As US military sticks to airport, British and French forces are rescuing their citizens in Kabul: reports
Category: News & Politics
Via: moose-knuckle • 3 years ago • 59 commentsBy: James Webb (Military Times)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Yesterday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said yesterday that despite the U.S. having at least 5,000 troops on the ground, he does not have the "capability" to reach out beyond HKIA.
"The forces that we have are focused on the security of the airfield. And you know how important that is, and you know what happens if we — if we lose the ability to provide that security," Austin told reporters from a podium in the Pentagon.
Austin's comments come amid reports of both British and French military units doing precisely that, pushing out into Kabul to secure the safety of their citizens. Occurring despite the Daily Mail reporting that the British contingent numbers less than 1,000 troops.
In his press conference yesterday, Austin acknowledged the challenges that Taliban checkpoints present for those seeking to leave Afghanistan. However, Austin stated that the U.S. government would continue to negotiate safe passage of evacuees with the Taliban rather than take action.
"We've gone back and tried to — and reinforce to the Taliban that if they have credentials, they need to be allowed through," Austin said.
Thursday morning, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby and Army Maj. Gen. William D. "Hank" Taylor, deputy director for regional operations and force management for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated that the U.S. military mission in Kabul is focused solely on operations at HKIA.
Negotiating with the Taliban for safe passage is not enough for Zeller and others, particularly in light of actions taken by Britain and France.
"It's ungodly, man. F---ing sinful," Dane Bowker, who deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, including with a Joint Special Operations Task Force, told Military Times.
Zeller finished his message this morning by asking the president to take action, as the window to fly out both Americans and Afghans is rapidly closing. Among these actions was a request to use the U.S. troops on the ground to secure safe passage for those needing a flight out.
"The Taliban cannot be allowed to remain 100m from US Marines where they can commit atrocities in front of us knowing we will do nothing. They are thugs. We are the United States of America. Show them we won't be bullied. Use the might of our forces to create a humanitarian corridor in Kabul — so that people can safely get to the airport without this chaos and constant Taliban interference," Zeller wrote.
While the world watches France and Brittan rescue it's citizens, the cowardly American president and his generals sit idly by while American citizens are unable to make it to the airport surrounded by Taliban.
Disgusting, America is weak!
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What 'reports'? Since your seed doesn't provide anything but innuendo, perhaps you can provide a link to said 'reports'?
Confucius say when the burka is pulled over the eyes, one cannot see.
"...the U.S. Embassy advised Saturday that U.S. citizens trying to leave should not travel to Kabul’s airport unless they are individually told to because of “potential security threats.”"
There's another rumor over here -
More innuendo and bullshit -
I read the seed AND the open links.
AGAIN, what report states that the UK and France troops are going into Kabul to 'rescue' their citizens and protectorants?
I say the seeder has failed to support the verasity of his seed.
Silence ensues.
[deleted]
They are not impaired by having a demented old fool and total jackass as their national elected leader as we are.
Extracting 200 is an entirely different mission than extracting 20,000. Both the British and French have more forces on the ground than the number of people extracted. If the United States followed the British and French model then the United States would need between 20,000 and 60,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan.
You do realize that the British and French can send troops into Kabul to extract British and French nationals because the US force has secured the airport. If the airport isn't secured then no one gets out. And no one is explaining why those British and French troops are only extracting their own. So much for a coalition force or NATO cooperation. Apparently the British and French are only allies when it is convenient.
Here's an idea, let's send our US troops out into Kabul to extract people and let the civilian population overrun the airport. Of course, no one would be able to get out then.
Hilarious, like watching Tweedledee and Tweedledum stroll by. The links to the reports are in the seeded content.
The Telegraph link is behind a pay wall and the France24 link doesn't say a word about French troops 'pushing out into Kabul to secure the safety of their citizens'.
Fail.
I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you!
So pay and get an education. Can't help the fact you can't see it but it's there.
Whoops posted same article LOL
Oh FFS
Someone in the US government finally kept secret ops secret
and one side of the partisan divide jumps in with both feet in their mouth.
It's almost embarrassingly UNAMERICAN !!!
First of all, the seed is based on an allegation which is unsupported.
Secondly, NONE of the links you provided support the allegation either.
No need, they don't support support the seeds allegation.
If a fact occurs behind a paywall, is it really a fact?
Only if you give me a password...
Since I am unable to vet it, it's irrelevant to the discussion.
They are also wrong
American Chinooks and other helicopters have been filmed picking up people from rooftops of hotels and office buildings for a week.
Do you think our Government or President should ADVERTISE It?
Really?
Should we advertise it to the Taliban so they start shooting down every helicopter?
Since the Taliban and their complicit terrorist groups already control Afghanistan and have surrounded Kabul and the airport, there's no need to "advertise" anything.
I saw thousands of Afghans protesting in the streets of Kabul yesterday and Thursday
There was gunfire and murder to break up the protests in Asadaba, now the protests are spreading
and the Taliban are lying about their new more gentle attitudes
as they try to maintain control.
Trying to maintain control in Afghanistan is the epitome of ironic.
Roughly 60% of Afghanis are under the age of 24 and are going to resist
the older tribalism from the mountains...
We shall see if they will be any more effective than any other government since Genghis Kahn.
I also saw reports that Afghan resistance had regained control of a couple of provinces. I wonder whom they'll turn to for support when they need it?
They will swear allegiance to the warlord who was just bought off by the Taliban, lol.
The Mujahedeen will rule again
This is shameful. People need to be fired over this.
fired for what ?
keeping secret ops secret?
Almost a thousand people rescued by Special ops and CIA by arranged helicopter evacuations for the past week.
when did you start to listen to this shit that smells like bad fish?
Take a couple of hours and watch "Black Hawk down"
and then tell me what a cluster fuck looks like compared to this evacuation.
Could you provide a link; because I went searching and couldn't find anything to back your statement.
Also, there is more than enough journalists and media (not including all of the cell phone users taking video) there that they would have been spotted; and the media doesn't give a shit about special operations integrity. So where are the damn videos?
Or maybe you are talking about this?
That was 5 damn days ago; and yes the US used helicopters to rescue Embassy personnel and civilians from the US embassy. That was before the Taliban fully entered Kabul!
No matter how you try and spin it, this withdrawal and evacuation has been a complete and absolute cluster fuck! Maybe it will take images of US civilians dead and taken hostage by the Taliban and Al Qaeda for it to finally sink in for some deniers.
And even if they did get 1,000 out they only have 10,000-30,000 more to go to get all Americans out of there.
Sounds vague.
In the meantime 12,000 have been evacuated at the time of the report linked below:
At least 12,000 people have been evacuated via Kabul airport since the start of a tumultuous rescue effort last Sunday. They include a mix of western government staff and aid agency workers, as well as Afghan residents who have worked with western governments or their agencies, or are perceived to be particularly at risk due to the nature of their work, such as journalists, translators or human rights activists.
The majority, approximately 7,000, were flown out of Kabul on cargo aircraft by the US military. The UK said it had taken about 1,200 people out of the country by Wednesday morning, while Germany’s defence minister said on Friday afternoon it had taken about 1,700 people to safety.Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said his country had flown 550 people out Afghanistan so far, while France and Italy say they have evacuated about 500 people each. Other nation states included in the evacuation effort include Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland and Switzerland.
And since that report a further 3,900 have been evacuated.
watch something reputable like the BBC
then you can get to work finding us all an example of
a war, or an evacuation from a war zone that went "smoothly"
It doesn't exist.
There ya go, expert opinion./s
The official figure for clandestine pickups was 984 last night.
Americans have to WANT to leave the country and contact the US Embassy
or it is assumed that they are staying willfully.
It's OK if they are that dumb, it's one of their inalienable rights
With the Taliban and Al Qaeda going door to door searching for them; it is up to them to figure out a way to contact the embassy. Wouldn't it have been far better to get a count of what US citizens were in Afghanistan, where they were located, and how best to contact and get them evacuated well in advance? Nah, that would take advanced planning and brains. Something this administration is sorely lacking.
Of course; another easy out for the asshole that put them in this situation to start with.
Attacking the victims. How noble of you./S
Searched the BBC as well, try again.
Let me spell this out really damn simply for you.
1) It is Biden's fault they are all trapped behind enemy lines. His complete and utter lack of planning lead to this. He withdrew troops before the civilians. That violates basic military tactics- the troops are always the last ones out.
2) He had no plans for how to evacuate anyone; and still doesn't. The Kabul airport cannot support what it is being asked. Think they know who is roaming around it? Think they have vetted every last Afghan inside of it? Think they know absolutely everyone they have evacuated so far? Think those planes leaving Kabul are always full?
3) He is relying on the Taliban's good graces that they will allow US civilians out; and those Afghans that aided us. Well we know for sure that the Afghans that aided us are being hunted down.
4) Biden wants US civilians to contact the embassy if they want to get out. Going to be pretty damn hard when the Taliban are destroying cell phone towers- cutting communication.
As I said before. Maybe it will take pictures/video of US civilians being executed and taken hostage before some come to realize how fucked up the withdrawal and evacuation truly have been.
Thank you.
The Democrats and left are bashing Trump for trusting the Taliban; but here is Biden doing the same damn thing.
Of course there is chaos around the airport. Karzai airport is not a secure facility. It was never intended for this. If Biden had any brains he would have kept a military airfield open to be the center for plane departures. It also would have allowed for rapid deployment of troops all over Afghanistan for evacuations. Guess having a safe secure facility isn't important.
It's a clusterfuck of massive proportions, from which the ripples haven't even really begun....
News Flash,
the decision to leave Afghanistan was made in February of 2020
Generously that's 16 months ago to arrange all American departures...
That's not attacking the victims
that's pointing out the absurdity of blaming Trump or Biden for the current situation
any Americans find themselves in
Key word "watch"
As in I watched Secretary of Defense Austin verify on Fox news today on TV
that yes they did send helicopters three times to a local hotel to pick up 159 Americans who were afraid to
walk to the airport pass Taliban 'checkpoints.
Where have you been for the past 20 years? That's exactly why Trump & Biden want out of crazy lands,
yet there will always be some smart ass entrepreneur or journalist who thinks they can enter the ME to
make a name for themselves and ends up publicly decapitated on Al Jizzera or RT.
They have had 18 months to get out.
Now 10 days
Tik tok tik tok
A helicopter rescue was necessary to get people 200 meters away, despite Biden's lies to the American public.
Think about that. Things are so bad Americans can't walk 200 meters without a helicopter despite a year and a half to plan an exit. .
They have had 18 months to get out.
No, they didn't. You don't pull civilians out and leave troops to hang around for 18 months without civilian support and helping the government we were trying to establish. . Just use some common sense.
I have. That wasn't about an evacuation. The actual evacuation of American forces, as far as I remember, transpired smoothly.
Sean don't embarrass your own intelligence.
POTUS Trump announced the withdrawal 18 months ago.
If that wasn't a clue to leave soon,
Biden's support of the agreement should have been a wake up call to all Americans
and dual nationals to get out of Dodge.
The fact that they ignored Biden's 4 month extension pretty much seals the deal that
they too expected the Afghan government not to roll over and play dead,
They gambled. They lost.
Too bad.
When it gets as bad as Mogadishu, maybe we can talk about comparisons.
It started out as a mission to arrest a few warlords.
The clusterfuck started when it went south and we had to go back in
to rescue downed Black Hawk pilots, retrieve dead Black Hawk pilots, destroy the Black Hawks properly
and then go back further to gather up scattered units ( like our scattered citizens in Kabul )
gather the dead and wounded and get lost 4 more times with our retarded Burmese drivers
( they did apparently volunteer )
who didn't understand English. Most of the casualties occurred when they were in or on the vehicles
doing the "rescue/evacuation" and when everyone made it back to the stadium
and they did a head count,
It was decided to go right back out on another "rescue/evacuation" effort. On foot.
When they were located we brought in Black Hawks to evacuate the dead & wounded.
Uncomplicated evacuations are the stuff of fantasies.
Stay indefinitely, more people die.
Leave after 18 months more people die.
There really isn't any other choice.
2,500 American troops don't need 70,000 civilians to support them Sean.
News Flash, everybody but Biden seemed to know about it. He did jack shit of nothing for the 7 months he was in office; outside of unilaterally extending the deadline to 8/31; and then withdrew all US troops before getting the civilians and Afghans that aided us out! Now matter how you spin it he fucked up.
Also, stop blaming the victims for Biden's fuck up! Think they weren't listening to Biden when he said that the Afghan governmental forces could last 2 or 3 years; and that there was no guarantee that the government would ever fall? That was 6 short weeks ago! Biden didn't change his damn tune or response to what was going on in Afghanistan despite all of the warnings once! He never sounded the alarm that all US citizens should get out; or course even 6 weeks ago was too damn late for many that worked outside of Kabul.
Yes, it is and you keep right on doing it! If Biden would have sounded the alarm to leave when he should have; then you can blame those that didn't listen. Instead the fucking moron in chief told everyone that they were safe; and the Taliban couldn't retake Afghanistan.
I am really beginning to suspect you are really Joe Biden or one of the idiots working in his administration.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue has told his British Army counterpart, a high-ranking field-grade officer of the British army's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, that British operations were embarrassing the United States military in the absence of similar U.S. military operations, according to multiple military sources. I understand that the British officer firmly rejected the request.
I hope this is untrue. The spokesman "denied the central thrust of this story" which is not the flat denial I'd rather have heard. The response to this should have been it's nonsense, period. No lawyerly parsing necessary.
And I sincerely hope that the Brits vehicles aren't targeted by the Taliban which has shown unusual restraint so far.
The Taliban is nervous. They only hold the majority of the country by threats and bribes
and already lost three or four districts
north of Kabul which have evicted the Taliban and are flying the Afghan flag again.
Interesting times.
Keep your eyes on what happens to Bagram
You call what the Taliban are doing restrained? Your definition sucks. Also, think the Brits didn't warn the Taliban that if their troops were fucked with they wouldn't pay for it? Unlike quaking gutless Biden Britain, France, Germany, and Australia are not going to leave their civilians and the Afghans that aided them to the not so tender mercies of the Taliban.
If they are that weak then we should be forcing the issue and getting our people out! If they fuck with our troops, civilians, or those that aided us they should be dead; but we have a gutless PotUS.
Seems that fucking Biden was wrong again. Some of the government troops are still fighting; along with the warlords and civilians.
"May you live in interesting times" Otherwise known as the Biden Administration motto. In seven months they have done more to fuck this country up than most presidents accomplish in 4 or 8 years.
Wonder if our allies are going to claim it; and again prove how gutless Biden is? Of course at this point it might end up a Chinese or Russian base.
Considering that the airport is the main means of evacuating, of course we are guarding it. If it goes, so will the evacuations.