The Taliban could shut Kabul airport if
Biden extends the troop withdrawal
past August 31, UK defense secretary warns
Business Insider,
by
Sinéad Baker
Original Article
Posted By: NorthernDog,
8/24/2021 9:26:59 AM
The Taliban could force Kabul's airport to close if President Joe Biden extends his August 31 deadline for troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned. Biden is expected to decide on Tuesday if he will extend his deadline in order to evacuate more people after the Taliban's takeover.(Snip) He told the BBC's Radio 4's "Today" program that the Taliban had a range of options available, "from preventing people getting to the airport all the way through to military activity that could potentially close the airport. That is very difficult for everyone." "So that's why our focus and
Reply 1 - Posted by:
cor-vet 8/24/2021 9:56:54 AM (No. 890686)
If America had a real President ( a PDT or DeSantis), the ragheads would be cowering in their ratholes and no one would be stranded!
9 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
bpl40 8/24/2021 10:04:43 AM (No. 890695)
A rational program ( PDT already practicing some of it) would be (1) Support and uphold Afghan militias in Panjsheer Valley and other places. (2) Provide them material support, aircover, declaring their territories to be a complete no go zone for the Tallys. (3) Hire and send in private mercenaries to be advisors and guides. (4) Warn the Taliban that any direct or indirect act of terrorism outside their territory will bring death and destruction to villages where their families and clans lurk. Then see how long they last.
4 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
edgar 8/24/2021 10:08:00 AM (No. 890699)
Who were the Washington whiz bangs that thought it was a great idea to leave Bagram Air Force Base? Oh, Team Biden.
7 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
planetgeo 8/24/2021 10:14:36 AM (No. 890708)
At least it's not something to lose your head over it...oh wait a minute...
4 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
msjena 8/24/2021 10:26:51 AM (No. 890726)
Why aren't we sending in our troops to take back the airport (and the Bagram air base, too)? These are just half-measures. Unfortunately, the ineptness of this administration has left Americans still inside Afghanistan, effectively making them hostages. As for the Taliban's threats, we should tell them to pound sand until every American is taken out, no matter how long it takes.
4 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Quigley 8/24/2021 10:30:40 AM (No. 890732)
So there will be a bi.den Hostage Crisis - worse than the Carter Hostage Crisis- unless the TALIBAN decides it’s not in their best interest.
Maybe they’ll let schmoe “win” although there are no doubts promises of $$$ billions being thrown at them. We may have to borrow $$$ from the Iranians- short term mezzanine of course- to get them paid off.
Such leadership to leave the nation hanging and exposed like that. Of course catastrophe was always baked into the Dimokkkrap play book.
I know they love crises- crises which cause suffering for the populace- and never let one go to waste to advance their personal political interests. But what about a catastrophe? Will they let that go to waste?
3 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 8/24/2021 10:43:55 AM (No. 890753)
We are helpless in Afghanistan because our government wants us to be helpless.
The Taliban has not won anything. They didn't even need to engage in a fight. They 'won' because we went home and we helped them overthrow the government of Afghanistan. One does not seize half a million guns. We supplied the Taliban.
If we decided to fight the Taliban, they would be out of power inside of a month.
3 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Clinger 8/24/2021 10:47:31 AM (No. 890757)
Sure they could with Biden in charge. With just about any loyal American with an IQ above room temperature they could try but it would be an epic failure.
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
bighambone 8/24/2021 12:29:09 PM (No. 890872)
Intermittent artillery shells or tactical artillery rockets exploding on the airfield being fired from heavy populated urban areas near the Kabul Airport would completely shutdown the evacuation that is taking place that consists mostly of Afghans. You can bet that most of the people that the Biden crew is referring to as being Americans are actually natives of Afghanistan who are duel nationals holding both Afghan and naturalized US citizenship. That severely complicates that issue of the USA removing US citizens out of Afghanistan during Biden’s disorganized retreat, as the unsophisticated Taliban terrorists manning the Taliban checkpoints do not understand the US concept of native Afghans living in the USA for five years, paying a filing fee, filling out a petition for naturalized US citizenship, being granted naturalized US citizenship, and then instantly being given a US passport and being qualified to be referred to as Americans. To the Taliban those native Afghans being referred to as Americans and US citizens are just Afghans who have cooperated with the American and NATO occupation of Afghanistan who should be murdered. Then along with those duel-national Afghans there are Afghans who are US resident aliens with “green cards” who the USA considers to be “US persons” who went back to Afghanistan for one reason or another who now intend to be evacuated. So when the Taliban confiscates or rips up those native Afghan’s US issued travel documents, those people are left in a serious lurch, unable to get to the Kabul Airport and unable to identify themselves as naturalized US citizens or US resident aliens. Chances are Biden will pull out on August 31 because outwardly the Taliban have him by the short hairs, unless he has a secret deal with the Taliban where he facilitates huge bribes to the Taliban camouflaged as US foreign aid or other monitory assistance. The Biden crew lately has been portraying the Taliban as changed and nice cooperative guys, even though the Taliban has killed and wounded thousands of US and NATO soldiers and contractors over many years, so you have to figure right now what will happen after August 31 is a crapshoot.
1 person likes this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
RayLRiv 8/24/2021 12:31:27 PM (No. 890876)
"But...but...Jen Psaki said NO Americans would be left behind. I BELIEVED her!"
/sarcasm off
2 people like this.
They can shut it down anytime they like with a half dozen mortars or some artillery. Or, shoot down one plane with a SAM, and that will put an end to the flights.
Xiden put us in a tactically indefensible position by running this shitshow out of Karzai instead of Bagram, and surrendering all air cover and heavy weaponry to the Tollybon. He is an idiot of unparalleled magnitude, made even worse by the gutless pukes at the Pentagon who let him put our troops in this position in the first damn place.
He's got us surrounded, filled to the brim with civilians who the West agonizes over killing in war, without air cover, and outnumbered.
Heck of a job.
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
downnout 8/24/2021 1:52:51 PM (No. 891000)
Supposedly the 82nd airborne is at the airport. Let them have a free fire zone. A little target practice is always a good thing.
0 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
mifla 8/25/2021 11:31:06 AM (No. 892135)
On Sept 1, all non-Afghans will be held in custody "for their own protection". Negotiations will then proceed on determining the market value of the hostages.
0 people like this.
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UK is not optimistic. Lots of people will end up marooned (not stranded though) in Talibanland.