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John Simpson on Afghanistan: A country abandoned
BBC News ^ | August 30, 2021 | By John Simpson

Posted on 08/30/2021 11:04:46 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Right across the globe, countries which have traditionally relied on American backing are suddenly starting to wonder if they should get themselves some re-insurance.

Taiwan, which is almost daily subject to threats of invasion from China, is particularly worried. South Korea, Japan, Western Europe, and Britain are all wondering if the American commitment to them could evaporate as fast as the commitment to Afghanistan has.

Only four months ago, President Joe Biden sounded confident and reassuring: "We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit. We'll do it responsibly, deliberately and safely. And we will do it in full co-ordination with our allies and partners."

That isn't what happened. And a country which depended on American and Western support for an entire generation has suddenly found itself abandoned.

It was the announcement of the deadline for pulling out the Western troops that led to the sudden Taliban surge and the capture of Kabul.

The likelihood is that the new Taliban regime will be faced with two separate civil wars: one against the Islamic State-Khorasan - which carried out the bombing at Kabul airport last week and regards the Taliban as religious sell-outs - and one against the resistance movement of supporters of the old government.

These resistance fighters are based in the impregnable Panjshir Valley, 100 miles north-east of Kabul. President Biden's abrupt withdrawal means that peace, for the people of Afghanistan, is further away than ever.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: California; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; biden; california; failure; johnsimpson; nancypelosi; taliban; unitedkingdom; waronterror
Biden lied, people died.
1 posted on 08/30/2021 11:04:46 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Afghanistan was never a country or a nation. It was just a place on a map.........................


2 posted on 08/30/2021 11:06:05 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

After our stolen election, it’s not just other countries that have to worry.

This regime does not have the best interests of Americans anywhere in their decision making.


3 posted on 08/30/2021 11:08:56 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizens Are Born Here of Citizen Parents)(Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Not for long. Watch what China does there.


4 posted on 08/30/2021 11:10:12 AM PDT by bigbob
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Taiwan, which is almost daily subject to threats of invasion from China, is particularly worried. South Korea, Japan, Western Europe, and Britain are all wondering if the American commitment to them could evaporate as fast as the commitment to Afghanistan has.

There is zero question that we needed to end the Afghanistan adventure that George W started, but the way Biden did it - fleeing in humiliation, stranding our own people and our allies, and leaving billions in military equipment for the same folks who helped make 9/11 happen...even the Soviets handled their Afghanistan exit more gracefully, and they were about to disintegrate as a nation.

There's no question at all that most of the world now sees the US as a fading power, and Biden is directly responsible for that.
5 posted on 08/30/2021 11:10:36 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Abandoned by who?

This is what the Afghani people want. 99% of them believe in and want sharia law. It ranks #1 in how closely a country follows sharia law. Afghan refugees in Pakistan want to go home now that the Taliban is back in control.

The supiese army they had only fought that Taliban when they had the US military there and the air assets. When that stopped they walked away.

It’s estimated that 30% of the Taliban fighters are ex ANA.

The Afghans getting in those planes just want a free ride in the West. They don’t care about raising their families i anywhere else, they just want the money.

The country wasn’t abandoned. It was thrown away as it should have been after it was bombed to bits.


6 posted on 08/30/2021 11:15:43 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
It was the announcement of the deadline for pulling out the Western troops that led to the sudden Taliban surge and the capture of Kabul.

No, it was the unwillingness of the 180,000 Afghan soldiers that we trained and armed to fight the Taliban that led to the 'sudden' Taliban surge and the capture of Kabul.

We gave them the tools. We gave them the training. But we cannot give them the will to fight for their own freedom.

7 posted on 08/30/2021 11:17:43 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Red Badger

Boom and only because the Stans surrounding it and Iran keep the borders because no one wants those savages anywhere near them.

The ones that are here may be laying low. It now that they’re getting some back up and the Dems can use them politically things are about to change.

It’s about to get weird.


8 posted on 08/30/2021 11:18:41 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: bigbob

I don’t think China will do anything more than make the Taliban leadership rich so they can have their villas in Dubai and buy up all the lithium. Electric cars are about to go the way of the dinosaur or become very very expensive.


9 posted on 08/30/2021 11:21:25 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: Yo-Yo

Bingo.

Hard to get guys to fight when they actually like the guys they’re supposed to be fighting.


10 posted on 08/30/2021 11:23:49 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: bigbob

China’s Rules of Engagement will not be the same as those of the US. Chinese commanders will have little or no concern about collateral damage to non-combatants. China’s military doctrine utterly to destroy the opposition will be driven by its desire to pacify the country quickly so that it can extract the rare earth minerals there for the taking.


11 posted on 08/30/2021 11:23:57 AM PDT by JGPhila
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To: Yo-Yo

There was an article a year or so ago. Afghan special forces guy. Trained by our guys. Thought to be a legit bada$$.

One day he loaded up a Humvee with guns, nvg’s, and sorts of other gear and drove out of the gate.


12 posted on 08/30/2021 11:25:43 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: JGPhila

Why does anyone think the Chinese military is going to go in there? Chinese mining companies will?

As long as theTaliban leaders gets their money nothing will happen to any Chinese there.


13 posted on 08/30/2021 11:28:22 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: Yo-Yo

Partly true. We trained them to fight with our troops technical and tactical air support. We never took the training wheels off, Biden and his CRT brass knew this, they could see the Afghans couldn’t survive without our support in the outer tribal regions, but Biden kept the insane Sept 11 / Aug 31 deadline.


14 posted on 08/30/2021 1:26:32 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Yo-Yo

Partly true. We trained them to fight with our troops technical and tactical air support. We never took the training wheels off, Biden and his CRT brass knew this, they could see the Afghans couldn’t survive without our support in the outer tribal regions, but Biden kept the insane Sept 11 / Aug 31 deadline.


15 posted on 08/30/2021 1:26:39 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Partly true. We trained them to fight with our troops technical and tactical air support. We never took the training wheels off, Biden and his CRT brass knew this, they could see the Afghans couldn’t survive without our support in the outer tribal regions, but Biden kept the insane Sept 11 / Aug 31 deadline.

I have heard this previously that the ANA could only fight when supported by US intelligence and air support, but if it is true then the blame lies with the Trump administration who set a May 1st, 2021 deadline for withdrawal, conditions based.

Four years under Trump was enough time to remove the 'training wheels' from the ANA.

16 posted on 08/30/2021 1:53:48 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Yo-Yo

>>> Four years under Trump was enough time to remove the ‘training wheels’ from the ANA. <<<

Understand your point. And it’s a good one. But shortly after Bidens 14-April announcement that we were leaving by 11-Sept, the Taliban rolled the ANA in outer provinces. DC watched these routs but did not pivot to new tactics to stop the Taliban march to Kabul.

Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth”. We watched the ANA get punched in the mouth but made the POLITICAL decision to do nothing, or change tactics. Hitting a deadline was more important than an orderly withdrawal.


17 posted on 08/30/2021 3:27:12 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

And the Soviets and Red Chinese all laughed their collective red @$$e$ off at our stellar leadership. And our allies vanished in a moment’s time. They know now there are no more free passes from the USA for us guarding them. They have to defend their selves now. They don’t, and can’t trust us to protect them from the Soviets or Red Chinese any longer. If I were the people of Taiwan, I’d be really worried.


18 posted on 08/30/2021 5:32:28 PM PDT by RetiredArmy (Free Will. GOD gives you the choice I accept or reject Him! Choose Him. It depends on you.)
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