"Largest potential hostage crisis ever??" Topic

So US SecState Blinken said in a press conference that best estimates are that "there's several thousand [U.S.] green card holders in Afghanistan" as well as several hundred US citizens. That's a far cry from "the low hundreds." Other reports say as many as 5,000 US green card holders and citizens have been left behind in the mad rush to retreat.

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Are we already seeing the fall out from this? Does this explain the Biden Admin's puzzling decision to send $64 USD Million in "Humanitarian aid" directly to the Taliban? Is that cover for a ransom payment?

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We are living in bizarro world when our government is sending US taxpayer dollars to our enemies.

Yea, we knew the 10% number (90% evacuated) is/was a lie.

They can't/won't tell us the number of Americans that were in country, though I suspect they have a very good idea (not exact, but very good), since they can review flight records, passport data, etc., as well as reports and inquiries from family members.

We shouldn't be sending ONE cent to them, for aid or anything else.

The Talis want a country, let them run it as they see fit, but we shouldn't support the efforts of a terrorist organization to kill and control their citizens.

They should succeed or fail on their own efforts.

Giving them money, assuming the civilian population sees any of the aid, only supports the Talis grip on power and emboldens them, AND we should be doing everything we can to keep them from succeeding, NOT supporting them.

This is also why we shouldn't help them reopen their airports and airbases, etc..

Yep, we are living in an upside down world, where what's right is wrong, and what's wrong is now right (at least in some circles) – wanting to defund or abolish the police, and freeing felons from prison early, and not requiring bail for even the most dangerous ones being charged and freed after they commit new crimes. Murderers, drug dealers, human smugglers, pedophiles, sex offenders, domestic abusers, DUI felons, and many other dangerous criminals are being freed for NO reason, some of whom even murder again shortly after release, while our law enforcement personnel are being villified, attacked, and even killed.

Sadly, the media IS on the side of wrong, instead of right, exacerbating the situation even further.

Much of this kicked off when an Alice in Wonderland party was held in the White House back in 2009 (invoking the TMP 10 year rule here), and the world has never been the same since.

Now, we ARE literally living in that upside down world.

Quite frankly, the US military is starting to look like a bunch of cowards. Their duty is becoming painfully obvious.

I'll say no more on this subject.

At the same time I wonder how much is being spent on humanitarian aid for our own poor, veterans, disabled, etc. Spend it where it should be spent and it won't get into Taliban hands.

With million of dollar payments to the Taliban in "Humanitarian" payments everything will be fine, maybe a few banged up but think it will be ok.

Are we already seeing the fall out from this? Does this explain the Biden Admin's puzzling decision to send $64.00 USD USD Million in "Humanitarian aid" directly to the Taliban? Is that cover for a ransom payment?

In reality probably has more to do with China's offer of $30 USD-odd million and possibly a certain amount of guilt… Anyway its rather disingenuous to suggest aid money like that deliberately ends up in the hands of government since it is typically channelled through UN programmes and NGOs. Now the Chinese money is probably what will prop up the defence budget!

Though if gets worse things may be rather bleak for the populace since in the absence of a stable entity to hand the money over to no ones going to let go of it…China will certainly wait to see which faction they are dealing with
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France24 has a slightly different slant
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"we are living in an upside down world,"

It's called "Bizarro World" in the comics.
I foresee releases from Guantamano in exchange for some…

As far as I can tell, our homeless vets, and many, MANY homeless, Americans get far less aid than that for foreign citizens AND illegal aliens.

You don't see the US government providing "FREE" airline, or bus tickets for them to any destination of their choosing, "FREE" hotel rooms, large cash payments, "in state" tuition, and other support given to those breaking our laws and flooding across our borders by the millions.

In L.A. there's been a court ruling that the government IS supposed to provide housing at one of the veteran's home sites in Brentwood, and yet the government IS pretty much ignoring that order. About 50 housing units were built there, but thousands of veterans are NOT permitted onto the grounds to rest or camp/live in their tents or under their tarps in safety on the grounds. Instead, they must pitch them outside the fence, along a busy road. At least 3 were injured by a SUV that veered off the road and hit them.

There are reportedly about 3,900 homeless vets in the L.A. area, and more than 37,000 nationwide.

The L.A. facility is a very spacious 388 acres and was donated to ensure that our homeless vets had a place to live, and it has plenty of room for them to pitch their tents inside the protective, high, chain link fencing, but they aren't being permitted to do so, even though the plan is for them to provide 1,600 units of housing on the facility.

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So, our "honored" veterans get virtually NO housing aid from the government for which they fought for, and many were even maimed for, and some of their brethren even died for, but illegal aliens, drug and human smugglers, and foreign gang members breaking our laws get carte blanch treatment.

Out of the last $1.9 USD TRILLION Covid-19 Relief Bill passed, only $10 USD Billion was set aside for our vets, which is about 0.5% of the funds allotted.

Illegals get "FREE", air conditioned hotel rooms, or houses and seem to have an unlimited budget for aid from the government, and our vets can't even get a plot of grass to pitch their tents on.

This IS just morally wrong, and disgusting.

It'd be nice if our homeless vetereans could get "the Guantanamo treatmemnt", e.g. table-tennis courts, tailored meal plans to match their desires, tropical island scenery, 24/7 security for their protection, etc., etc..

Seems like that should be possible now, since so many Gitmo detainees have been released.

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Hopefully $64 USDM will go towards hostage freedom, at least some until another payment is needed

It's a complete sham.

I read a headline that the Chinese want us to help the Talis run things. I didn't bother to read the actual article.

Un-freaking believable!!!

Let them step up and do that, since they've done so well in Tibet, and other occupied territories, and they're doing deals with the terrorists.

I've read that the Chinese were very annoyed with us, because we were the ones providing the stability for their Upsadasium mining operations.
Now, they'll have to step up and provide that "stability" themselves.

Quite frankly, the US military is starting to look like a bunch of cowards. Their duty is becoming painfully obvious.

Good, because it appears you have nothing worthwhile to say. I lost personal friends in Afghanistan and Iraq who exhibited extraordinary personal bravery and paid the price for it. For you to blame them for Biden's hapless incompetence tells me all I need to know about you.

"Quite frankly, the US military is starting to look like a bunch of cowards. Their duty is becoming painfully obvious.

I'll say no more on this subject."

You really don't understand it is This Administration at fault? You most be trolling !!!

Effectively, there was ALL the time in the world for organizing an ordinate retreat, don't understand why no one of these brilliant minds at Washington didn't tought that so a rushed affair could cause such a disaster. One could think that people with a college grade education at least could avoid similar….well, we have seen how bad was the situation,
but it's incredible how the politics and the pentagon mismanaged the thing,perhaps the military academies should (re)start to train REAL soldiers and less managers.

Good, because it appears you have nothing worthwhile to say. I lost personal friends in Afghanistan and Iraq who exhibited extraordinary personal bravery and paid the price for it. For you to blame them for Biden's hapless incompetence tells me all I need to know about you.

The troops on the ground, air & sea are far from cowards. They are Lions lead by Rabbits … It's actually Lions lead by donkeys, which IMO is more appropriate … link

You really don't understand it is This Administration at fault? You most be trolling !!!

Bingo !!!!