This WAS to be expected….
EVERYBODY was against such precipitous move….
NATO leaders….
Congress…..
The US Military….
Afghans….
Where ALL Against this….
The word is the troops will stay to ‘guard’ the Kabul Airport and the US Embassy?
(This reasoning makes NO sense….How wide a perimeter would be needed?….Who would work there?….It would be close off from the rest of the country if the Taliban overrun the surrounding area…)
The Pentagon is trying to work with Turkey to provide the Afghan military with support…Turkey has been a problem for the US with it’s flirting with the Russians they military equipment purchase ‘s….Hmmmm?
The Taliban has made plain they do NOT want a negotiated settlement on power sharing in the country…
Without any ‘boots on the ground’?
The people of that country could be victims of violence we have not seen for a while…
Without a doubt we need the Afghans to carry more of the load….
But?
Joe Biden does NOT need to be remembered in the history books as the guy who watched Afghanistan do a ‘America leaving Viet Nam ‘…..Again
Roughly 650 U.S. troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main American military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
In addition, several hundred additional American forces will remain at the Kabul airport, potentially until September, to assist Turkish troops providing security, as a temporary move until a more formal Turkey-led security operation is in place, the officials said. Overall, officials said the U.S. expects to have American and coalition military command, its leadership and most troops out by July Fourth, or shortly after that, meeting an aspirational deadline that commanders developed months ago….
…
Getting most troops out by early July had been in doubt because of complications including an outbreak of COVID-19 at the U.S. Embassy and the push to get Afghan interpreters and others who helped the U.S. out of the country. Officials said U.S. commanders and NATO allies in Afghanistan have been able to overcome logistical hurdles that might have prolonged the withdrawal process. But they also warned that plans in place for the final stages of the U.S. military withdrawal could change if airport security agreements fall through or there are other major, unforeseen developments.
As recently as last week, there was discussion of possibly extending the U.S. troop presence at Bagram Airfield, north of Kabul, but officials said the U.S. presence at the base is expected to end in the next several days.
The roughly 650 U.S. troops that are planned to be a more permanent force presence in Afghanistan will provide security for the U.S. Embassy and some ongoing support at the airport. Officials said the U.S. has agreed to leave a C-RAM — or Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar system — at the airport, as well as troops to operate it, as part of an agreement with Turkey. The U.S. also plans to leave aircrew for helicopter support at the airport.
According to the officials, Turkey has largely agreed to provide security at the airport as long as it receives support from American forces. U.S. and Turkish military officials are meeting in Ankara this week to finalize arrangements….
Note….
This whole thing seems like a cluster fuck…..
Biden just isn’t thinking this thru in my and others views…
There WILL be more on this….
It just doesn’t seem right….
Darn!
I forgot!
The US will probably contract ex-military types to take over some things in Afghanisatan
Afghanistan is falling to the Taliban faster than expected….
…
A new U.S. intelligence assessment says that the Afghan government could fall within six months of the American military departing, according to U.S. officials familiar with the information.
The assessment, distributed among U.S. officials within the past week, highlights an increasingly stark picture as the U.S. military sends home troops and equipment: The Taliban continues to take control of districts across the country, and Afghan military units are either laying down their arms or are being routed in bloody clashes.
One U.S. official said numerous criteria are trending in the wrong direction, prompting the intelligence community to conclude that the fall of the government in Kabul could come more quickly than previously forecast. The official and two other people familiar with the assessment, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the new consensus is that the government could fall within six to 12 months….
More…
Even Taliban Surprised at How Fast They’re Advancing
“The Taliban are advancing at lightning speed across Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdraw. They now control a third of the country, are fighting for control of 42 percent more — and may even be slowing their advance on purpose,” NBC News reports.
CNN: Afghan leaders set to meet Biden at White House at pivotal moment for their nation.
Where is the Afghan”army?
Why are they “laying down their arms?Dont they want to support their “government?”
The piece points out that the Afghan military still holds a vast amount of the country and they are still fighting….
But the Taliban IS on a roll….
You ARE RIGHT…
They do need to show they will fight for their country…
But they ALSO need help NOT pulled out from under them so quickly
We have been there twenty years.
They have had plenty of time to prepare for this day.
The plain fact is this so called “army” and so called “government “ ala “South Vietnam” is nothing but entities we created.So it is not surprising that when we leave they will essentially just melt away.There simply is no basis for their existence except as dependencies of ours.
What will likely happen is the country will revert to pretty much as it existed before 9/11 with the Taliban engaged in a low level civil war with the various warlord “armies that now exist or will be created after the US departure.
We will see….
If there is an escalation of mass violence ?
It will will be blamed on Biden….
Remember what happened to LBJ…..
…
Colin Powell….
‘You break it?…You OWN it….”
…
And Yes…
It’s been a long time….
Few have been able to tame the place….
Perhaps a proxy war between Pakistan and Iran.