And the circular firing squad begins...

Angry Finger-Pointing Among Factions in the Biden Administration in Aftermath of Afghanistan Debacle

Factions within the Biden administration are embroiled in a blame game over why the US government didn�t act sooner to withdraw American citizens and Afghans who helped the US over two decades of war, leading to a rushed and dangerous evacuation.
Military officials have said that for weeks they urged the State Department to move faster in evacuating its diplomatic personnel. State Department officials have said they were operating based on intelligence assessments that suggested they had more time, but intelligence officials insist that they had long reported the possibility of a rapid Taliban takeover.

An intelligence assessment produced within the last month assessed that the Taliban were pursuing a total military victory in Afghanistan, a source familiar with the intelligence said, despite ostensibly negotiating for peace in Doha and even as the administration continued to express confidence in those talks.

...

Some officials insist that Biden got bad advice from some of his top military and intelligence advisers. One White House official pointed to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley's comments from three weeks ago, when he suggested the Afghan forces had the capacity to fight for and defend their country, and that a Taliban takeover was not a foregone conclusion.

"Utter bunk," the official said.

Military officials, in turn, have said they were actually prepared for the worst and had been urging the State Department for weeks to begin withdrawing embassy employees in Kabul. Pentagon officials used the words "frustration" and "sh*tshow" to describe their feelings about Washington and Kabul.

The officials said they had warned the State Department that a last-minute emergency evacuation--if needed --would be more difficult the more staffers remained.

...

A State Department official acknowledged there had been real friction with the Pentagon in recent weeks as the department resisted the military's advice to close the US Embassy in Kabul sooner. A senior administration official, however, said they were operating off the intelligence community assessments that the fall of Kabul was not imminent. The State Department, therefore, felt it was making appropriate decisions, the official said.

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/395229.php

quote:

One White House official pointed to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley's comments from three weeks ago, when he suggested the Afghan forces had the capacity to fight for and defend their country, and that a Taliban takeover was not a foregone conclusion.

That confused sumbitch doesn't seem to get anything right. I'd love to see him resign.

quote:

The State Department, therefore, felt it was making appropriate decisions, the official said.

"See, what had happened was..."

I can't see Kamala coming to power until after the mid-terms. Otherwise, it would expose that cackling know-nothing hyena with sore knees for who she really is. It would terrify voters ensuring a debacle for the Blue squad.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ChuckWall,

quote:

Originally posted by chbibc:
For all that happened there and as lousy as it is ending, did it not for years act as a magnet for all form of islamic crazies to go there and fight the US and coalition forces, and get killed? As opposed to coming here?

What is happening there now reminds me of what I read happened when the Russians pulled out.

I was there when this started, our son about 5 years ago. We fought them on their playground. Now, they own the playground. We need to lock down the borders because they are packing for a trip.

If I plan to drive to the store but my girlfriend drives instead and gets into an accident because she was drunk, that doesn’t mean I would have got into the accident too.

Trump planned to withdraw troops too but that doesn’t mean he actually would have based on the info he had at the time. It also doesn’t mean that his administration would have handled the withdrawal so poorly, and they hopefully would have had plans in place in case the withdrawal started going south.

Biden 100% owns this. His administration fucked it up and was caught asleep at the wheel while he was on vacation.

I'm not faulting him for goint to Camp David, that place is very capable of Command and Control.

What I am faulting him for is not seeing this coming. Most Presidents surround themselves with intelligent people for advice for these type of situations.

Biden surrounded himself with SPED students.

So when is the Taliban ambassador setting up shop in New York for his seat at the United Nations?

Yep, a bunch of morons out there think that President Trump, who was so incompetent that he had a Iranian General droned with little repercussions and was the first sitting President to walking into North Korea, would never have any contingency plan for a withdrawal from Afghanistan. /sarc

On a side note, it probably didn't help having the large number of generals & admirals that actively worked to usurp his authority and decisions as C-in-C.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
If I plan to drive to the store but my girlfriend drives instead and gets into an accident because she was drunk, that doesn’t mean I would have got into the accident too.

Trump planned to withdraw troops too but that doesn’t mean he actually would have based on the info he had at the time. It also doesn’t mean that his administration would have handled the withdrawal so poorly, and they hopefully would have had plans in place in case the withdrawal started going south.

Biden 100% owns this. His administration fucked it up and was caught asleep at the wheel while he was on vacation.

https://mobile.twitter.com/whi...%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2F

U.S. Army veteran Matt Zeller goes off on MSNBC about Biden’s remarks on Afghanistan:

Zeller: “I feel like I watched a different speech than the rest of you guys. I was appalled.”

He also points out the ANA common soldier is not to blame and arent the cowards we believe them to be. They took more casualties in one year than the US had in 20. They didnt get any pay these last few months, and their leadership turned on them at the start of the takeover. The ANA Generals were paid off by the Taliban to surrender positions and equipment, and turned over documents of who was still loyal to the ANA.

The words of a classmate in my new-hire class at my current airline, via our Whatsapp group, about this whole cluster-fucked mess......

“I will always see that full cargo compartment of my C-5 (think about that “footprint”...tail to nose and all the way across) of those flag-draped coffins. I hate to think it was for nothing, but I think we all know the answer to that. I’ll never forget that. Again, what a waste.”

I can't even imagine what's going through his (and everyone else's) mind and hope he can find a way to cope with this. I'm sure this is the same exact sentiment of our Vietnam-era brothers and sisters. And we just THOUGHT the Crimson Kenyan was the worst U.S. President ever. Biden..."hold my pudding cup".

JSMFH

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
Biden surrounded himself with SPED students.

We had a State Department spokesman up there, telling the Taliban that they must create an inclusive government.

Hey! Mary Tyler Moore! These psychopaths decapitate people, burn them alive, and guys like you, they throw off of rooftops. Your inclusiveness is cis-gendered right out the window.

quote:

Originally posted by medic451:
U.S. Army veteran Matt Zeller goes off on MSNBC about Biden’s remarks on Afghanistan:

Good God- Brian Williams You imbecile. Damn, I wish you would get off of this planet.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
Biden surrounded himself with SPED students.

We had a State Department spokesman up there, telling the Taliban that they must create an inclusive government.

Hey! Mary Tyler Moore! These psychopaths decapitate people, burn them alive, and guys like you, they throw off of rooftops. Your inclusiveness is cis-gendered right out the window.

Why do we continue to negotiate with these people?

They don't give a shit. They only know one language.

We go in and kill them, kill their families, destroy everything they own . Then destroy their will to even want to start another war.

^^^^^^
Nothing I'd like better. But our government, to include most Repubs and ALL the Libtarded Leftists, don't have the balls to do that. Literally and figuratively. And MANY in the general populace lack those same balls....

This clown needs to be the first to resign but we all know he won't:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
This clown needs to be the first to resign but we all know he won't:

He's priming for a political future.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: parabellum,

https://thehayride.com/2021/08...ban-would-say-to-us/

Pretty good letter, and not wrong. Written by a couple of Army Rangers. Curious what people think. Full text below:


What The Taliban Would Say To Us

Editor’s Note: This is going around the internet like wildfire, and for good reason given current events. It was written by a couple of veterans of multiple tours in Afghanistan, men who have seen enough of the Taliban to be intimately acquainted with their mindset and their view of America.

A view which, sadly, is not inaccurate. That it also reflects the thinking of military heroes who have bled for our country is perhaps saddest of all.

Written in Taliban:

The first time I saw you was in the Khyber pass. You came with your technology, elite fighters fueled by revenge, and the hubris to believe you could disprove history.

This was a war that you didn’t have the stomach to fight. But I’m glad you tried.

We bled you the same way we bled the Soviets in our Holy Land. We bled you the same way the Vietnamese bled you in their home land. We did it patiently and deliberately.

Patience. Something Westerners never learn.

Our history is millennial. We don’t yearn for an early victory when the Infidel ravages our Holy Land. Our victory is celebrated decades from now. We’ve endured, then ravaged every standing military that crossed our borders. Why? How? We’re patient.

In 30 days, we’ll be stronger, richer, and have control over precious natural resources that you need for your pathetic life that’s dictated by comfort. We will have women, riches, land, guns, and ownership of one of the greatest chapters in military history.

You lose.

If you want to try again, we welcome the challenge. You will fail regardless of how much money you burn in our deserts. For pity, here is free advice that may contribute to your future success; should you ever decide to invade again.

You recruit your warriors and supporters from a drug addicted, distracted, disillusioned population that’s obsessed with comfort and entertainment. A population obsessed with altering their mundane reality. Alcohol, marijuana, pills, and our new favorite — Tide Pods. Every time your doctors prescribe opiate painkillers, you line our coffers with gold. Your population’s thirst for our pristine heroin has never been more lucrative for our warrior tribes. We will keep feeding you poison for as long as you keep your hands out.

If your population wasn’t so spineless, undisciplined, and self loathing, then you might be able to compile a raiding party with enough tenacity to outthink ours.

Our fighters are born into war. Raised in it. It’s a way of life that evades your “first world” nations. They live a life of such immense misery and pain that they’re willing to fight barefoot in the snow for the opportunity to martyr themselves. They yearn for the opportunity to die. When they do have the blessed opportunity to sacrifice themselves, they sit above Mohammed at the right hand of God. Blessed in Allah for eternity.

What honors do your fighters receive? Their empty sacrifice is remembered in the form of a “three day weekend.” The majority of your population uses this sacred time to get drunk and grow more fat as a way to celebrate their fallen warriors. Sadly, we pay tribute to their death more honorably.

The colored pieces of cloth you pin on their chests are similar to the jewelry worn by our women. What good are accolades and vanity if you don’t have the stomach to endure a fight? We don’t offer the burden of healthcare to our fighters as they often want to die for Allah. Your fighters fight to live. Their inability to reconcile the inevitable outcome of our patience leads them to kill themselves. Your medications, counselors and non-profits will never undo the pain and suffering you’ve forced them to endure. It will never remove the pain we’ve caused your broken nation. You are your own worst enemy.

We will give your fighters credit. Some are creative, tenacious, and fierce. They outgun us in every way possible. But again, we simply wait them out. Allah is patient. You cycle them through our Holy Lands every 3 to 12 months for their combat rotations. After their tour is complete, they return to the comfort of their warm beds and endless entertainment. If you left them here, in our Holy Land, with no way out but to win, then you might of have had a chance of success. The longer you poisoned our Holy Land with your presence, your “rules of engagement” only strengthened our position. There is only one rule in war – that is to win.

Your commanders made you fight with your hands tied behind your back. Your rules also confused our fighters too. “We’re clearly the enemy, why are they letting us go?” Thank you for your compassion as it allowed our fighters to kill more Infidels. We began to feel as if your commanders were on our side. We’re thankful your most vicious dogs were never allowed off their leash.

Your showcase Generals make us laugh. You spend millions of dollars flying them around our country inventing new ways to win, while ignoring the guidance of our most capable foes. Your Generals make decisions to minimize risk to their fragile reputation with the ultimate goal of securing a lucrative retirement–jobs with suppliers that fuel your losing force. A self-serving circle that’s built on the backs of your youngest and most naive fighters.

Your retired Generals “earn” tens of thousands of dollars talking to your political, industrial, and financial leaders about “teams, winning, and discipline.” It’s a mockery of the war they refused to fight. It’s a mockery of the Infidel warriors who died in our lands. We urge you to continue following their vacuumous personalities so we can further watch your once great nation collapse.

Your statesman and elected officials are spineless, narcissistic, and more cowardly than your Generals. They crave power over you above all else. They come to our country, hide behind blast walls, and only heed the word of the indiginous leader they put in power. I believe your soldiers call this a “self licking ice cream cone.”

They’ve burned billions of dollars in a wasted effort to bring clean water, electricity, business, education, agriculture, and exports to a region that didn’t ask for it. You should have saved yourself the effort and simply given the money directly to us. Don’t worry, your diplomatic friends gave us plenty of your American tax dollars. If you want to give it another shot with your “soft power,” send those with real experience, not fancy degrees and silver tongues.

Over the next few months, we will make the world understand that you failed worse than any fighting force that’s ever invaded our lands. Today we celebrate victory.

As you evacuate your embassy, our fighters will be standing in the shade. We thank you for the parting gifts. You’ll find surface-to-air missiles staged in the back of Toyota pickup trucks that you purchased for us. Our marksmen will be patient.

We saw what Extortion 17 did to your nation and the morale of your fighting force. Do your citizens even remember that victory? We’ll be repeating and improving upon our victory while your citizens and sympathizers evacuate in disgrace. Every one of your foes around the world will know exactly how to break you.

You are welcome to fly your empty drones, target our cell phones, and send your spies. But they, too, will ultimately fail. We’ll use their failures to show the world that you’re not all-powerful. You’re a false front. An empty shell. You lie, cheat, steal, and are easily defeated because you lack the spine to fight. This is your history now. We’re grateful Allah gave us the opportunity to show the world how to defeat the Infidels.

We look forward to seeing you again across the battlefield.

Praise be to God,
The Taliban

***Authors’ Note***

If you’ve read this far. Thank you. I’ve spent the past week trying to find a way to communicate this to the American people in a manner that would cause anger, rage, action, and understanding. Writing in the voice of a Taliban felt right.

If this made you angry, cry, or contemplative–then our goal is achieved. Our hope is that it inspires you to take action with your elected officials. They’ve been repeating the same failing playbook since World War II with your sons, daughters, and tax dollars. If you want this to keep happening, do nothing. If you don’t, then do something. If we all do a little, together we do a lot.

About the Authors:

Matthew Griffin is a 2001 United States Military Academy Graduate, Army Ranger, Combat Veteran with the 75th Ranger Regiment (3x Afghanistan, 1x Iraq), CEO of Combat Flip Flops, author, and 2019 Henry Crown Fellow with the Aspen Global Leadership Institute.

Scott Chapman is a 2000 Murray State University Graduate, Army Ranger Fire Team Leader from Alpha Company 2/75th Rangers (‘01 – ‘05), OGA Blackwater Alumni, entrepreneur, and author. Combat Veteran ( 21x Afghanistan, 1x Iraq)

What’s the minimum effective range of an RPG?
Link

quote:

Originally posted by kimber1911:
I don’t foresee Tailiban attacking those at the airport.
They have isolated the airport and will likely let all fly out.

Those outside of the airport however will see a different fate.

Yep. All I see there is one of two outcomes. One, Taliban prisoners held for negotiating leverage, or, two, huge American payoffs to buy them out of the country (essentially financing terrorism with American dollars).

And didn't I hear yesterday that some American ambassador or representative negotiated with the Taliban concerning how the Taliban would behave around the Bagram airport? And I believe John Kirby (what a total putz) made clear the details of that 'deal' would not be made public. Anyone else curious as to what the retard administration gave away with that 'deal'?