"Last plane out of Kabul" Topic

Last US aircraft has left Afghanistan:

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Leaving behind many Americans and Allies – great job USA!

The American people got exactly what they asked for.

And the Current Guy walks away from reporters who dare to ask questions about it.

Even the lapdogs at CNN are appalled by this whole fiasco. You don't need to go to Fox or OAN for negativity.

Just one question. Did anyone bother to get a Declaration of War?
No. I didn't think so. Just a candy ass mushy "authorization to use force".
Lasted 20 years. Killed ~3500 Americans. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Trillion dollars. You know. A trillion here, a trillion there. Pretty soon you're talking real money.
And Cheney and Rumsfeld could not be bothered to come up with a plan to cover what happens after we occupy. At least they didn't lie about WMDs.

The barbarians respect force. They are emboldened by weakness. The immediate fiasco might be over but we have yet to see its long-term, and increasingly disastrous, consequences.

End of an era.

John--agree with you on staying too long. But the manner in which we left, stranding hundreds, if not thousands, of US citizens and many Afghanis who assisted in the war, is unconscionable and a tragedy. A despicable and cowardly act by the current US administration.

Lucky we got out without more soldiers losing their lives. That airport was a death trap. I think our luck was due to the Taliban being disorganized.

Bill, the Taliban let the Americans fly out. They had no incentive to attack American forces lest the Americans launch massive air strikes.

The Taliban are playing clever diplomacy – they're trying to present themselves as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan and show the world they are able to play ball internationally.

Contrary to popular belief Taliban leadership isn't insane. They know there was no benefit attacking Americans at the airport.

ISIS-K on the other hand were happy to keep attacking.

When Obama said it was the war we needed to win, I guess

Hmm, between 100 and 250 Americans that we have acknowledged left behind and trapped there. Now that we are gone, I wonder how long before we get reports of American dead. I wonder what the real number left behind was as well.

I agree we should have been out of there years ago, and agree that the Taliban let us go since there was no reason not to. But now, with us gone, that incentive to play nice is gone as well.

And if the Taliban hate ISIS so much, why were they allowed to roam free from prison? How ugly will this get, or will we forget and go back to sleep as many are banking on?

I think the Taliban just walked down the row, just opening cells.
Let's not forget that the Bad Guys can be just as incompetent as we are. Just because they're Evil doesn't mean they are geniuses.

Last boots on the ground…
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he did what he could under the circumstances.

I see many articles here comparing this photo with this one:

It will not crush the USA but it will hurt a lot…as it was in SU and Russia, regardless of the outcome of the incursions.

Did they really?!?! According to this report, the US military was ordered to warn a private charter plane trying to land in Kabul to pull out stranded Americans and others that they would be shot down if they tried to land.

Other articles describe how Americans showing up at the gate to be evacuated were *turned away* if they didn't have the proper paperwork, while most Afghanis airlifted out *had no paperwork*!

Exclusive: Biden Officials at Kabul Airport Warned American Rescue Plane To Turn Back or Be Shot Down

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Looks like the USSR's withdrawal was orderly …

John OFM … +3, your posts on dead on … Plus Gray Bear, Torokchar, Gorgrat …

And we have to know the war is not over … the front has just moved… to our homeland.

We need to keep drones in the sky and hope to caught ISIS, etc. in the open, etc. But will that upset the Taliban because we have entered their airspace ?

Who cares who we upset in the jihadi/terrorists ranks?

Heard that the US will give aid to the Taliban to help get their new nation going, etc.

Maybe they will build Girls schools ?

Just saw on the news … the last man out of Kabul airport on the last plane was the Commanding Gen of the 82d – Gen Chris Donahue. That is leadership …

That airport was a death trap.

Bagram wouldn't have been but it was abandoned …

If Trump would have handled this like Biden has he would have been impeached again and hanged from the Washington Monument.

Yet the s at FEMA were clapping for him as he was trying to find his way out of the building.

I agree … on both points …

As I had said before if this was an exercise tactical problem. Given to us at Infantry Ofc Adv Course or Combined Arms School, etc. … we would have failed and got a No Go. 😣😖🙁

But in reality we lost 13 good men & women … left 100s if not 1000s behind with those savages. Not to mention all the weapons & equipment the Taliban are parading around in now. Plus now many jihadis worldwide will be emboldened to join the cause. And kill the closest infidel they can find.

John, do try to keep up with the news.

They didn't lie about WMDs in Iraq either, back in the day, even though no nukes were found.

There were WMDs there (many Iraqis were killed by them when Hussein was in power), though the US administation originally denied that to keep them out of jihadis hands, so they had time to destroy them in place. Many of our troops got sick from exposure to those, as they were destroyed in place.

Thank God we got the troops out without more losses.

I just wish we had got all our citizens, too.

Thresher & nine pound round +1

The US Government is actively blocking private efforts to airlift Americans and SIVs out of Afghanistan…

Lawmakers sound alarm over Americans stranded in Afghanistan
State Department 'refusing to actively assist' Americans left behind, claims GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw, as department touts its 'unprecedented' global evacuation effort.

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Yes, just saw that again on the news … Just another WDF! with withdrawal from Kabul. Which will be used in future military training on how not to do this type of op.

Thank God we have tough resourceful Vets going back in to save our people … Regardless of what our Gov't, etc., says.

They didn't lie about WMDs in Iraq either, back in the day, even though no nukes were found.

There were WMDs there (many Iraqis were killed by them when Hussein was in power), though the US administation originally denied that to keep them out of jihadis hands, so they had time to destroy them in place. Many of our troops got sick from exposure to those, as they were destroyed in place.

So what if Iraq had WMDs?

So does:

USA – and they used them too!
China
Russia
UK
France
India
Pakistan
Israel
North Korea
Syria
Serbia
Iran

And also possibly but not confirmed:

Egypt
Sudan
Vietnam
Saudi Arabia (via Chinese missiles topped with Pakistani nuclear warheads)
Taiwan
Cuba

I guess you better send in the Marines to all those places whilst also conquering yourself.

Invasion of Iraq was a stupid idea that basically boiled down to a grudge match and settling unfinished business – like a Mafia Don who wants that last witness dead despite them having no credibility.

Everything America has done since about 1999 is basically stupid.

They have squandered western supremacy like a sailor squanders their money on a drunken night out.

China, Russia and Iran salute US efforts as they make it so much easier for them to amass power.

The first invasion of Iraq was part of a UN sanction to push Iraq out of Kuwait. And the Coalition did that.

The 2d Gulf War was in retrospect was an error. An error made worse by some of the decisions by other Admins after the war.

So what if Iraq had WMDs?

Well they would be in range of some of our allies in the region. And Saddam may think it would be a good idea to give one of the nukes to say … some lunatic jihadis or may just they'd take it. Are you willing to risk that ?

USA – and they used them too!

Yes, it was a military necessity to end the war. And in the short & long run save lives. But that is another topic for another time. But I think we beat this to death before …

I guess you better send in the Marines to all those places whilst also conquering yourself.

Don't have that many, we'll have to send the 82d, 10MTN, 101, RANGERs, etc. Spec ops and CIA are probably already there in some cases.

They have squandered western supremacy

The USA did this on our own ? Are we the only ones in the West ?

Everything America has done since about 1999 is basically stupid.

Well I got out in '90 so you can't blame me. But somehow you will try ! Regardless after the 9/11 attack on the US. The US had not choice but go to A'stan and respond to that attack.