Politics Afghanistan Withdrawal

The speed with which the Taliban moved on Kabul was completely miscalculated but as to moving troops...we've closed military bases all over the place and moved soldiers without moving the journalist, expats or business people from those countries...our expats were not looked at as refugees from the Taliban...a journalist should be moved by their employer...we left the Phillipines moving our army and navy without moving the other americans living there...same in Naha Okinawa....etc...it's not ideal but if China had invaded Taiwan while I was there, the trade center would have told us we should consider moving but in the end it would be my choice..not a directive by the US military or the American president...I remember when Ross Perot hired a private team to go in and get his employees out of Iran when the Shah was ousted....paid for it out of company profits and used his own helicopters. There was no way to leave that rock pile without collateral damage to our friends who couldn't leave....tragic, but it was a band aid that needed to be ripped off

 

Getting out was going to be messy no matter who did it. We could have done it better but so far no one else has tried, despite endless promises by every president for 20 years.

 

I have no doubt that we could've left earlier...like many years earlier...still the President of Afghanistan, his general and well trained and armed to the teeth national military are the ones who didn't do what they were well paid to do, protect democracy and human rights...we are clearly done doing it for them...I blame their leaders and generals before I blame our leaders and generals for not putting up a respectable resistance even though they had the tools to do that...this is a failed democracy in a country that has historically been controlled by warlords and fundamentalist Islamic Mullahs

 

The Taliban has recently said there'd be no retribution for Afghan citizens or foreign residents...they also said the airports are open and travel is not restricted...people can leave if they want to..that's my understanding so far. I'm sure there are looters and bullies along the way..that usually follows a coup..the UN peace keeping forces are supposed to step into these situations...not the US military...Mexico has offered total asylum to any who want to leave the country ...there are options available ..To me it's now up to the UN and the League of Arab Nations to sort this out and maintain a peaceful transition...our 20 year band aid is gone

 

I know May 1st was a Trump deadline and Joe extended it to end August. I get what you are saying about them being warned though. I guess when their Army surrendered, which I kind of view as a mis calculation from our Military leaders and we were already drawn down that embolden the Taliban.

 

The only way it could happen would have been to stay a long time (20yrs is about halfway there) and educate the upcoming generations on democracy and how to get corruption out, while supporting the most moral strong leaders and ONLY attacking or killing violent extremists and those advocating for violent extremism.

Tough to do with a straight face while we had Trump in office over here...

 

Then that's a crime within their own nation...they need to address it from within. I don't like anything about the Taliban at all but they are the locals...we're not. People is S Vietnam were also bullied for working with the US army after we left...that's the collateral damage I posted about earlier...it's going to happen. Afghanistan has it's own govt and criminal justice system...nobody here is going to like how it works at all....probably similar to Russian justice. These warlords just like the ones in Myanmar and Somalia are not looking for allegiances with democratic nations..never have been..

 

How The CIA Ran The Afghan Drug Trade.

 

What makes you think we are not getting people out? and this is not us battling the Taliban to the airport...we declared we're leaving and they moved in...I understand your rage my friend but this is not like S Vietnam at all...and my whole point was that both transitions had bullies killing, raping and looting their way to cabinet positions...that doesn' make it our armies fault by any stretch....S Vietnam also had a national army..they just lost like we did my friend..we didn't lose Afghanistan ..we handed it over..we did just send 7k exit escort troops over there

 

I think this whole thing mirrors the Iranian revolution that ousted the Shah...and it sucks for Afghanis who cherish modern democracy because they are going back to the tribal system they have ingrained in their history..Shoutout to Mexico for offering asylum to Afghanis....now they can also offer asylum to Central Americans while they're at it

 

Im afraid we end up sending more troops.

 

only UN coalition troops ..no US military engagement other than UN troops. that's the way the world is supposed to deal with crisis. Biden won't escalate our engagement there now...he's already closed that door. If the Taliban commits atrocities it should be held accountable..just like the crimes in the Balkan wars...try them in the Hague...at any point..We need to stay the course of getting the fuck out of there and staying out of there...sanctions are a better weapon than ground troops

 

The Americans have been warned to leave for months. What can you do with people who ignore the warning long term?

 

I understand, and agree, but I dont't recall hearing of any evacuation flights till that one day almost a couple weeks past. Seems it wasn't till the city fell.

 

Afghan Journalist Who Fled Kabul: Women Are “Hopeless” After U.S. War Ends With Taliban Takeover.

 

There were flights for those who could afford it and those who couldn't afford it were told there would be no charge. Flights went on at that time.