U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate - POLITICO
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U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate
"Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list," said one defense official.
The decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials. | Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Force via AP
U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city's airport, a choice that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials.
The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan's capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.
But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials.
"Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list," said one defense official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. "It's just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean."
A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command declined to comment.
The issue came up during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill earlier this week, which turned contentious after top Biden administration officials defended their close coordination with the Taliban. Biden officials contended that it was the best way to keep Americans and Afghans safe and prevent a shooting war between Taliban fighters and the thousands of U.S. troops stationed at the airport.
After the fall of Kabul, in the earliest days of the evacuation, the joint U.S. military and diplomatic coordination team at the airport provided the Taliban with a list of people the U.S. aimed to evacuate. Those names included Afghans who served alongside the U.S. during the 20-year war and sought special immigrant visas to America. U.S. citizens, dual nationals and lawful permanent residents were also listed.
"They had to do that because of the security situation the White House created by allowing the Taliban to control everything outside the airport," one U.S. official said.
But after thousands of visa applicants arrived at the airport, overwhelming the capacity of the U.S. to process them, the State Department changed course — asking the applicants not to come to the airport and instead requesting they wait until they were cleared for entry. From then on, the list fed to the Taliban didn't include those Afghan names.
As of Aug. 25, only U.S. passport and green card holders were being accepted as eligible for evacuation, the defense official said.
Still, that U.S. officials handed over a list of Afghan allies and American citizens and residents shows the extent to which they outsourced security of the airport's outer perimeter to the Taliban. The Taliban has gone door-to-door in search of Afghan interpreters and others who helped U.S. and Western forces.
In written and verbal communications, Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, head of U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan, have referred to the Taliban as "our Afghan partners," according to two defense officials.
The Biden administration has been coordinating the evacuation effort and airport security with the Taliban, which is running the checkpoints outside the airport's outer perimeter. Officials have been "in daily communication" with Taliban commanders about who to let in, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters this week.
The news comes just hours after two Islamic State terrorist attacks rocked the area just outside the airport, killing at least four U.S. Marines and wounding dozens more. A number of Afghans were also killed in the bombings.
After the attacks, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) appeared to criticize the Biden administration's strategy of coordinating with the Taliban, writing in a statement: "As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear: We can't trust the Taliban with Americans' security."
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This is just unreal, the Biden administration gave a terrorist group their target list?
I am truly dumbfounded of the incompetence of Joe Biden..
It's not just Joe Biden, It's an entire team of Morons.
Well, you have to take into consideration the ideology they subscribe to.
That should answer any questions.
The stupidity never ends.
This never should have happened. They should have just stood in line with the million others trying to leave and the US should increase the pace and volume of removing those million people and delivering them into the welcoming arms of American conservatives here in the US. Am I right?? No?? You mean you all don’t have a better plan?? You sure have a lot of criticisms over a situation that has no decent solutions.
What is the plan now? What the hell do you think they are doing right now? Anyone that can get into the airport gets on a plane. Guess who isn't getting into the airport? US citizens and those Afghans that aided us. Thanks to the mighty mental midget in chief the Taliban now has a list of exactly who not to let through. Seems that terrorists from ISIS-K weren't on that list; and we all saw what happened.
The left's excuse making for the moron in chief is getting beyond sickening. Tick, tick, tick, the 31st is only 5 days away now; may be only 4 in that part of the world. Congress is already admitting there is no way they are going to get all of the US citizens out in time.
When the time is up in Afghanistan and the US military leaves with US citizens still on the ground, the calls for Biden's impeachment will be deafening. We will see if Democrats value party over country.
"...criticisms over a situation that has no decent solutions."
The place, timing and pace are entirely of Biden's origin - he gets the blame.
You must be thrilled at this gift that will keep on giving. Finally we have a POTUS with the balls to end a losing 20 year war, but to those who only know how to bitch and moan this is just more fodder for false indignation.
We would’ve been better off staying and waiting for a competent president for the exit. Dementia boy really screwed the pooch on this one, and giggle bitch might actually have done worse. Btw, exiting afghanistan was not dipshit’s idea.
How many more decades will that be? There’s no good solutions to this. You can admit it or just keep kicking the can down the road and pay a few more trillions just to end up in the same situation we are in right now, while offering nothing but cynicism the whole time. Just be content that the last POTUS didn’t attempt to resolve the unresolveable. Things could definitely be worse.
You're going to be shocked when the last flight out has it's tires shredded by mortar shards on the runway. You'll call that entirely unforeseeable.
I’m the one pointing out that there’s no decent solutions, so no I will not be shocked or surprised at anything about how this ends. As I said, to the detractors and partisan hacks this is the gift that promises to keep on giving. Feel free to weigh in with an actual plan that has been thought through its logical conclusions and would provide a better success rate. In my mind there still are worse things to come than a dozen dead soldiers.
Not sure where you got the “you can admit it or,,,,,,” from because i’ve never said there was a good solution to biden’s clown show. It is way too late for a good solution. It has turned into such a cluster that it makes operation eagle claw look like a text book success.
Then you’re just a partisan opportunist? You are just engaging in Biden bashing, while simultaneously appearing to admit that nobody could do better because there are no solutions. What Biden is doing takes guts. What you’re doing? Not so much.
Saying that this is a major clusterfuck is being a partisan opportunist?
you have no clue what i’m saying. I said there are no good solutions NOW because your boy fucked everything up so bad.
it doesn’t take guts to show the world you’re an imbecile, it takes stupidity and biden is full of that.
and don’t act like you’re above being partisan. If this clusterfuck happened under trump you would’ve been all over it.
See Biden's speech today? He is the very definition of gutless. Rather than taking the Taliban to task he gives them a free pass. They are the ones that are providing security and a parameter around the air port. ISIS-K, who are supposed to be their sworn enemy, had no problem getting past them and right up to the walls. Letting people that have been killing US troops for going on 20 years provide security; and the Democrats and left are still defending him.
"The buck stops with me". Another bullshit lie from the paper president. Blames Trump; blames US citizens and Afghans that aided us; blames US intelligence agencies; blames the pentagon; blames the Afghan military and security forces; and blames the Afghan government that everyone knew was weak and corrupt, but Biden and his pack of woke morons. Yes, "the buck stops with" Biden, but only after it gets pressed onto to every else first.
had no problem getting past them and right up to the walls
I wonder how they missed those distinctive ISIS K uniforms? It’s pointless to continue arguing about the reality of this situation with those who refuse to accept the reality of the situation. Have fun with your carnivorous partisan feast. I’m sure there’s more death coming down the pike for you to feign outrage over.
For mortal enemies the Taliban, who Biden put in charge of security for US forces, didn't do jack shit to stop them. The Taliban aren't trained or qualified for security. Also, Afghans are very clan/tribal how many check points did the terrorists have to pass through? The Taliban have several rings of check points surrounding the airport. Nothing gets past them unless they want it to. Think these terrorists didn't know which check points were manned by Taliban more interested in killing US Troops and would look the other way?
If is pointless arguing with someone that can't admit that this situation was completely avoidable; and that Biden is completely responsible for it.
I agree there is more death coming down the road for you to blithely ignore. Partisanship is a two way street; and you are heading in the wrong direction unwilling to accept that the moron in the WH is to blame for everything is going on in Afghanistan right now.
They are going to author textbooks about how such a manifestly bad organizational decision came to be made.
Is there not one person in authority with common sense enough to recognize you don’t give a list of people you are trying to protect to those who you know want to kill anyone you are trying to protect?