Evacuation of up to 80,000 lags as U.S.
bolsters control of Kabul airport,
but Taliban controls access to it
Posted By: NorthernDog, 8/19/2021 1:14:36 PM
Doha, Qatar — A protest against the Taliban takeover in eastern Afghanistan ended Thursday morning with a report of several people killed after the militants opened fire, sparking a stampede. The Islamic extremists have promised not to seek revenge and to rule over an "inclusive" country, but the public statements come as the group's militants show little tolerance for dissent or disorder, including at the U.S.-held airport vital to all evacuations from the country. CBS News correspondent Roxana Saberi reported that the chaos of the last couple days was continuing outside Kabul's international airport as Afghans try desperately to flee their
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
person likes this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "NorthernDog"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by
NorthernDog"
Henri, still a tropical storm, is inching closer to the north-northeast coast and is expected to make landfall Sunday as a hurricane on Long Island or southern New England, weather forecasters said. The storm is currently about 525 miles south of Montauk Point, Long Island. Henri's maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. Saturday update. "Strengthening is forecast through tonight, and Henri is expected to become a hurricane later today and be at or near hurricane strength when it makes landfall," the agency said. The last major threat
President Joe Biden just faced one of his toughest weeks as president yet, with pandemonium in Afghanistan, skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, and a declining approval rating. Roughly a month after Biden forcefully defended his move to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, expressing "trust" in the capacity of the Afghan military to keep the Taliban at bay, the militant Islamist group marched into Kabul on Sunday. The Taliban had rapidly seized major cities over the course of the prior week, often without much of a fight. The militants regained control of the country just days after the US military assessed that it
WASHINGTON — Amid the continuing crisis in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden postponed plans to head to his Delaware home on Friday and instead will spend the night in Washington. The White House announced the latest schedule change hours before Biden was set to discuss the chaotic evacuation of American citizens and allies from Afghanistan. The president has been under mounting pressure over his decisions in Afghanistan, which ultimately led to last weekend’s collapse of the U.S.-backed government and complete takeover of the country by Taliban militants. The U.S.-led evacuation effort has been complicated by a range of obstacles, from armed
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden is brushing off criticism of his administration's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal because he and his aides believe the political fallout at home will be limited, according to White House allies and administration officials. Biden and his top aides argue they are managing an evacuation mission as well as could be expected given the faster-than-anticipated takeover of the country by Taliban insurgents, and are seeking to draw attention back to the choice to get U.S. troops out of the country. (Snip) They expect the Afghanistan story to recede from the headlines, replaced by the resurgence in COVID-19 cases
A senior Taliban commander on Wednesday laid out the broad strokes of how Afghanistan will be governed after the stunning fall of Kabul, saying there will be an Islamic government with Sharia law and no democratic system "at all." Waheedullah Hashimi, the leader, told Reuters that democracy does not have "any base in our country." "We will not discuss what type of political system should we apply in Afghanistan because it is clear. It is Sharia law and that is it," he said. The Taliban said that the rights of women in the country will be respected as long as
Doha, Qatar — A protest against the Taliban takeover in eastern Afghanistan ended Thursday morning with a report of several people killed after the militants opened fire, sparking a stampede. The Islamic extremists have promised not to seek revenge and to rule over an "inclusive" country, but the public statements come as the group's militants show little tolerance for dissent or disorder, including at the U.S.-held airport vital to all evacuations from the country. CBS News correspondent Roxana Saberi reported that the chaos of the last couple days was continuing outside Kabul's international airport as Afghans try desperately to flee their
Taliban's arms seizures embarrass Washington
13 replies
Videos of Taliban fighters parading in US-made armored vehicles, wielding US-supplied firearms and climbing on American Black Hawk helicopters after the defeat of Afghan government forces have embarrassed the White House. The Islamist insurgents, who easily captured control of the country after a months-long campaign, seized huge amounts of weaponry, equipment and munitions from the Afghan armed forces, most of it supplied over the past two decades by Washington. Social media showed Taliban fighters carrying M4 and M18 assault rifles and M24 sniper weapons, driving around in the iconic US Humvees and, in one video, apparently wearing US-style special forces
Rent is about to go up again—here’s why
8 replies
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But if you’re currently renting your place, you might see the price tick up when it’s time to renew your lease. In fact, rent is forecast to be even higher this year than it would have been if the pandemic had not occurred. Through out 2020, many renters were able to benefit from price reductions or even months of free rent as landlords struggled to fill empty units. But those concessions are more or less gone, and landlords are hiking up prices as Covid-19 restrictions end and housing demand spikes. Housing costs
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Images of the Taliban cracking down on a protest and bloodied women and children beaten by fighters are contradicting the more moderate image the militant group has been trying to project as it tries to consolidate power in Afghanistan. (Snip) A former police official told Reuters four people had been killed in the protest and 13 injured. Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency shared video of what it said was the incident, showing crowds running as gunfire was heard. NBC News was not able to verify the footage. Meanwhile, the Taliban's assurance of a “safe passage” to the Kabul
TOKYO - The Russian Kalashnikov AK-47 and its derivatives have long been the assault rifle of choice for militant groups because of their rugged design, but some Taliban fighters are trading them in for captured U.S. guns as Afghanistan's government collapses.
Video and pictures published by the Taliban on Twitter and elsewhere show fighters carrying M4 carbines and M16 rifles discarded by Afghan army units. Other images show Taliban forces capturing abandoned government vehicles. The U.S. guns are more accurate and have greater range than the their AK-47s, but on their own may not deliver much added capability on the battlefield.
There is some speculation floating around social media (mostly, but not totally, from the right) that Democrats may try to pull the 25th Amendment card on Biden to push him aside and bring Kamala Harris forward in an effort to save face in this moment of geopolitical crisis. It is some of the same speculation you saw several times when the Left called for members of the Trump administration to turn on Trump and invoke the amendment. However, the Democrats have put themselves into such a terrible position that they absolutely cannot get rid of Biden through this means, or
Pete Buttigieg and husband Chasten are going to be dads. "For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family," the U.S. secretary of transportation posted Tuesday on Twitter. "We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents! The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can’t wait to share more soon." Chasten Buttigieg quote-tweeted the post with a quick Twitter aphorism, "Some news!" He recently told The Washington Post they had started the adoption process and had gotten close to bringing a
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
US general tells British special forces:
Stop rescuing people in Kabul,
you're making us look bad 44 replies
Stop rescuing people in Kabul,
you're making us look bad 44 replies
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.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Tells Biden in
Video, ‘You’re Not a President,
You’re a Piece of Sh*t’ 39 replies
Video, ‘You’re Not a President,
You’re a Piece of Sh*t’ 39 replies
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) posted a video on social media on Wednesday in which she called President Joe Biden “a piece of sht.”
The video was posted on Gettr, a new social media platform launched by former Donald Trump adviser Jason Miller.
“Joe Biden, you’re not a president,” she said in the 17-second video filmed at a gym. “You’re a piece of sht. Thousands of Americans are stuck over there in Afghanistan and you’re letting the Taliban kick your ass while you’re lecturing governors about masks and vaccines. Do your job. Bring these Americans home.”
The cop who fatally shot US Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt as she stormed the building was exonerated after an internal police investigation, according to a report Friday. “No further action will be taken” in the use-of-force probe of the United States Capitol Police officer, whose name has not been released, NBC reported, citing an internal memo from the department. The Capitol Police’s report clearing him concludes the last remaining law enforcement investigation into the shooting, according to the outlet.(Snip)The internal investigation backs up a statement by the Justice Department in April declaring that no charges will be brought against the cop, who is reportedly a “high ranking”
The Biden administration on Thursday struggled to speed up evacuations of as many as 80,000 Americans and Afghan allies — with the suddenly pressing effort being marred by obstacles ranging from red tape and visa paperwork problems to massive crowds and often violent Taliban checkpoints that barred entry.Even American citizens with valid passports fear making the perilous journey to the airport for fear of the armed Taliban fighters who surround the Kabul airport.David Marshall Fox, an American who moved to Afghanistan in 2013, told The Post on Thursday that he’s abandoned hope of getting onto an evacuation flight, saying the danger of his young son getting shot
Is Biden okay?
31 replies
Jim Geraghty’s written two posts today making the case that something is up. I’m not sold on his first post. His second is more persuasive.
The first post argues that Biden’s chat with George Stephanopoulos was filled with enough contradictions and awkward stammering that, paired with his low visibility lately, we might reasonably conclude that his health has become an issue. Whether you agree comes down to a gut check on how you felt about the interview. I didn’t see it as out of the ordinary for Biden. His answers were emphatically not good but he didn’t seem checked out to me. If anything, he was combative
Incredibly cynical and depressing. And quite possibly correct.
“The public opinion is pretty damn clear that Americans wanted out of the ongoing war and don’t want to get back in. It’s true today and it’s going to be true in six months,” said one Biden ally. “It isn’t about not caring or being empathetic about what’s going on over there, but worrying about what’s happening in America.”…
White House officials believe Americans’ horror over graphic images of the chaos in Kabul and pleas from Afghans who fear they will be killed
The Taliban has seized US weapons left in Afghanistan worth billions — possibly including 600,000 assault rifles, some 2,000 armored vehicles, and 40 aircraft, including Black Hawks, according to reports.
The US gave the Afghan military an estimated $28 billion in weaponry between 2002 and 2017 — including seven brand new helicopters delivered to Kabul just a month ago.
During the presidential campaign, the Biden administration introduced a new word into the lexicon: a “lid.” His campaign has called a lid countless times without explanation, meaning it was cutting off all media appearances for that day.
Joe Biden went on vacation to Camp David just before Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and gave no public remarks on the matter until more than 24 hours after the fall of Kabul. That was a speech Biden delivered from the White House Monday, after which he took no questions from the media.
He went silent again, then delivered another speech on Wednesday, this time on COVID. He took no media questions
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks it is interesting to look back and see how American culture has changed in that two-decade time span. Back then mainstream culture (sorta) rallied around God and country against our enemy, the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Today the culture sees those same people that believe in God and country as bad or worse than the Taliban.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused Friday to block the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago as demanded by an environmental group. The groundbreaking for former President Barack Obama‘s namesake library and presidential archives center began earlier this week, but Protect Our Parks, an environmental advocacy group, asked the high court to stop the construction. The group lost multiple requests in lower courts to halt the construction of the Obama center because it is located in a public park, Jackson Park on Chicago‘s South Side.(Snip)The activists argued that 800 trees would be destroyed around the park and affect birds.
In the wake of the Afghanistan debacle, demands have arisen in Congress for President Biden to resign or to be removed via the 25th Amendment. Elements of the formerly pro-Biden media have joined in the condemnation.
Many silent Democrat office holders likely want Biden out, as they fear the systemic incompetence of his administration will bring them down come 2022.
But Joe can not resign or be fired. The Democrat high command will not let either happen (snip) As soon as Kamala Harris takes the presidential oath, the vice-presidency is left vacant. In that case a tie vote means the legislation, resolution, or confirmation under consideration fails.
President Joe Biden will return to Delaware on Friday to resume his vacation, but first, he will deliver a speech about the disaster unfolding in Afghanistan.
The president is scheduled to deliver remarks at 1:00 p.m., specifically about the process of evacuating American citizens, SIV applicants, and “vulnerable Afghans,” the White House announced.
It is unclear whether the president will take questions after his speech, as he has quickly exited the room after delivering speeches this week.
The president struggled to answer basic questions about his failure in Afghanistan in an interview with ABC News, appearing stubborn
Comments:
In World War II we figured out how to clear Japanese soldiers from caves and tunnels. Was not pretty, but was effective. We could do the same here.