Kabul's streets are clogged with panicked civilians fleeing the Taliban onslaught of the Afghan capital, American chinook helicopters are hovering above the US Embassy with an emergency evacuation in progress, and the national government propped up for two decades by US money and power is negotiating surrender with barely a fight.
One former CIA officer has observed looking back to Joe Biden's July 8 Afghan policy speech: "This may become the most infamous — and devastating — press conference ever held by an American President," wrote CIA foreign operations veteran Bryan Dean Wright on Sunday.
"When I announced our drawdown in April, I said we would be out by September, and we’re on track to meet that target," Biden had said. "Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31st."
Clearly the Taliban are on the cusp of declaring victory in Kabul far ahead of that date marker, and certainly very far ahead of the initially conceived September 11 symbolic 'mission accomplished' date (without doubt whatever plans were laid for an optimistic sounding 9/11 "we're out of Afghanistan" or even "mission accomplished" speech will be scrapped).
Here's the exchange from a bit over a month ago:
REPORTER: Is a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable?
THE PRESIDENT: No, it is not.
REPORTER: Why?
THE PRESIDENT: Because you — the Afghan troops have 300,000 well- equipped — as well-equipped as any army in the world — and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable.
Perhaps this utter failure to grasp or predict anything close to reality on the ground in the conflict is a failure also shared by US intelligence, given that it was only in June that a widely reported intel assessment forecast that Kabul could fall within six months.
But just last week that assessment was significantly revised to say within "one month to 90 days". Merely the last 48 hours has obviously proven this completely off the mark as well.
US intelligence is now giving it just 72 hours - but it's looking more and more like the Taliban will overrun the capital in maybe just 24 hours, which may not even be enough time for all US diplomatic personnel to get out.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's US-backed leaders appear to be putting their exit plans in place, with appeals being made to the invading Taliban to spare them and their families...
For example former Afghan president Hamid Karzai urged the Taliban to provide security and safety for the city's civilians and its leaders in a Sunday video message recorded while standing with his three daughters.
Poster Comment:
#1: Lod To: Esso, anyone (#0)
Lod posted on 2021-08-15 13:06:40 Reply Private Reply
#2: Esso To: Lod (#1)
That's why I added a video poster comment.
(Edit) I think I probably knew more about this shit when I was in my early 20s than the Clowns-In-Charge do now. Bidet is no Ronald Reagan.
Esso posted on 2021-08-15 13:46:06 Reply Private Reply
#3: randge To: Lod (#1)
Maybe they hoped some of our civilians and other support personnel would be executed.
TPTB seem to like that kind of theater.
I've seen more stupid sons of a bitches, but none of them was a federal office holder.
randge posted on 2021-08-15 13:59:34 Reply Private Reply
#4: Lod To: randge, Esso, all (#3)
Lod posted on 2021-08-15 14:04:54 Reply Private Reply
#5: randge To: Lod (#4)
For balls out hypocrisy and psychopathic denial there's no one but Uncle Joe that comes so close to Sadaam's information minister.
"There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!"
randge posted on 2021-08-15 14:11:14 Reply Private Reply
#6: Pinguinite To: Esso (#0)
Assuming that is true, which it may be, Afghan's are known for switching sides like the wind, are they not?
Pinguinite posted on 2021-08-15 14:28:58 Reply Private Reply
#7: TommyTheMadArtist To: Lod (#1)
You are going to see video after video, of people getting burned alive, beheaded, drowned, all manner of torture porn, and you have THIS ADMINISTRATION TO THANK FOR IT.
This administration says they inherited these conditions from their predecessors. Yeah… It’s all about the narrative.
TommyTheMadArtist posted on 2021-08-15 14:44:55 Reply Private Reply
#8: Lod To: TommyTheMadArtist (#7)
Not a peep outta the white hut about his ever-escalating CF.
Lod posted on 2021-08-15 15:44:02 Reply Private Reply
#9: Lod To: All (#8)
Lod posted on 2021-08-15 15:47:28 Reply Private Reply
#10: Ada To: Lod (#9)
Ada posted on 2021-08-15 17:19:40 Reply Private Reply