Report: Eerie tension settles over Kabul
Shafaq News / Horrifying scenes of desperate Afghans, lunging for the wheels of a U.S. military aircraft as it taxied for takeoff from Kabul airport Monday, were juxtaposed with an eerie tension in much of the rest of Afghanistan’s capital, where many huddled behind closed doors as Taliban militants patrolled the streets.
In Washington, President Biden called the scenes “gut-wrenching.” Human remains were discovered in the wheel well of one of the military planes after it landed in a third country, according to several people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Speaking in an address from the White House, Biden defended in forceful tones his order in April to begin a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
The criticism was flowing freely by the time Biden spoke after a weekend at Camp David, where one Republican lawmaker charged he had cowered while “the Taliban are humiliating America.” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) wrote the critique for the conservative National Review, under the headline “Worse Than Saigon.”
Horrifying scenes of desperate Afghans, lunging for the wheels of a U.S. military aircraft as it taxied for takeoff from Kabul airport Monday, were juxtaposed with an eerie tension in much of the rest of Afghanistan’s capital, where many huddled behind closed doors as Taliban militants patrolled the streets.
In Washington, President Biden called the scenes “gut-wrenching.” Human remains were discovered in the wheel well of one of the military planes after it landed in a third country, according to several people familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Speaking in an address from the White House, Biden defended in forceful tones his order in April to begin a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden declared, saying that after 20 years of combat in Afghanistan, “I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.” The result, he said, would have been the same five or 15 years from now.
President Biden addressed the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan during remarks on Aug. 16. Here’s his speech in less than 3 minutes. (Blair Guild/The Washington Post)
Blaming Afghan political and military leaders who “gave up” in the face of a Taliban offensive that swept the country in little more than a week, he acknowledged that the capitulation “did unfold more quickly than we anticipated.”
“I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism” than violate a campaign pledge and pass on an unwinnable war to yet another U.S. president, Biden said.
The criticism was flowing freely by the time Biden spoke after a weekend at Camp David, where one Republican lawmaker charged he had cowered while “the Taliban are humiliating America.” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) wrote the critique for the conservative National Review, under the headline “Worse Than Saigon.”
The White House distributed talking points to Democrats through the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Some, while expressing alarm over what many called the “tragedy” in Kabul, echoed Biden’s comments.
“President Joe Biden is cleaning up a mess left by three presidents before him,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said in a statement. “George W. Bush failed to complete the mission in Afghanistan and diverted resources to a new mission in Iraq unrelated to 9/11. President Barack Obama wanted to pull troops out, but couldn’t find a way.”
“President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal, invited the Taliban to Camp David on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary and cut secret deals with them leading directly to what we are seeing in Afghanistan today,” Cardin’s statement said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday that the United States was still “taking stock” of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and would decide whether to recognize its rule only if the militant group demonstrated a willingness to govern inclusively and prohibit terrorists from operating on its soil.
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, who attended the Security Council session, urged the international community not to “abandon” the people of Afghanistan.
While troops continued to arrive Monday, the Taliban, now securely in charge of the rest of Kabul, continued to stay away from the airport, where the U.S. force controlled both the civilian and military sides and took over air traffic control.
But the spontaneous arrival there beginning Sunday of what appeared to be thousands of Afghans seeking to escape the country severely complicated the evacuation mission. Commercial flights, initially seen as a way to hasten the departures, were canceled as the gathering crowds spilled onto the runway where military cargo planes were trying to land, load evacuating passengers and take off.
At least seven people were killed at the airport, the Associated Press reported, although the causes of the deaths were unclear.
Source: The Washington Post
