troops back in things go sideways ….The Taliban REALLY do NOT want to make any deals…They want the country….PERIOD….
In one of the most significant attacks against US forces in Afghanistanrecently, CNN has learned that the Taliban twice targeted one of the most heavily guarded bases in the country late last month and that US military personnel working for the CIA were at the installation when it came under fire.
Rockets landed near Forward Operating Base Chapman, a classified US military installation in eastern Afghanistan, and wounded seven civilians outside the base, according to a US official familiar with the details. During a second attack, a water tower was hit and a few rounds landed on the base, though no US personnel were killed or injured.
The attacks, which have not been widely reported, were followed by another in Kandahar this week, where Taliban rockets landed near a NATO air base used by US and coalition troops providing support to Afghan forces.
The flurry of violence is fueling concerns inside the Biden administration that the Taliban could step up efforts to target American forces ahead of a May 1 deadline for the US to withdraw under an agreement struck under then-President Donald Trump, sources say….
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The US wants to keep an intelligence presence in Afghanistan, two sources familiar with the matter said. When then-CIA Director Gina Haspel visited Afghanistan in 2019, discussions were already beginning over how to maintain and potentially expand the US intelligence footprint in the country. That desire has not changed, the sources said.
Some senior military commanders have also advocated keeping US troops in the country and have leaned heavily into the argument that a premature withdrawal could precipitate a collapse of the Afghan government, sources say.
The State Department has indicated it may be willing to accept a withdrawal if a political settlement can be reached. While the Pentagon also acknowledges that brokering an agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government remains the objective, it’s unclear if a political settlement alone would address broader strategic concerns raised by defense officials…
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There is a recognition internally this is a very tough decision for Biden because of his long-held views on winding down the war, dating back to the Obama administration. His team is hoping to provide space for him to make an informed final decision that he doesn’t come to regret — which is why there have been so many top-level meetings. There is also genuine anguish about a path forward, sources say, and Biden has made clear he doesn’t want to be rushed.
image….Capt RoxanaThompson/Armmored Div Combat Div
Again?
Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Concerns are mounting from bipartisan US lawmakers and Afghan women’s rights activists that the hard-won gains for women and civil society in Afghanistan could be lost if the United States makes a precipitous withdrawal from the country.
President Joe Biden has suggested it will be difficult to meet the May 1 deadline for US troops to leave the country as dictated in the deal the Trump administration signed with the Taliban. However, there are fears that if the US withdraws troops before the conditions on the ground are right — regardless of the date on the calendar — there will be a sharp and possibly catastrophic backslide….
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