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  1. #976
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    A fair and enlightening cup-of-coffee read from The Atlantic.



    After 9/11, the U.S. Got Almost Everything Wrong - The Atlantic

  2. #977
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Taliban interim government agrees to let foreigners leave Afghanistan

    (Reuters) – Two hundred Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan are set to depart the war-ravaged country on charter flights from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban government agreed to their evacuation, a U.S. official said.


    The departures will be among the first international flights to take off from Kabul airport since the Islamist militia seized the capital in mid-August, triggering the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation of 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans.


    The move comes two days after the Taliban announced an interim government made up mainly of ethnic Pashtun men including wanted terror suspects and Islamist hardliners, dashing international hopes for a more moderate administration.


    The Taliban were pressed to allow the departures by U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.


    The official could not say whether the American civilians and other foreign nationals were among people stranded for days in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif because their private charters had not been allowed to depart.


    The Taliban’s announcement of a new government on Tuesday was widely seen as a signal they were not looking to broaden their base and present a more tolerant face to the world, as they had suggested they would do before their military takeover.


    Foreign countries greeted the interim government with caution and dismay on Wednesday. In Kabul, dozens of women took to the streets in protest.


    Many critics called on the leadership to respect basic human rights and revive the economy, which faces collapse amid steep inflation, food shortages and the prospect of foreign aid being slashed as countries seek to isolate the Taliban.


    White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said no one in the Biden administration “would suggest that the Taliban are respected and valued members of the global community.”


    The European Union voiced its disapproval EU says provisional Taliban government falls short of promises | Reuters at the appointments, but said it was ready to continue humanitarian assistance. Longer-term aid would depend on the Taliban upholding basic freedoms.


    Saudi Arabia expressed hope the new government would help Afghanistan achieve “security and stability, rejecting violence and extremism.”


    Analysts said the make-up of the cabinet could hamper recognition by Western governments, which will be vital for broader economic engagement.


    The new acting Cabinet includes former detainees of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, while the interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is wanted by the United States on terrorism charges and carries a reward of $10 million.


    His uncle, with a bounty of $5 million, is the minister for refugees and repatriation.


    HARDLINERS


    The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, women were banned from work and girls from school. The group carried out public executions and its religious police enforced a radical interpretation of Islamic law.


    Taliban leaders have vowed to respect people’s rights, including those of women, in accordance with Islamic sharia law, but those who have won greater freedoms over the past two decades are worried about losing them.


    In an interview with Australia’s SBS News, a senior Taliban official said women would not be allowed to play cricket – a popular sport in Afghanistan – or possibly any other sport because it was “not necessary” and their bodies might be exposed.


    Australia’s cricket board said it would scrap a planned test match against the Afghanistan men’s team if the Taliban did not allow women to play the sport.


    In Kabul, a group of women bearing signs reading: “A Cabinet without women is a failure,” held another protest in the Pul-e Surkh area of the city. Larger demonstrations on Tuesday were broken up when Taliban gunmen fired warning shots into the air.


    “The Cabinet was announced and there were no women in the Cabinet. And some journalists who came to cover the protest were all arrested and taken to the police station,” said a woman in a video shared on social media.


    A statement from the new Taliban Interior Ministry said that in order to avoid disturbances and security problems, anyone holding a demonstration should apply for clearance 24 hours beforehand.

    Taliban interim government agrees to let foreigners leave Afghanistan | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

  3. #978
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    Violent attacks on Afghan journalists by Taliban prompt growing alarm | Afghanistan | The Guardian

    A spate of violent attacks on Afghan journalists by the Taliban is prompting growing alarm over the freedom of the country’s media, with one senior journalist declaring that “press freedom has ended”.
    As images and testimony circulated internationally of the arrest and brutal flogging of two reporters who were detained covering a women’s rights demonstration in Kabul on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists raised concern over the recent string of attacks.

  4. #979
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    Well, a slight Disclaimer- this is from Sky News Australia, a publication that was possibly founded so that the dirty digger could actually call Fox 'fair and balanced'. Anyway-


    China considering 'taking over' US army base in Afghanistan



    Sky News host Paul Murray says China is considering taking over Bagram army base which was built by the Americans in Afghanistan.


    “Now China seems to have learnt the lesson that the Russians and the Americans and the rest of the western world have not,” he said.

    “You don’t have to fire a shot; you can buy off countries to control them and Belt and Road is actually the way they plan to do it.”

    China considering 'taking over' US army base in Afghanistan (msn.com)

  5. #980
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Chuchok View Post
    press freedom has ended
    Of course it has. Predictable and inevitable so live with it folks.
    Uncle Sam has left the scene and the new governments friends are not interested in press freedom.

  6. #981
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    No, the U.S. Didn’t Leave the Taliban $83 Billion in High-Tech Weapons

    By Kyle Mizokami (Popular Mechanics)

    Fri, September 10, 2021, 2:45 AM


    • Critics of the Biden Administration claim the withdrawal from Afghanistan left the Taliban an arsenal of $83 billion in advanced weaponry.
    • Only a fraction of the U.S. aid sent to Afghanistan was actually spent on weapons and equipment.
    • Regardless, much of the equipment would not be of particular value to countries like Russia, China, or even Iran.


    Mere days after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, critics of the operation seized on the false claim that the Biden Administration left behind an $83 billion arsenal of high-tech weapons for the Taliban to claim. Even worse, the critics say, the equipment is of intelligence value to America's enemies, like Russia and China.

    In reality, the value of the scores of aircraft, thousands of ground vehicles, and hundreds of thousands of small arms is questionable at best, and would probably not be of interest even to a tech-starved adversary like Iran.

    The Taliban inherited 22,107 Humvees, 789 wheeled armored vehicles, 169 tracked armored vehicles, and 50,000 light utility vehicles and trucks. They also received more than half a million machine guns, assault rifles, and 176 artillery pieces. In terms of military electronics, they got their hands on 162,043 radios and 16,035 pairs of night-vision goggles.

    Photo credit: WAKIL KOHSAR - Getty Images

    Large numbers of airplanes were also left behind. This includes 109 helicopters of U.S. and Russian origin, four C-130 Hercules transports, and more than 60 light transports, trainers, and ground-attack aircraft.

    The U.S. provided all of this equipment to the Afghan security forces, including the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and the Afghan Air Force. Given that the Taliban is now in total control of the country, it's reasonable to assume that the new rulers now have complete control over this massive inventory of equipment. (There are some exceptions, including Afghan government forces that fled to neighboring countries and pockets of resistance in the Panjshir Valley that may or may not still be holding out.)


    Photo credit: Anadolu Agency - Getty Images

    First, let's take a look at the ground vehicles. The 22,174 Humvees are ordinary transport vehicles, and at best have value as an armored transport. The same goes for the 155 MaxxPro mine-patrol vehicles and the 634 M1117 Guardian armored cars. While the armor on these vehicles may stop small arms and shell fragments, collectively they're incapable of shrugging off weapons like anti-tank missiles or even ordinary rocket-propelled grenades. The 50,000 trucks and SUVs feature little to no armored protection. The fleet of vehicles, while large, is largely incapable of real offensive action.

    The small arms category is more alarming, with 126,295 pistols, 358,530 assault rifles, and 64,363 machine guns. That's enough to outfit the active duty component of the U.S. Army. The problem for the Taliban is that most of these weapons use U.S.-made parts and ammunition. Although the Taliban conquered large stocks of government ammo, there is no domestic source of 5.56- and 7.62-millimeter bullets to keep the guns fed. Once the "liberated" ammo is gone, the guns will be useless.

    Photo credit: HOSHANG HASHIMI - Getty Images

    The new Taliban Air Force—which the new government could use to maintain their grip on the country, and even make regional mischief—has an even more dire future. Private western contractors maintained most of the aircraft under contract—and those people have long since fled the country. Most former air force pilots have also largely fled the country, terrified that the Taliban will hunt down and kill them for having supported the American side. The lack of maintenance and the pilots to fly them will likely ground the Afghan Air Force within a matter of weeks.

    All of this equipment doesn't add up to $83 billion, either. As the tweet above states, only 29 percent of the $83 billion in military aid to Afghan forces since 2002 was in the form of equipment. The rest went to training, salaries, and over costs.

    Finally, there's the question of intelligence value to America's adversaries. One Twitter account with 440,000 followers claims the equipment is an "intelligence goldmine" for our adversaries. It's easy to imagine Chinese, Iranian, and Russian spies parachuting into the country with suitcases of cash, eager to buy up abandoned American equipment. But, as Rob Lee—a Marine and Ph.D student at King's College of London who specializes in tracking the Russian events—tells Popular Mechanics, "it is clear we armed them to fight insurgents, not a conventional military."

    "The most sensitive equipment we have," Lee explains, "is designed for a conventional war with a peer adversary—fighters, bombers, cruise missiles, and strategic-level assets—none of which we gave to the Afghan Security Forces. Iran, Russia, and China have all gotten their hands on American military equipment. In 2011, Iran seized a crashed RQ-170 stealth drone, and China was allowed to view wreckage of the stealth Black Hawk helicopter used in raid that killed Osama bin Laden—much of which is more sensitive than anything we provided to Afghanistan."

    Photo credit: FAROOQ NAEEM - Getty Images

    So what's the final word? Well, the loss of billions in military equipment is unfortunate, but it really won't help the Taliban become a threat to its neighbors, let alone America. The real loss is 38 million people to the Taliban and their repressive policies.

    https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/n...194500194.html
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  7. #982
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    White House pauses Afghan flights to US after 4 evacuees test positive for MEASLES

    10 Sep, 2021 23:42

    In another hiccup for the Kabul airlift, Washington has reportedly “temporarily paused” flying Afghan refugees to the US on recommendation of health authorities, citing four cases of measles among them.

    Four cases of measles have been diagnosed among Afghans who have recently arrived in the US, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced on Friday, adding that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had called for a halt to the flights out of an abundance of caution.

    The cases were reportedly detected in evacuees who had been flown to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

    Psaki said that measles vaccination is “currently being required” for all Afghans boarding US-bound flights. Moreover, “critical immunizations” such as the MMR – measles, mumps, and rubella – vaccine are being offered to Afghans at military bases inside the US, Psaki said. The government is “exploring” a possibility to vaccinate Afghans while they are still waiting to be transported to the US in third countries, she added."

    However, some 50,000 refugees from Afghanistan have already arrived stateside since the Taliban assumed control of the country. They are spread out across some half-dozen US military bases, and it’s unclear whether all of them have been vaccinated and if there is a plan to retest them.

    One measles case had already been identified at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin as of Tuesday, where thousands of Afghan refugees were delivered before their stateside resettlement. Fox News, citing an internal document, reported that the Army base has stopped accepting new evacuees, but spokesman for Task Force McCoy told the outlet they were still processing Afghans. The base currently houses 8,000 refugees and has space for as many as 13,000

    The measles virus is highly contagious, and while it is rarely serious in the developed world, where it has been all but eradicated, it is reportedly one of the leading killers of young children in Afghanistan. The country has the seventh-highest number of measles cases worldwide, according to the CDC."

    White House pauses Afghan flights to US after 4 evacuees test positive for MEASLES — RT USA News

    The gift that keeps giving. One presume COVID-19 shots will also be compulsary.

    Another hiccup in the unexceptional evacuation plan?
    Last edited by OhOh; 11-09-2021 at 01:23 PM.
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  8. #983
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    US drone strike in Kabul killed AID WORKER, not ISIS terrorist, NYT investigation shows

    11 Sep, 2021 00:05 / Updated 6 minutes ago

    "A new investigation claims that a US drone strike in Kabul did not take out a dangerous terrorist driving a car bomb, but an innocent Afghan aid worker employed by an American NGO, and the children who came to greet him.

    The Pentagon’s official version said that the August 29 drone strike targeted a white Toyota belonging to Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), a terrorist group that took credit for the killing of 13 US troops and 170-plus Afghan civilians at the Kabul airport several days prior. Multiple officials claimed that “secondary explosions” proved the car was rigged with explosives.


    A New York Times visual investigation published Friday, however, found no traces of secondary explosions, only the fragments of a Hellfire missile that killed Zemari Ahmadi and seven children."

    Continues:

    US drone strike in Kabul killed AID WORKER, not ISIS terrorist, NYT investigation shows — RT USA News

  9. #984
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    That's awful. It's one thing to kill some innocent bystanders with 'collateral damage'- we know these drone strikes kill nine people for every one target killed, according to the Pentagons own figures- but the target turns out to be an an Aid worker? Jeez. We're better off out, that's for sure.

  10. #985
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    And Joe Biden said they will be punished for the killing of the 13 US troops.
    Was the drone strike punishing also for the 170+ Afghan civilians?

  11. #986
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    That's awful. It's one thing to kill some innocent bystanders with 'collateral damage'- we know these drone strikes kill nine people for every one target killed, according to the Pentagons own figures- but the target turns out to be an an Aid worker? Jeez. We're better off out, that's for sure.
    I'm just rereading your righteous indignation at the bomber that killed a couple of hundred at Kabul airport.

    Oh wait, I'm not.

  12. #987
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    No, you're not- he's already dead. Or they.

  13. #988
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    he's already dead
    ...but the folks who indoctrinated him (them) and fitted him (them) out with explosives knowing that innocents would die...aren't...

  14. #989
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    Yep- and how many of them are in Saudi Arabia? I've said it before, the only good Isil terrorist is a dead one.

  15. #990
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    I've said it before, the only good Isil terrorist is a dead one.
    ...I admire your ability to control your indignation...

  16. #991
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    Taliban interim government agrees to let foreigners leave Afghanistan

    State Department obstruction of private rescue flights from Afghanistan revealed in leaked email



    "The State Department refused to grant official approval for private evacuation flights from Afghanistan to land in third countries, even though the department conceded that official authorization would likely be needed for planes to land in those nations, an email reviewed by Fox News shows. Furthermore, the State Department explicitly stated that charter flights, even those containing American citizens, would not be allowed to land at Defense Department (DOD) airbases. U.S. officials have pointed to possible security threats from landing charter planes at military bases, saying that they lack the resources on the ground to fully verify flight manifests.

    The Biden administration's delaying of private evacuation efforts has been a widespread source of frustration, infuriating rescue organizers and even a prominent Democratic senator.

    Eric Montalvo, who organized a series of private flights evacuating those stranded in Afghanistan, shared that email and others with Fox News after his evacuation efforts were repeatedly hampered by the federal bureaucracy.

    STATE DEPT BLOCKING PRIVATE RESCUE FLIGHTS FROM LEAVING AFGHANISTAN, ORGANIZERS SAY: ‘BLOOD IS ON THEIR HANDS’

    A Sept. 1 email that a State Department official sent to Montalvo underscores the extent to which private evacuation efforts have run into bureaucratic roadblocks.

    "No independent charters are allowed to land at [Al Udeid Air Base], the military airbase you mentioned in your communication with Samantha Power. In fact, no charters are allowed to land at an [sic] DoD base and most if not all countries in the Middle Eastern region, with the exception of perhaps Saudi Arabia will allow charters to land," the official wrote.

    "You need to find another destination country, and it can't be the U.S. either."
    The official noted that though some third countries "may require" official approval from the State Department before accepting the private charter flights, the department "will not provide" that approval.

    "Once you have had discussions with the host/destination country and reached an agreement, they may require some indication from the USG that we ‘approve’ of this charter flight. DOS will not provide an approval, but we will provide a ‘no objection’ to the destination country government via the U.S. Embassy in that country."

    During briefings on Sept. 2, the day after the official noted that the State Department would not be officially approving charter flights, White House press secretary Jen Psaki and State Department spokesman Ned Price both said that the Biden administration was not preventing planes from leaving Afghanistan.

    Price also addressed last week the security risks of allowing the charter flights onto military bases.
    "If these charters are seeking to go to a U.S. military installation, for example, we have to weigh not only the threat to those who may be on board – especially if they’re American citizens, LPRs, other Afghans to whom we have a special commitment – but also to the safety and security of State Department personnel, U.S. military personnel, Department of Homeland Security personnel, other U.S. personnel on U.S. military installations," Price said.

    "These are among the risks that the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the host government – which, of course, has an important say in all this – must consider," he added.

    A State Department spokesperson declined to answer Fox News' questions for this story, referring instead to remarks that Secretary of State Antony Blinken made on Tuesday.

    "We’re working around the clock with NGOs, with members of Congress and advocacy groups, providing any and all information and doing all we can to clear any roadblocks that they’ve identified to make sure that charter flights carrying Americans or others to whom we have a special responsibility can depart Afghanistan safely," Blinken said.

    "Without personnel on the ground, we can’t verify the accuracy of manifests, the identities of passengers, flight plans, or aviation security protocols. So this is a challenge, but one we are determined to work through. We’re conducting a great deal of diplomacy on this as we speak."
    Blinken also denied that the Taliban was seeking to block passport-holding Americans from leaving Afghanistan. "And it's my understanding is that the Taliban has not denied exit to anyone holding a valid document, but they have said those without valid documents, at this point, can’t leave," he said.

    Americans involved in efforts to rescue those left behind in Afghanistan previously described their horror at what they say are inexplicable delays from the State Department that are preventing evacuation flights from leaving the country. "

    Continues:

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-department-afghanistan-private-rescue-flights-leaked-email


    The free press have spoken


  17. #992
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Just fancy that, they didn't want planeloads of unknown scruffy Afghans wandering around America in case they are ISIS terrorists.

    How very fucking mean of them.

  18. #993
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    How very fucking mean of them.
    Another failure to deliver, after promising to the world all Afghanis are welcome.

  19. #994
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    Everyone is welcomed here...

  20. #995
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Everyone is welcomed here...
    As long as you bring your own bottle.

  21. #996
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Another failure to deliver, after promising to the world all Afghanis are welcome.
    Because of course hoohoo would cheer on a terrorist act on US soil.

  22. #997
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    Not all lethal weapons were destructed in Kabul. That shows how fast they had to run all the helpers...

    My favorite liqueur Becherovka - good for stomach - 200 years old, (now, for the last 30 years no longer belonging to Czechs):
    U.S. leaves its last Afghan base, effectively ending operations-becherovka-jpg




    And another good for stomach - the original Pilsner Urquell beer - where all the Pils have their origin from (Plzeň)
    (now, also no longer belonging to Czechs)

    U.S. leaves its last Afghan base, effectively ending operations-becherovka2-jpg

  23. #998
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    So you are allowed booze there. That's better than Saudi, and Kuwait anyway. Who wants to go to a place with no booze?

  24. #999
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    The possession and consumption of alcohol is prohibited for Afghan nationals. However, the Afghan government provides a license for various many outlets to distribute alcoholic beverages to foreign journalists and tourists, and black market alcohol consumption is prevalent as well.

  25. #1000
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    Not all lethal weapons were destructed in Kabul. That shows how fast they had to run all the helpers...
    Where the lethal weapons were found?
    Taliban says they have discovered alcoholic drinks storage room in Salahuddin Rabbani’s house in Kabul.
    Mr. Rabbani is the leader of Jamiat-e-Islami & former foreign minister.
    https://twitter.com/PamirNews/status...22580181815298

    (but some claim that it was a storage of Czech Embassy)

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