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US General Tells British Special Forces: Stop Rescuing People In Kabul, You're Making Us Look Bad
The Washington Examiner ^ | 08/20/21 | Tom Rogan

Posted on 08/20/2021 3:59:32 PM PDT by Enlightened1

I understand that the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division has told the commander of the British special forces at the Kabul airport to cease operations beyond the airport perimeter.

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. I understand that the British officer firmly rejected the request.

This show of rare tension between the U.S. and British command groups in Kabul reflects three factors.

First, it shows the obvious stress of attempting to extricate thousands of personnel under a situation of increasing terrorist threat. Elements of the Haqqani network, the Islamic State in Afghanistan, and possibly al Qaeda are now operating in proximity to Kabul airport with some degree of command separation from the Taliban.

In addition, the British military has more operational latitude in Kabul than the U.S. military, including the Navy SEAL elements present at the airport. I understand that the SAS has conducted operations to bring American citizens, as well as British citizens and at-risk personnel, through checkpoints and to the airport. This is not an indictment on U.S. capabilities or special operations intent, but rather, it's a reflection of political-military authorities. In part, this difference is understandable. Large-scale U.S. military operations beyond the Kabul airport perimeter would entail significant risk absent prior Taliban approval. But there is a sense, at least by allies, that the U.S. military could be doing more to leverage the Taliban into providing greater ease of access to the airport for those most at risk.

A bureaucratic tug of war between the State Department, Pentagon, and White House is also disrupting evacuation operations out of Kabul. This is aggravating British, French, and other Kabul-present military authorities. I understand that these governments have been further aggravated by the failure of the White House and Pentagon to communicate adequately, or in some cases, to communicate at all, on their intentions and actions. All these allies admit, however, that only the U.S. military could provide the airfield defense and air traffic control capabilities now on display.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 82ndairborne; british; general; kabul; specialforces
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1 posted on 08/20/2021 3:59:32 PM PDT by Enlightened1
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To: Enlightened1

WTF?


2 posted on 08/20/2021 4:00:46 PM PDT by dforest (huh)
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To: Enlightened1

3 posted on 08/20/2021 4:01:24 PM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: Enlightened1

Oh man, that’s gonna leave a mark.


4 posted on 08/20/2021 4:01:36 PM PDT by technically right
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To: Enlightened1

How is this not Babylon Bee?!


5 posted on 08/20/2021 4:01:40 PM PDT by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021)
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To: Enlightened1

Seriously?

Bugger off General!


6 posted on 08/20/2021 4:02:45 PM PDT by Chgogal (#GulagNancy is going all Cuba on Trump Supporters.)
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To: Enlightened1

Never in my life where I felt this possible. General should resign immediately.


7 posted on 08/20/2021 4:03:12 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie (The crowd was chanting "Death to America", but they were a mostly friendly crowd.)
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To: The_Media_never_lie

I certainly demonstrates how bad our government is. Sounds like a bunch of school boys.


8 posted on 08/20/2021 4:06:25 PM PDT by old curmudgeon
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To: The_Media_never_lie

Court martial time—they may have to send some of the generals to Gitmo jails if there is not enough space in the brigs for all of them.


9 posted on 08/20/2021 4:06:38 PM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Enlightened1

Not the Babylon Bee?


10 posted on 08/20/2021 4:06:56 PM PDT by SkyDancer
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To: BookmanTheJanitor

That gif also applies to what the clueless Democrats thought about Trump.

In fact, what most of the bureaucracy thought about him.


11 posted on 08/20/2021 4:07:34 PM PDT by JennysCool ('It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.' - Mark Twain)
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To: CatOwner

It’s real


12 posted on 08/20/2021 4:07:44 PM PDT by Enlightened1
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To: old curmudgeon

I=It.


13 posted on 08/20/2021 4:07:48 PM PDT by old curmudgeon
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To: Enlightened1

Jumpin’ Jim Gavin would have curbstomped Chrissie Donahue.


14 posted on 08/20/2021 4:07:53 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: SkyDancer

I wish


15 posted on 08/20/2021 4:07:54 PM PDT by Enlightened1
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To: Enlightened1
that British operations were embarrassing the United States military

It not as if this incompetent administration needs any help.

16 posted on 08/20/2021 4:08:41 PM PDT by TwelveOfTwenty (Will whoever keeps asking if this country can get any more insane please stop?)
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To: Enlightened1

If the American troops in Kabul don’t rebel and take their own actions to save American refugees that the Biden are time has abandoned then the Army is complicit in the murder of Americans and treason and that is never a good way to avoid a revolution.


17 posted on 08/20/2021 4:09:22 PM PDT by WMarshal (The Pleasant American)
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To: Enlightened1
Wow, another US flag officer is a total shitbag.

Color me stunned.

18 posted on 08/20/2021 4:09:24 PM PDT by SIDENET (ISAIAH 5:20)
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To: Enlightened1

The Brits are a Patrolling and showing you how it’s done while the US is Teaching Critical Race Theory Promoting Gender Ideology Monitoring Soldiers For “Extremism”


19 posted on 08/20/2021 4:10:10 PM PDT by butlerweave
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To: Enlightened1

Acting on orders from the mass of cytoplasm that inhabits the White House, the general told the British to let Americans die because that would make the entity look bad, but letting them die would not make the entity look bad.


20 posted on 08/20/2021 4:10:18 PM PDT by I want the USA back (We have more to fear from our government than from the bug that the chicoms made for us. )
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