Luckily, as we have learned the Afghan president left to Tajikistan. He did not run away as e.g. Yanukovich after the Ukraine Maidan into Putin's datcha, because he did not want to get killed like Caucescu and Khadaffi.
Unlike the Afghan president, he wanted only to avoid blood bath. Unfortunately, they did not book for him a helicopter big enough, so he could not reload all what he brought with his 4 cars, a lot was remained on the tarmac.
Some say that all it was full of money, I do not believe. Why money, he surely has American Express Card, why to carry a cash?
To think this all started after the then Afghan government- secular and socialist- invited Russian troops in to Afghanistan to help with an insurgency. The US responded by vastly increasing military aid to the rebels, in particular to a vicious group of fighters called the Taliban.
Remember when...?
Historic perspectives that many would prefer not to absorb.
Afghanistan’s socialist years: The promising future killed off by U.S. imperialism – People's World
Some are quite sure.
As such historic activities were well documented. Except for those circles that prefer to revise historic things in their deluded favour.
There are those that will buried their heads in the sand - on the premise that "the good guys" don't do these types of things. Even when such covert/overt activities have been ongoing the world over for decades upon decades.
When Churchill spoke this, why didn't anymore take any notice.
Afghanistan must hold unknown riches, Country after Country been trying there luck time and time again, and constantly get their arses kicked. Unbelievable!!!
now 38 million people are once again to become savages.
Solely because of these absolute twats in power.
Shameful, and to think they still condemn Germans, Japanese, Russians, Chinese.
The US led allied forces, are doing nothing more than supporting genocide over the years.
Past all the finger pointing. There is still the tragedy of Afghanistan and the woman who may end up as little more than slaves unless the Taliban have become a little more enlightened over the last 20 years. Third time lucky, hopefully that the west has learnt the meaning of fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. The West would be well advised to clean up its own back yard first. This includes some form of detente with the Russians and a closing of the gap between rich and poor.
The west has the economic power to include or exclude who it pleases. Maybe not without some initial economic pain but it can be done. Economic inclusion as the carrot to move countries to a more democratic government has failed in many countries, China for one. Like the E.U. maybe the answer is countries must reform first before inclusion.
Islam is like covid 19. There are varying strains, some worse than others but none of them good. Like Christianity that has slowly reformed over the years and allowed the West its technological and social pre eminence in the world, Islam must do the same. Let them run their own race until they are ready to join the "club".
Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban
WASHINGTON (AP) — Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to be the Taliban. They grabbed not only political power but also U.S.-supplied firepower — guns, ammunition, helicopters and more.
The Taliban captured an array of modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces who failed to defend district centers. Bigger gains followed, including combat aircraft, when the Taliban rolled up provincial capitals and military bases with stunning speed, topped by capturing the biggest prize, Kabul, over the weekend.
A U.S. defense official on Monday confirmed the Taliban’s sudden accumulation of U.S.-supplied Afghan equipment is enormous. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The reversal is an embarrassing consequence of misjudging the viability of Afghan government forces — by the U.S. military as well as intelligence agencies — which in some cases chose to surrender their vehicles and weapons rather than fight.
MORE Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban
Inside Reach 871, A US C-17 Packed With 640 Afghans Trying to Escape the Taliban
Inside Reach 871, A US C-17 Packed With 640 Afghans Trying to Escape the Taliban - Defense One
^ Unimaginable . . .
"There, but for the grace of God, go I", springs to mind.
.Hundreds of people, desperate to leave, run alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane as it moves down a runway of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday.
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On the bright side, an Afghan mistakes the crowd for a Rainbow-Parade and takes advantage of the cameras and exposure
Yea, not funny, I know.
Afghanistan joins the long list of Islamic countries liberated by the US!
Ronald Reagan is credited for saying ""The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help. "
Change that to ""The ten most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the US Government, and I'm here to help. " and it can apply to any Islamic country.
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.
Trump played a role in this tragedy with his divisiveness toward NATO and the rest of the world.
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier
-- Rudyard Kipling
Stonekettle Station: Bitter Pill
Kabul has fallen.
The Taliban has taken the country.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is an unbridled disaster.
The Afghan government we created and propped up has collapsed and the Afghan president has run away to another country. The Afghan military we created and supported didn't hold for even a week, they've thrown down their arms, abandoned their posts and their duty, and are now killed, captured, or fled. And our erstwhile Afghan allies are now going to die, a lot of them anyway. Children are going to die, women are going to be raped, the men are going to be lined up and shot.
That is inevitable at this point.
The ragged American forces left in-country are in full retreat, falling back and back to the airplanes that will maybe get them out of the carnage. No time to destroy their equipment. No time to destroy classified materials. No time to save our allies. No time left but to run. And it's the fall of Saigon all over again. All it needs is a sad Billy Joel ballad and some helicopters being pushed into the sea on the Six-O-Clock news. If Joel was still writing ballads and we still had such as thing as the evening news anyway.
And it's all Joe Biden's fault
Yes it is.
But that's not surprising, is it?
No, that's not surprising at all.
Because that was the plan.
That was the plan.
Trump ran for president on the idea of pulling American forces out of Afghanistan. He had a lot of fiery rhetoric that appealed to the Isolationists in his party and oh how they cheered him. Get us out! No more war!
Trump was against the whole thing right from the start -- well, according to Trump, anyway.
When Obama was president, Trump was on Twitter nearly every day, calling for the withdrawal of American Troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Take the oil, take the minerals, take the treasure, and get out."Why are we continuing to train these Afghanis who then shoot our soldiers in the back? Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home!"
"We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first."
"Let’s get out of Afghanistan. Our troops are being killed by the Afghanis we train and we waste billions there. Nonsense! Rebuild the USA."
"I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we keep wasting our money -- rebuild the U.S.!"
"We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. Their government has zero appreciation. Let’s get out!"
"Do not allow our very stupid leaders to sign a deal that keeps us in Afghanistan through 2024-with all costs by U.S.A. MAKE AMERICA GREAT!"
Those are Donald Trump's words, verbatim.
Donald Trump ran for president on those words, and his followers cheered him. Get us out! No more war! No more blood and treasure, right? Rebuild the USA.
You remember, don't you?
Trump never told you how he'd actually do it.
Trump was never much for details or plans and those who cheered him aren't the kind of people who ask. Just, get out and make America great again … somehow.
Then Trump was elected President.
For the first time he had to face the horrible complexity of Afghanistan.
And he couldn't do it.
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