Once we've done what we can legitimately do in decommissioning the Embassy, we need to blow/level it.

An empty Embassy isn't something we should be turning over to the AFgans (or their Russians/Chinese friends who will tour the place). If you've ever been through one, top to bottom, you'd agree. Better to totally destroy it because we don't have enough time to get everything out or suppress what we don't want others to see.

I can think of no scenario that wouldn't have left the Taliban in charge of at least a major portion of the country once we inevitably left. Even if they agreed not to, they are notorious for lying and breaking their word. They have no problem with this when dealing with infidels, which to them is anyone who isn't Taliban.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Herkdriver:
In my educated opinion this was bound to happen whenever we left.

This was evident to anybody not too clue-impaired to see it.

Very true, but there was a way to remove ourselves from A-stan without leaving the bad guys US hardware and weapons and putting US citizens and Afghan interpreters and the like at extreme risk. We could have had an orderly withdrawal with anyone else but the current clown cabal in Washington. This group is truly incapable of executing a successful circle jerk.

China 'Ready' To Recognize Taliban If Afghan Government Ousted

https://www.zerohedge.com/geop...an-government-ousted

Late last month the world beheld the unusual footage of Taliban commanders being warmly received by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in the Chinese city of Tianjin. That trip included the Islamic terror group's co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in a rare visit widely seen as an attempt of the jihadists to gain "legitimacy" abroad.

It appears to have paid off, given that now at a moment the Taliban is scoring victory and victory on the ground they are eyeing the sought after price of Kabul. And now US News and World Report writes that "China is prepared to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan if it succeeds in toppling the Western-backed government in Kabul, U.S. News has learned, a prospect that undercuts the Biden administration's remaining source of leverage over the insurgent network as it continues its startling campaign to regain control."

Beijing is still said to be urging the Taliban to strike a ceasefire and peace deal with the government under Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. In the past days Kabul has signaled it's open to a "power sharing" agreement.

But the Taliban has little incentive given it's already taken over about two-thirds of the country with relative ease and while beholding retreating national forces.

"However, new Chinese military and intelligence assessments of the realities on the ground in Afghanistan have prompted leaders in the Chinese Communist Party to prepare to formalize their relationship with the insurgent network, according to multiple U.S. and foreign intelligence sources familiar with the Chinese assessments," the report says further.

Late last month the world beheld the unusual footage of Taliban commanders being warmly received by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in the Chinese city of Tianjin. That trip included the Islamic terror group's co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in a rare visit widely seen as an attempt of the jihadists to gain "legitimacy" abroad.

It appears to have paid off, given that now at a moment the Taliban is scoring victory and victory on the ground they are eyeing the sought after price of Kabul. And now US News and World Report writes that "China is prepared to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan if it succeeds in toppling the Western-backed government in Kabul, U.S. News has learned, a prospect that undercuts the Biden administration's remaining source of leverage over the insurgent network as it continues its startling campaign to regain control."



Beijing is still said to be urging the Taliban to strike a ceasefire and peace deal with the government under Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. In the past days Kabul has signaled it's open to a "power sharing" agreement.

But the Taliban has little incentive given it's already taken over about two-thirds of the country with relative ease and while beholding retreating national forces.

"However, new Chinese military and intelligence assessments of the realities on the ground in Afghanistan have prompted leaders in the Chinese Communist Party to prepare to formalize their relationship with the insurgent network, according to multiple U.S. and foreign intelligence sources familiar with the Chinese assessments," the report says further.

Our leaders are garbage. 20 years. No end in sight. We needed to leave. No one cared about the kids. I'm glad we're leaving. No more.

https://www.marines.mil/Photos.../igphoto/2000697988/

quote:

Originally posted by Nuclear:
Pretty sure I've seen this all before. It ends with helicopters evacuating people off the roof of the US Embassy.

quote:

Taliban enters Kabul as US embassy evacuation begins

Updated August 15, 2021 — 6.21pm, first published at 12.13am

Kabul: The Taliban have begun entering the Afghan capital Kabul from all sides, the Afghan interior ministry said on Sunday, as US and European Union staff sought safety at the airport and undisclosed locations.

“Core” US team members were working from the Kabul airport, a US official said, while a NATO official said several EU staff had moved to a safer, undisclosed location in the capital.

After its lightning advance on the capital, the insurgent group ordered its fighters to refrain from violence, allow safe passage to anyone seeking to leave and request women to head to protected areas, said a Taliban leader in Doha.

Helicopters are landing at the US Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound.

The rapid shuttle runs by helicopters came on Sunday morning local time as wisps of smoke rose from the embassy’s roof. US officials previously said that diplomats inside had begun destroying sensitive documents.

Taliban fighters were in the city districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman. The insurgents did not immediately acknowledge their presence in the capital. However, government offices suddenly began sending workers home early Sunday as military helicopters buzzed overhead.

The Taliban earlier seized Jalalabad, the last major city outside of Kabul held by the country’s increasingly isolated central government, cutting off the capital to the east and tightening their grip on the nation as tens of thousands fled their rapid advance.

The fall of the last major city outside the capital secured for the insurgents the roads connecting Afghanistan to Pakistan, a Western official said.

[...]

https://www.smh.com.au/world/m...20210814-p58isx.html

Since when has Biden been against mask mandates?



Biden is a coward. For 50 years. Always has been.

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
Since when has Biden been against mask mandates?



Biden is a coward. For 50 years. Always has been.

I am not a fan of this administration’s policies at all. However, the above change of circumstances for women is not our fault and is not justification for our continued presence in Afghanistan. At some point, the people, women included, of Afghanistan were going to have to take some responsibility for instituting change if they truly wanted change. After 20 years it is abundantly clear that most people in Afghanistan do not want change, and certainly don’t want to move away from tribalism to a Western style democratic government. It is kind of like an alcoholic, they can’t start on the road to recovery until they realize and admit to themselves that they have a problem. The majority of Afghans don’t believe that they have a problem, so there is no chance that they will change. While I hope we scuttle any infrastructure, including embassy buildings, that we are leaving behind so that they can’t be used by the Taliban, it IS time to go.

quote:

it IS time to go

We should have never been there in the first place.

You can't bring a 7th century culture into the 21st century no matter how much you try.

Funny thing, when we first went into 'stan I remarked to a co-worker it was going to be another Vietnam (we're both vets) and he said it wouldn't! Fast forward 20 years and you had to be pretty arrogant and stupid not to see this coming. History is repeating itself! They have centuries of dealing with outsiders, as do many cultures. Not to be xenophobic but what about our current mentality towards "outsiders" be it local, statewide or national? Give it some serious and not emotional thought.

Anyone who has been paying attention in Afghanistan since about 05-06 knew this was how it would end…

It shouldnt be surprising.

Sunday’s developments ended a one-week routing of Afghanistan by the Taliban, as U.S. and western force mounted little effort to turn back the extremist group’s insurgents as the Afghan army endured failure after failure.

US officials told CNN that they hoped to complete the evacuation of the embassy in Kabul within 72 hours, acknowledging to the TV network that the Biden administration had poor intelligence on what was really going on in the ground.

https://justthenews.com/govern..._campaign=newsletter

We should nuke every mosque in the country before we go.

quote:

Originally posted by Lt CHEG:

I am not a fan of this administration’s policies at all. However, the above change of circumstances for women is not our fault and is not justification for our continued presence in Afghanistan. At some point, the people, women included, of Afghanistan were going to have to take some responsibility for instituting change if they truly wanted change. After 20 years it is abundantly clear that most people in Afghanistan do not want change, and certainly don’t want to move away from tribalism to a Western style democratic government. It is kind of like an alcoholic, they can’t start on the road to recovery until they realize and admit to themselves that they have a problem. The majority of Afghans don’t believe that they have a problem, so there is no chance that they will change. While I hope we scuttle any infrastructure, including embassy buildings, that we are leaving behind so that they can’t be used by the Taliban, it IS time to go.

Well said.

And after all Uncle Joe did for them...

Afghan President Ghani Flees Country As Taliban Enter Kabul

https://www.zerohedge.com/mark...-biden-over-complete

: "Run Away!" Reuters is reporting that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country as the Taliban enter the capital Kabul. Ghani is reportedly in Tajikistan.

Biden sucks but this was never going to end well, no matter who was in charge.
I think Ron Paul is a little out there on some stuff but he called this one closer to the beginning than others.
The initial anger of 9/11 got us there but a lot of bad decisions from both parties kept us there this long.

When I served there 13 years ago ( wow time flies) the writing was on the wall then.
No desire to embrace western ideology or culture and no interest in a strong national government or identity.
At least when I was in Iraq there were people with education, an idea that life could be better for the people and at least a ray of hope.
Many of the police we were training fully openly admitted we were just the sugar daddy of the week. Once we left someone would fill the void and start the whole process over again. Plus ( and I cannot say this isn’t true) they would tell us they’d been fighting for 20+ years before we showed up.
Attitude was what can you teach me about fighting I don’t already know?

It was monumentally stupid and shortsighted to have ever had any occupying presence there. Its the same old thing, politicians who are never held responsible for what they do. Billions wasted, lives lost and soldiers maimed and crippled for life. It was stupid in now its stupid out. There should be public hangings for this.

Guess were not going to Hug it out with the Taliban. ...

I can't even imagine the amount of equipment and infrastructure were leaving behind throughout the country. Hope we level the entire Embassy campus and covert it into a rock quarry.