Taliban Continues its Violent, Bloody Takeover of Afghanistan

By Yehudit Garmaise

     The Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan and the collapse of Afghani military has taken place in days, despite the U.S.'s investment of billions of dollars and extensive attempts to train the local army over the past 20 years, which came to a disastrous end this week.         

     The world has watched in horror as thousands of Afghans, some of whom plunged to their deaths as they tried to hang onto American planes that were trying to takeoff from Kabul’s international airport, as US troops were inexplicably evacuated first, leaving behind both Afghanis who aided U.S. efforts and up to 40,000 American civilians: all who fear that they will now could be taken hostage or killed by the Taliban

     The American military, also without explanation, left billions of dollars worth of military equipment on the ground for the Taliban to use on its own people and others.

     Already photographers and reporters have captured bloody scenes of women being killed in the streets for not wearing the full face-and-body-covering burquas, despite the disingenuous insistence of Taliban leaders that they will protect the safety of women and their freedom to get educated, to work, and to move around the country without males who are relatives to accompany them.

     While most officials on both the left and the right agreed that the time was right to withdrawal from Afghanistan, many are critical of how President Joe Biden carried out the beginning of the drawing down of the 3,500 American troops who were there, just 11 days ago, before the Taliban took military control of the country: gleefully exercising in the fitness room of the presidential palace, and chasing Afghani President Ashraf Ghani out of the country with nothing but a helicopter full of cash.

     In addition to the task of withdrawing American troops, former secretary of defense Leon Panetta, a longtime Democrat, said yesterday that “... there was a second mission, which was to prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a safe haven for terrorism again. Unfortunately, we have failed ...”

     Biden first announced in April that he wanted to complete the military exit of US troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of American engagement in the country, however, the Wall Street Journal reported, the president’s top generals, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley, had urged Mr. Biden, instead, to “maintain stability,” by continuing to sustain a force of about 2,500 US troops: the size he inherited from President Donald Trump, who, during his term, had significantly reduced the number of troops from 15,500 U.S. soldiers.

     After Trump promised the Taliban that the US would be out by May 1, the repressive and brutal regime threatened to renew attacks on U.S. and NATO personnel if all foreign troops were not out by that deadline, however, Biden pushed off the date, explaining on Monday that he had only been in office for a few months.

     Although sources told the New York Times that US intelligence officials had been warned that a US retreat would allow the Taliban to take over Afghanistan quickly, President Biden publicly downplayed that threat.

      The New York Post reported that US General Mark Milley said that “he wasn’t aware” of any intelligence reports that indicated the Afghan military and government would collapse in just 11 days, although officials say that they had been warned for months of a quick Taliban takeover.

     Officials also expressed doubts as to whether the Afghani government had the strength, the will, and the wherewithal to defend Kabul, many districts of which folded to Taliban forces immediately: even without any shots fired.

    Former President Trump, who has only had critical things to say about President Biden, did say today, “Withdrawing is the right thing to do, but the way they withdrew will go down in infamy.

     “There has never been a worse withdrawl.

     “You had to get the people out of there. Can you imagine having your military go home and leaving all those people?

     "That’s called, 'the lamb being led to slaughter.'”

(Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)