Afghanistan Failure

Writing about the United States withdrawal, more resembling dismal surrender, from the twenty-year-war in Afghanistan is going to be difficult as a United States Army veteran, as a human being viewing great suffering, and as a citizen of one of the nations potentially placed into danger of increasing terrorism. Almost every single update reveals new information about who knew what and when, who ordered such a large amount of top-line military equipment to be surrendered to the Taliban and other acts of incompetent malfeasance. Even listing each and every failure over the last six-weeks, if not six-months, is next to impossible as they are legion. Still, there are the few errors which are so far beyond the pale that they stick out head and shoulders above the rest, and we will examine a few errors and ramifications of the Biden pullout from Afghanistan.

Probably the greatest of tactical military blunders is the surrendering of Bagram Air Base which led directly to the liberation of Parwan Detention Facility and the thousands of terrorists and America’s enemies detained therein. The release of these ‘people of interest’ into a population where they can melt away only to form-up and plot attacks on the Western World, Israel and especially opposing Arab and Islamic nations not following the Taliban version of strict Shariah should be a concern for everyone. Also, about the surrender of Bagram Air Base also muted any ability for immediate responses to any situation using air power. This was probably the second largest reason for the apparent chaos around Kabul International Airport and its single runway. Bagram Air Base, by comparison, has a pair of longer runways and is located centered in open area making defense far superior to the situation in central Kabul. Lastly, the majority of plans provided to President Biden included retaining the Bagram Air Base in order to retain deterrence against the reforming of the terror groups including but not limited to ISIS, al-Qaeda and the Taliban and project real power for any future situations including terrorist plots to attack the American mainland.

Hamid Karzai International Airport Last Call in Afghanistan

 We have read about how military advantage after advantage surrendered away by President Biden gave the appearance that the obvious ineptness was intentional. The Taliban rapidly and steadily took control of regions including numerous major cities and regional capitals. Refusing to retain control of Kabul, the American plan was to hold only the airport and surrender control over who reached Kabul International Airport to the Taliban. This led directly to the catastrophic terror bombing at one of the gates killing thirteen American service heroes and nearly two-hundred Afghanis including numerous children while injuring numbers beyond those reported by the media. As far as many could ascertain, the sole overarching motivation pressing decisions made during the withdrawal appeared to be which is the fastest means to get all military forces back to the Embassy and Kabul International Airport, subsequently only the airport after losing the Embassy. These plans were the reason there was no pushback to the Taliban advance and performed with such urgency that a vacuum was left in the wake of the withdrawal allowing for the collapse of all Afghani forces who were being denied the necessary air cover and support they depended upon.

The most egregious malfeasance was leaving United States citizens, and to a slightly less extent our Afghan allies and translators, behind on the ground and behind Taliban enemy lines. There should have been numerous escort squads of United States Rangers allowed to go out into the Taliban controlled regions in order to bring every last American out who desired to leave Afghanistan. Please do not believe the mistruths and propaganda which claims that only one or two-hundred Americans remaining in Afghanistan under total Taliban and other terror groups rule as the math does not balance. We were initially informed that ten to fifteen thousand American citizens remained in Afghanistan desiring to be taken home as promised by American Military Code. Only orders from the Commander in Chief, General of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of Defense or Central Command in the Pentagon would allow for such actions. Now the United States Military, one of if not the finest in the world, has to wear the stain of leaving Americans behind to the tender mercies of the Taliban, et al. The only pertinent item affecting us directly is the placing of ourselves and all Israelis in greater danger of renewed and rejuvenated terror attacks from Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Jordan or from the Mediterranean Sea. Further, the weaponry, including combat vehicles, C17’s, Blackhawk Helicopters, machine guns, armored vehicles, night vision scopes, sniper rifles and unbelievable amounts of other material and supporting materials as all of Bagram Air Base was left completely intact will be used against the free world. There are and were so many egregious blunders committed during the withdrawal and ensuing vetting of thousands of Afghanis who had received no clearance or even background checks, that it pains us to even think about the entirety of the Afghanistan disaster, let alone writing about them. Thus, we will allow the news, for the time being, to try and ignore Afghanistan as if it occurred years ago.

Beyond the Cusp