I've long held that we had no business hanging around Afghanistan after we'd looked under the last bed and determined that OBL had, in fact, skipped town. We should have thrown the keys to the country to whoever wanted them seventeen years ago with a stern "...and don't make us come back!" admonition.
That said, here we are.
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| Operation Anaconda is as far in the past to today's high school seniors as Khe Sanh was to me. This official photo was probably shot on film. Some junior enlisted at HKIA weren't born when it was taken. |
When it began looking questionable that we were going to be able to evacuate all American citizens by the August 31st deadline, the Taliban issued a statement:
Taliban spokesperson Dr Suhail Shaheen said: "It's a red line. President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that." He added: "If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations - the answer is no. Or there would be consequences. It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation it will provoke a reaction."This struck me as getting a little unwarrantedly froggy on the Taliban's part.
Dr. Shaheen, bro, you seem to be confusing "won a crushing victory" and "the other side got bored and left". If we decide it's going to take more time to get the rest of our people out, there ain't a lot you can do about it.
And then came yesterday's ISIS bombing, which could be a precursor to a future Clash of the Assholes in post-withdrawal Afghanistan.
My friend Chris again had some cogent thoughts on what's going on and what sort of options are in play...
It’s time to leave Afghanistan, but we cannot walk out the door leaving our citizens behind. I understand the war weariness of the American public. Believe me I understand the military spouses who don’t want that uniformed duo knocking on their door. That said, we must be willing to use our all-volunteer military to protect American civilians. Aside from the immorality of abandoning our own, the entire world is examining our resolve. We are being measured. Our competitors will use our actions in the coming days and weeks as indicators of how far they can go in their hostility towards our interests in future years and decades.
You should go and RTWT.
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