The Elephant in the room. Afghanistan

Numerous countries are closing their Embassies.
ETA:add Canada, UK and Germany..


Sources: U.S. planning for a full embassy withdrawal as the Taliban close in on Kabul

In some provinces, political, police and militia leaders have abandoned their posts after the Taliban promised them protection, according to reports.
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Norway and Denmark rushed to close their embassies in Kabul on Friday as thousands of U.S. and British troops flowed into the city to evacuate their citizens amid a Taliban advance that pushed the front lines closer to the capital.
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The massive offensive has put the government in Kabul on its heels, and the Pentagon has started planning for a full withdrawal of the American mission in Kabul, three people familiar with the preparation told POLITICO, with two saying U.S. Central Command sees a full embassy evacuation as “inevitable.” In a sign of the deep concern permeating Washington, the embassy’s facility manager ordered staff Friday to start destroying documents and equipment.

The list includes classified documents, electronics, and large items that will be crushed with a large roller, according to an internal memo. Also slated for destruction are any documents featuring "American flags...which could be misused in propaganda efforts.”

At the Kabul airport, expected to be a focal point in the coming days, 3,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers began arriving alongside 600 British soldiers to evacuate their diplomats and citizens. They will also attempt to speed up the departure of Afghans applying for visas to flee the country.

www.politico.com/news/2021/08/13/afghanistan-embassy-withdrawal-taliban-504444

I agree, although I am sick that it has come to this. But we have been there for 20 years. If there was a military solution, surely we would have found it by now. IMO, we should have used special forces to hunt for OBL, and kept our army out of Afghanistan. I think that it was always doomed to fail.

I saw somewhere that Canada will be bringing 20,000 Afghanistan refugees in.

I think it was past time, I think we never should have invaded in the first place. That doesn't make it any easier to witness nor does it absolve us of our responsibility for the consequences of the withdrawal. I feel sick thinking about what is going to happen to the women and girls in that country now, even more bitter now after so many of them have had the chance to taste freedom and autonomy for the last 20 years.

One of my best friends was able to sponsor her Iraqi interpreter and his family to come here about a decade ago. It was a ridiculously complicated process, understandable in some ways, but on the other hand, you'd think we'd be able to figure out how to streamline it by now. Getting here is only the first step though and transparently, the federal gov't did nothing to support them or help with the transition after they arrived and this was during the Obama administration. They've done okay-ish but IMO it's largely because my friend did the heavy lifting in the years after they arrived including making sure they had a safe place to live, help finding employment, etc. It has not been an easy transition for them by any measure.

I sure don't think the soon is good enough... Only 8,000...? Sounds wrong

(CNN)The Biden administration is working to finalize an agreement with Qatar to temporarily house thousands of Afghans who worked with the United States and their families and are fleeing their country as the security situation deteriorates, according to a source familiar with the ongoing discussions. The source said it could be as many as 8,000 Afghans but cautioned the deal is not final.
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Should an agreement be reached, an initial group of around 1,000 to 2,000 Afghans is expected in Doha "soon," the source said

www.cnn.com/2021/08/13/politics/afghanistan-us-qatar-siv-translator-housing/index.html

Lordy, I was yelling at the TV the other night from the kitchen due to this very issue. It was all about Biden this and that. I yelled Trump started it. DH changed the channel. He wanted dinner with no ill tasting additives.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2017/08/18/trumps-afghanistan-strategy-may-unlock-3-trillion-in-natural-resources.html

I imagine that Cheney and his cronies are scrambling.

As Sarah*H said above, my concern is for the Afghan women and children.

Much headway had been made in education and careers for women and now they are back to hiding in their homes. The Taliban have zero respect for them and will kill them without a thought.

As someone I just read today said “this will not just be a humanitarian crisis, it will be a humanitarian disaster”.

I completely understand we can’t be there forever. The government there needs to stand up for themselves, but obviously that’s not happening and it’s heartbreaking (to me).

I’m praying for the innocent and for our troops that are being sent back in to defend our citizens and those that helped our military, as they try and help with the evacuation.

I didn't think I could have more distaste for anything more than Trump....but the Taliban...they are disgusting parasites! Please do not confuse them with Muslims because they are not. They are sick, twisted, maniacal pieces of shit! One of the biggest problems in Afghanistan is the terrain, which lends to how tribal so much of the country is. Throw in the corruption and it is a petri dish of disaster for so many reasons.

I fear that there are many who bear resentment towards the west because of what they see as an occupation of their country. Hate breeds more hate and I truly have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach over the future of Afghanistan.

A heartbreaking situation with no good resolution. I can’t imagine the hell that the Afghanis are and will be experiencing.

No one was going to " win" in Afghanistan. It's been a trouble country for far longer than the last 20 years. If it wasn't the Taliban it would be some other tribal force. The history of Afghanistan and it's troubles go back at least 150 years and that is only covering the" modern" era.

My heart breaks for the families that have sons and fathers that have sacrificed their lives and for the ones that returned, in many cases, never to be the same people again. I only know one veteran who served, he was in the Royal Marines and the effect on his life since he left the RM and continued in civvy street has been catastrophic. I'm certain that he is probably saying to himself now " what was it all for?"

Yup. No surprise there. And very few words have been written on Fox about the thousands of people dying of covid in red states.   It’s time Fox dropped the  “news” fairy tale, just as they dropped the “fair and balanced” facade. 

Our efforts should have been in Afghanistan at the beginning, not in Iraq.

More of our troops are going...

5,000.. not sure if that is total or 5,000 more.