Taliban fighters execute 22 Afghan commandos as they try to surrender [_link]

— Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) July 13, 2021

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The Taliban still back brutal punishments as they continue a deadly advance towards power, BBC in Afghanistan finds [_link]

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 11, 2021

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Video: Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum in Balkh said that the Taliban will be eliminated from the northern parts of the country. "The Taliban has no way to escape," he said. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/VDnGBfwgIi

— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 11, 2021

Afghanistan: Taliban ransacks Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum's house, loots his weapons

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"At the end, Afghanistan needs peace. Peace in Afghanistan will affect the neighbouring countries as well but violence in Afghanistan affects all of us," FM Hussein said. [_link]

— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) August 11, 2021

Iraq doesn't need US combat troops, says Iraqi PM ahead of US visit | Dawn News |

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Dutch under fire over Afghan refugees and failure to help interpreters [_link]

— DutchNews.NL (@DutchNewsNL) August 10, 2021

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I saw an extremely inappropriate picture today.

Need I remind all that Aug. 2021 is neither Aug. 1941 nor Dec. 1943.

The Iranian people have shown--including during the JCPOA talks--that their destiny can NEVER be subject to decisions in foreign embassies or by foreign powers. pic.twitter.com/0syILRec5q

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 11, 2021

UK ambassador angers Iran with 'insulting' embassy photo gaffe [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 12, 2021

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The pro-govt forces left the Shindand AB via helicopters. #Herat [_link]

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) August 12, 2021

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#BREAKING : The governor of #Ghazni province Dawd Laghmani, who handed over the province to the #Taliban, now accompanied the Taliban to the provincial capital of Maidan #Wardak, where the people praised and welcomed him. [_link]

— Tariq Ghazniwal (@TGhazniwal) August 12, 2021

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On Thursday the Taliban took Ghazni, just 80 miles south-west of Kabul, posting videos of themselves on the city's streets unopposed. It's the 10th provincial capital the insurgents have captured on their campaign [_link]

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 12, 2021

President Ghani Arrives in Balkh; Meets Political, Jihadi Leaders

Daud Laghmani Introduced as New Governor of Faryab at Army Base

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From yesterday's daily noon briefing: To date, nearly 390,000 people have been newly displaced by conflict across #Afghanistan, with a huge spike since May
See full briefing: [_link] pic.twitter.com/KgF5DSU8jT

— OCHA Afghanistan (@OCHAAfg) August 12, 2021

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The targeted killing of Hazaras has been a devastating focus of both ISIS-K & the Taliban. We are learning about the Taliban's murder of 40+ civilians in #Malistan, Ghazni. If true, these could constitute war crimes. HR abuses must be investigated. 🇬🇧 + 🇺🇸 urge #CeasefireNow. pic.twitter.com/gfAnUS5o6D

— U.S. Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) August 3, 2021

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Guardian front page, Friday 13 August 2021: Britain and US evacuate as Taliban advance on Kabul pic.twitter.com/65rBjgLgcE

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 12, 2021

Bringing Western values and democracy to the Middle Ages in Islamic Afghanistan ... total victory for Taliban as the Americans bite the dust of history leaving a nation devastated. Most Afghans wanting change will soon be dead. Those committed to the West will be slaughtered. The regional states and powers were never part of any form of a diplomatic or political alliance with the invading powers.

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🇦🇺🇨🇦🇨🇿🇩🇰🇪🇺🇫& #127470;🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹🇯🇵🇰🇷&# 127475;🇱🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 + @NATOscr
Statement by Diplomatic Missions Condemning the Attack on the United Nations Compound in Herat ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/R8kE8USkaq

— U.S. Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) August 3, 2021

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Around 600 troops to be deployed to Afghanistan to assist British nationals to leave, UK announces [_link]

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 12, 2021

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New Kabul compound was submitted from US to MoD in a ceremony with participation first deputy minister and Gen. Miller @Commander_RS today. General Miller, emphasized the international community's commitment to continued financial and security force assistance to Afghan forces. pic.twitter.com/JP7IUdC2gk

— Fawad Aman (@FawadAman2) May 28, 2021

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"The news coming out of Afghanistan this quarter has been bleak." The latest SIGAR report (July 30, 2021) provides a 214-page summary on the conflict in Afghanistan. (PDF)[_link] pic.twitter.com/Jsa7D85kfY

— Afghan War Blog (@AfghanWarBlog) July 29, 2021

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Ambassador Mark Green in Conversation with Gen. David Petraeus and Sir John Scarlett

Was there consultation with allies? White House decision meant the pull back of 8000 allied forces and 18000 contractors providing security and maintenance of Afghan Air Force. In fact the US decision pulled the plug on Afghan forces.

Taliban leadership has established its HQ near Quetta in Pakistan, outside the reach of US military.

Effort lacking to withdraw 18000 Afghans translators and close relatives now left in a void.

Petraeus: US has abandoned Afghanistan to civil war | Arab News |

America has deserted its responsibility to protect rights and freedoms in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, the former US commander in the country, has told The Times.
With the Taliban rapidly sweeping up territories that were until recently defended by US-led coalition troops, Petraeus warned that a "medieval Islamist regime" and the return of terror-training safe havens are a realistic possibility.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have already started fleeing their homes as the Taliban start to take ground around Kandahar, the country's second city.

"The rest of the world will see that we are not supporting democracy or maintaining the values that we promote around the world -- human rights, particularly women's rights, the right to education and freedom of speech and press -- all very imperfect in Afghanistan, to be sure, but vastly better than if the Taliban reinstates a medieval Islamist regime," Petraeus said.

"The worst-case scenario is we could see a bloody, brutal civil war similar to that of the 1990s when the Taliban prevailed."

...
Petraeus said he is shocked by how Washington is closing down its military operations in Afghanistan.

"If we had shown the determination and will to stay, we would have been in a much stronger negotiating position with the Taliban. But if we tell the enemy we are going to leave, why would they give up anything?

"I am a little bit unclear why we didn't think we could maintain 3,500 troops to stop the Taliban from bringing back an ultraconservative Islamist theocracy, which is not in anyone's interest."

The Quetta Shura: Understanding the Afghan Taliban's Leadership | Jamestown Foundation - 2014 |

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Assessment of U.S. Strategy and Operations In Afghanistan and the Way Ahead | US Congress - Jan. 23, 2008 |

Admiral Mullen emphasized that our main focus militarily in the region of the world right now is rightly and firmly in Iraq. That is his quotes. And he said it is simply a matter of resource and capacity.

"In Afghanistan," he said, "we do what we can. In Iraq, we do what we must." And it gave me some trouble, and I believe that we currently risk a strategic failure in Afghanistan, that we must do what it takes to avoid a disastrous outcome.

We want to be discussing this with you gentlemen this morning, and we must reprioritize and shift needed resources from Iraq to Afghanistan. In my opinion, we must once again make Afghanistan the central focus on the war against terrorism.

The President's recent decision [George Bush] to deploy additional troops to Afghanistan this spring is encouraging. Some 3,200 Marines will help train the Afghan national security forces as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and, also, strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

This Review is a result of the commitment by NATO, and by its Operational Partners in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and in the Kosovo Force (KFOR), to support implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.  In the declaration of the Lisbon Summit of November 2010, Heads of State and Government expressed their continued support for the implementation of the NATO/Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council Policy on UNSCR 1325, and related Resolutions, and endorsed a NATO Action Plan for the mainstreaming of UNSCR 1325 in NATO-led operations and missions.

The former president set policy continued by Joe Biden and his administration: AmericaFirst!

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Happy #Grundlovsdag to our 🇩🇰partners - a key part of the @NATO mission in 🇦🇫 since the start.

Their efforts to bring peace to the Afghan people is an inspiration and we thank them for their important contribution over the last 20 years.@Forsvarsmin  @DK_NATO pic.twitter.com/wM5rIXM2qX

— Resolute Support (@ResoluteSupport) June 5, 2021

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Number of Private Contractors in Afghanistan Drops Precipitously as Biden Pushes Withdrawal Plan | US News |

New documents prepared for Congress by the Defense Department show the total number of all kinds of contractors in Afghanistan has dropped by more than half in the last three months from almost 17,000 as of April to only 7,800 this month, with fewer than 2,700 Americans among them. The cuts are especially acute for private security contractors and for logisticians and mechanics, including the critical staff necessary to keep Afghanistan's fledgling air force aloft. The Biden administration increasingly touts that force as one of the last remaining advantages the U.S.-backed local military has over the Taliban.

The dramatic reduction outlined in the latest Defense Department quarterly report follows President Joe Biden's assertions that the Afghan military will have to operate on its own as it faces a growing onslaught from the Taliban, which now occupies or is challenging to take half of the country's provincial capitals. However, the White House and Pentagon have few solid plans in place for how those forces will avoid collapse.

Biden's approach breaks from that of his predecessors, including presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who relied on the more loosely governed practice of deploying contractors to war zones to help stabilize the security vacuum left by departing U.S. troops.

Several other analysts who spoke with U.S. News shared the sentiment that the U.S. appears to be backing away from the Afghan forces it has supported for two decades with no clear plan to ensure they have the support they need to defend against local insurgents.

Among the other tactics the Biden administration has boasted in recent weeks is its decision to provide 37 additional Blackhawk helicopters to the Afghan air force to bolster its existing force. Yet, again, no clear plan is currently in place for who will maintain those sophisticated aircraft once the U.S. leaves.

No Do-Overs in Afghanistan: The U.S. Cannot Re-Enter Once It Leaves

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If u are old enough to remember Americans evacuating #Saigon US Embassy, the end of the long #Vietnam for the US, the Pentagon briefing now underway is familiar: Is the fall of Kabul inevitable?, reporters ask. Similar questions were asked (though less skeptically) in April 1975. pic.twitter.com/FBDm9lP5A8

— Dan Raviv (@DanRaviv) August 12, 2021

Afghanistan likened to fall of Saigon amid advance by Taliban | First Thing [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 13, 2021

Film: Saigon, My Saigon [Redux]

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The United Kingdom's Brazen Assault on ICC Independence | HRW - Apr. 16, 2021 |

Letter PM Johnson concerning jurisdiction ICC in The Hague and Israel/Palestine war crimes ...

Blinken visits Afghanistan after Biden's withdrawal decision to press for diplomacy | ABC News - Apr. 15, 2021 |

Less than a day after President Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first visit to the country as he pushes to reignite diplomatic efforts for a deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Arriving in Kabul, Blinken met President Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials amid fears the government faces an imminent offensive by the militant group that has sought to establish an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan.

Ghani and Biden spoke a day before Biden's speech, where he told the U.S. public, "It is time to end America's longest war."

Biden's US forces exit could doom Afghan peace talks between Taliban, government | ABC News - Apr. 14, 2021 |

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Regime change in Kabul to end ICC probe into war crimes by US, NATO allies and Taliban terrorists. Eh ... sorry, freedom fighters to the Biden administration. Afghanistan in chaos.

Afghan Delegation Heads to The Hague for Talks with ICC Officials | Tolo News - May 7, 2021 |

Justice Minister Fazel Ahmad Manawi, Acting Attorney General Zabihullah Kalim, and a number of senior government officials and judiciary and security experts are part of the delegation, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) operates under the Rome Statute, and Afghanistan has been a member of the Tribunal since 2003.

The International Criminal Court shall use its complementary jurisdiction to assist the Member States in dealing with international crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, the statement says.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan seeks to strengthen the existing peace process and ensure immediate and permanent ceasefire, by securing ICC's cooperation with Afghanistan's judiciary organs in addressing crimes and preventing them from happening in the future, the ministry said. 

The Office of the Prosecutor and high-level delegation from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan hold productive meetings at the Seat of the Court | ICC The Hague |

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Britain's defense minister is "absolutely worried" about the situation in Afghanistan.

"Failed states are breeding grounds for those type of people," he says, "(and) al-Qaeda will probably come back." [_link]

— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) August 13, 2021

Boris Johnson admits concern for Afghanistan as UK withdraws | The Guardian - July 7, 2021 |

Apprehension by Churchill imposter Boris Johnson ...

Britain's Disastrous Retreat from Kabul in 1842

The British wanted to conquer Afghanistan to prevent the Russians from invading southward through the mountainous regions into British India.

One of the earliest eruptions in this epic struggle was the First Anglo-Afghan War, which had its beginning in the late 1830s. To protect its holdings in India, the British had allied themselves with an Afghan ruler, Dōst Moḥammad Khān.

He had united warring Afghan factions after seizing power in 1818 and seemed to be serving a useful purpose to the British. But in 1837, it became apparent that Dost Mohammad was beginning a flirtation with the Russians.

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Afghanistan's army chief has been sacked after a series of catastrophic defeats that has brought the Taliban to within 150km of Kabul and to the edge of Tarin Kowt in the south, where Australian forces were based for nearly a decade [_link]

— The Australian (@australian) August 12, 2021

MAP: Contested Afghanistan, as of August 12th. pic.twitter.com/cvO3M91vxG

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) August 12, 2021

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Netherlands preparing evacuation of embassy in Kabul [_link]

— NL Times (@NL_Times) August 13, 2021

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Afghan commander Ismail Khan captured as Taliban seize Herat [_link] pic.twitter.com/bt7LkOya9q

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 13, 2021

Short Interview of Warlord Ismail Khan after his capture. pic.twitter.com/KeZ6YkecHh

— Muhammad Jalal (@MJalal700) August 13, 2021

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From a military standpoint, in the face of a concentrated and determined push by the Taleban, the fall of Nimruz was hardly avoidable. However, such a rapid collapse, potentially a veritable no-contest, is deeply concerning. [_link]

— AAN Afghanistan (@AANafgh) August 10, 2021

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Remarks by President Biden on the Way Forward in Afghanistan | White Hiuse - April 14, 2021 |

We went to Afghanistan in 2001 to root out al Qaeda, to prevent future terrorist attacks against the United States planned from Afghanistan.  Our objective was clear.  The cause was just.  Our NATO Allies and partners rallied beside us.  And I supported that military action, along with overwhelming majority of the members of Congress.

More than seven years later, in 2008, weeks before we swore the oath of office -- President Obama and I were about to swear -- President Obama asked me to travel to Afghanistan and report back on the state of the war in Afghanistan.  I flew to Afghanistan, to the Kunar Valley -- a rugged, mountainous region on the border with Pakistan.  What I saw on that trip reinforced my conviction that only the Afghans have the right and responsibility to lead their country, and that more and endless American military force could not create or sustain a durable Afghan government. 

I believed that our presence in Afghanistan should be focused on the reason we went in the first place: to ensure Afghanistan would not be used as a base from which to attack our homeland again.  We did that.  We accomplished that objective. 

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The Taliban in Afghanistan | CFR |

The Taliban is a predominantly Pashtun, Islamic fundamentalist group that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when a U.S.-led invasion toppled the regime for providing refuge to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. The Taliban regrouped across the border in Pakistan and has led an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul for nearly twenty years.

Many experts say the Taliban threatens Afghan democratic institutions, citizens' rights, and regional security. The group has withstood counterinsurgency operations from the world's most powerful security alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and three U.S. administrations in a war that has killed more than 6,000 U.S. troops and contractors [PDF] and over 1,100 NATO troops. Some 47,000 civilians have died, and an estimated 73,000 Afghan troops and police officers have been killed since 2007. Tens of thousands of Taliban fighters are also believed to have died.

The Taliban, which has between fifty-eight thousand and one hundred thousand full-time fighters, is stronger now than at any point in the last twenty years. As the United States has withdrawn its remaining forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban has increased attacks on civilians, seized control of critical border crossings, and dramatically expanded its presence throughout the country.

 

Taliban Ascendance in Afghanistan Risks Return of Global Terrorist Hub

Seventeen months after the signing of the Doha agreement, the Taliban remain closely aligned with al-Qaeda and have shown no indication that they would treat the global terrorist group any differently than they did before the 9/11 attacks. In a report released in early June, the United Nations said large numbers of al-Qaeda fighters and other terrorist elements aligned with the Taliban are located in various parts of Afghanistan and have celebrated the departure of U.S. and NATO forces from the country as a victory for global radicalism.  

Just more nonsense ....

Don't expect an al-Qaida reboot in Afghanistan | Brookings Institute - May 4, 2021 |

Related reading and video's

Afghanistan war: Veterans reflect on troops leaving country | BBC News |

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"Trust me, if they sit down, they will be able to come out with some sort of settlement and we will respect whatever Afghans decide," says Moeed Yusuf [_link]

— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) August 13, 2021

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The U.S. Embassy in Kabul urged Americans who were not working for the U.S. government to leave Afghanistan immediately, as American negotiators try to get assurances from the Taliban that they will not attack the embassy if the capital is overrun. [_link]

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 12, 2021

US reportedly negotiating with Taliban to avoid embassy attack in Kabul | NY Post |

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Utter BS ... the gains of 19 years thrown out of the window. Major policy mistakes followed in swift order after 9/11. Fighting Al Qaeda? War on Muslims in general has caused a clash of civilization and terror and death has increased a thousand fold with millions of war victims chased from their homes. Invasion and occupation of Iraq ... regime change in Libya followed by moving arms and jihadists into Syria to overthrow Assad. The war in Afghanistan united and strengthened NATO which was abused to expand into Eastern Europe. Aspirant EU members gained bonus points by sending their boys and young men into harms way in Afghanistan and Iraq. Fear and distrust have been on the rise and rightwing populism has gained massive support on the wave of xenophobia and Islamophobia. British soldiers did die in vain if the Taliban succeed to wipe out all the gains of 20 years. Afghans want to live in a modern society of gender equality and not in a medieval patriarchal society. How dare you stating obvious LIES.

Boris Johnson: 'I don't believe the Afghan war was in vain' [_link]

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 13, 2021

Afghanistan pullout: Biden's biggest call yet - will it be his most calamitous?

Interesting read ...

State of Power in a Coercive World

Authored by the Transnational Institute located in Amsterdam.

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Do not accept overthrow by invaders in fall of 2001 ...

Life inside a Taliban town as insurgence in Afghanistan continues [_link] pic.twitter.com/ALnAa3RiXo

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 13, 2021

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This afternoon, another @CanadianForces flight landed in Toronto. On board were another group of Afghan nationals who assisted Canada's mission in Afghanistan, as well as their family members. Our government will continue working hard to protect those who have stood by Canada. [_link] pic.twitter.com/lIbUU4FwOp

— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) August 13, 2021

Ottawa expands Afghan resettlement program as Taliban approach Kabul | CBC News |

The announcement amounted to an acknowledgement by the Trudeau government of the deepening crisis in Afghanistan and the fear that, after almost two decades of unrelenting guerilla warfare, the hardline Taliban movement may be about to overthrow the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

Militants have swept through northern, western and southern regions of the country and are soon expected to isolate Kabul.

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I am extremely disturbed by reports from areas captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

It is horrifying that hard-won rights are being ripped away from Afghan girls & women.

The @UN is determined to promote the rights of all Afghans & provide life-saving humanitarian support.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 14, 2021

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The UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has called the US withdrawal from Afghanistan a "mistake" and argued that it will lead to the resurgence of al-Qaeda posing a threat to the West [_link]

— The Times (@thetimes) August 13, 2021

Rift with US grows as UK minister voices fears over Afghanistan exit | The Guardian |

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Pakistani blogger in forced exile attacked, threatened outside his Rotterdam home | RSF - Feb. 5, 2020 |

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Dutch authorities to protect a Pakistani blogger who was attacked and threatened outside the Rotterdam home where he lives with his family in self-imposed exile, and to shed all possible light on this violent act of intimidation, which was clearly instigated by a Pakistani state agency.

The attack on the blogger, Ahmad Waqass Goraya, was carried out by two men on 2 February. "I was on the phone when a man appeared and began punching me in the face while I saw another man with him filming the attack," he told RSF. Speaking in Urdu with a Pashtun accent, the man hitting Goraya threatened to kill him and told him he knew exactly where he and his family live.

British-Pakistani charged with plot to murder exiled blogger | Dawn News - July 19, 2021 |

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Marine Vanguard Lands in Kabul As US Speeds Up Evacuations [_link]

— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) August 14, 2021

In Kandahar and Herat the Taliban are operating an Apache helicopter and diverse aircraft.

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Kunar is home to some 37,000 ANDSF soldiers. They are serving all over Afghanistan.

— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 14, 2021

As Afghan officials fled Asadabad, the capital of KUNAR province, residents shouted " Don't escape. Don't" pic.twitter.com/SxeEEK59Lx

— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 14, 2021

A Natural Fortress: The History of Kunar - Heart of Darkness

Many lives lost and considered Al Qaeda country, believed where Osama Bin Laden lived as guest.

Obama's Mission Impossible in Afghan War | Oui@BooMan - Oct. 2010 |

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This is a very historic call Essentially the TB rep greets Ismail Khan and asks him to ask the other Jamiat-i-Islami members like Atta, Salahuddin, Ahmad Massoud, Qanuni Saib to make a reconciliatory deal with the TB so that we can have [_link]

— بدري ۳۱۳ (@badri313_army) August 13, 2021

US failed in negotiating a peace settlement with Taliban in Doha ...

Govt Not Aware Of Peace Talks Agenda: Ismail Khan | Tolo News - Dec. 2018 |

Breaking News ‼️

Ghani, Political Leaders Agree to Form Team for Negotiations

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The last-minute decision to send 3,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to help partially evacuate the U.S. Embassy is calling into question whether President Joe Biden will meet his Aug. 31 deadline for fully withdrawing combat forces. [_link]

— ABC News (@ABC) August 14, 2021

LATEST: Taliban forces advance closer to Kabul as Afghan Pres. Ashraf Ghani rejects suggestions he might resign in his first appearance since the rapid offensive. [_link]

— ABC News (@ABC) August 14, 2021

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With the Taliban's rapid advance, many women in Afghanistan are fleeing their homes, fearing murder, rape and forced marriage. pic.twitter.com/JLlUVamUdB

— DW News (@dwnews) August 14, 2021

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Afghans flee Kabul in panic as Taliban forces close in [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 14, 2021

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"I will not survive here": Thousands of Afghans flee as Taliban closes in on the capital [_link]

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2021

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PRESS RELEASE FROM JOE BIDEN #Afghanistan buying time? pic.twitter.com/ro1ETmAdt2

— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) August 14, 2021

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Every American deserves access to safe, affordable housing. My Build Back Better Agenda takes historic steps to make that a reality. pic.twitter.com/uKXO5y4JAw

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 11, 2021

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36 days ago, President Biden
told the American people that the Taliban would not take over #Afghanistan after he ordered the removal of U.S. troops. 🤡 pic.twitter.com/0pdlxoLKtd

— #𝕎𝕒𝕣 ℍ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕫𝕠𝕟 (@WarHorizon) August 14, 2021

Calculated, cold decision ...

"Not Our Tragedy": the Taliban Are Coming Back, and America Is Still Leaving | The New Yorker |

Biden will not suffer politically from leaving behind an unwinnable war. Put bluntly, there is a strongly held belief in Washington that Americans simply do not care what happens in Afghanistan. Poll numbers back it up. Politicians in both parties, with notable exceptions, have generally supported Biden's decision or at least have acquiesced to it, which leaves them either to second-guess Biden's execution or simply to say nothing at all.

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Afghanistan's Future | Dawn News - Editorial |

As the Afghan Taliban continue their blitzkrieg across their country, with key cities falling like ninepins, it is a foregone conclusion that the capture of Kabul -- and with it the control of Afghanistan -- is only a matter of time.

The international community must send a strong message to the Taliban: when they do take Kabul, if their country is used to host transnational terrorists, there will be consequences. After all, the Afghan Taliban have a working relationship with anti-Pakistan terrorists such as the banned TTP, and a major security nightmare may emerge if these malign actors are given an open field to operate. China has also communicated its concerns about Uyghur militant groups such as the ETIM, while Al Qaeda and IS too have a large footprint in Afghanistan. Therefore, if the Taliban do not wish to see a repeat of the events of Sept 2001, they must pledge to not allow territory under their control to be used by terrorist groups against any other state in the vicinity or further off.

China hopes Afghan Taliban will crack down on East Turkestan Islamic Movement

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Afghanistan Taliban delegation visits China: Taliban spokesperson - Video

Like I said earlier:

China seeks Taliban cooperation to crackdown on anti-China militants in Afghanistan and in return China pledges increased economic input in Afghanistan's reconstruction. [_link]

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) July 28, 2021

China Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts Taliban, calls them 'pivotal force'

China hosted a rare nine-member Taliban delegation amid its recent ascendancy in Afghanistan, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi describing the group as "a pivotal military and political force" in the country.

The delegation, led by Abdul Ghani Baradar who heads the Taliban's political office in Doha, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials in Tianjin, a port city around 100 km southeast of Beijing.

The visit to China is the first from the group in the wake of its gaining key ground in Afghanistan, including in Badakshan province which borders China's western Xinjiang region.

It isn't, however, the first such Taliban visit to China and caps years of careful outreach from Beijing to the group, on occasion mediated by Pakistan, China's "all-weather" ally. A delegation was hosted in Beijing in 2019, while in 2015, China had hosted negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan officials in the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang's provincial capital, in a meeting facilitated by Pakistan.

The Taliban delegation's visit also comes days after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with Mr. Wang in the Chinese city of Chengdu. Both sides on Saturday said they had agreed on "joint actions" to more closely work together in Afghanistan amid the changing situation in the country.

'Refrain from terror'

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement on Wednesday said Mr. Wang had called on the Taliban "to draw a line" between the group and terror organisations, specifically the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) which has carried out attacks in Xinjiang.

He described the Taliban as "a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan" and said it was "expected to play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation and reconstruction". He said China hoped the group would "resolutely and effectively combat" the ETIM.

Afghan Taliban founder Mullah Baradar 'released' by Pakistan | Al Jazeera - Oct. 25, 2018 |

Taliban set up a political office in Doha in 2013 at the request of the US to facilitate peace talks.

Baradar is one of four men, including Mullah Omar, who founded the Taliban movement in 1994. He served in several key positions when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001.

He fled to Pakistan after the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban government and was later arrested during an operation near Karachi city.

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The Taliban have initiated a large PR campaign on social media with a very sunny side of Afghanistan's future under Islamic Sharia rule as gunshots of executions aren't silenced.

Updated map of Provincial Capitals in #Afghanistan under #Taliban control.#Afghanistan #افغانستان #Taliban #طالبان #IslamicEmirateAfghanistan #IEA #الله_أكبر #AllahuAkbar [_link]

— Muhammad Najmuddeen Hamidi محمد نجم الدين حميدى (@StudentOfDeen_1) August 15, 2021

'Sapere aude'

as voices inside and outside Afghanistan grow, demanding that President Ashraf Ghani resign, let me replug my latest @TFT_ piece... [_link]

— EH (@ejazhaider) August 14, 2021

Ghani Can't be Partnered; What Next?

Afghanistan continues to be a trainwreck in slow motion. While the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces fold before the Taliban, with almost ghoulish irony, the official handle of Afghanistan's presidential palace @ARG_AFG on August 10 tweeted pictures of President Ashraf Ghani chairing a meeting of the National Procurement Commission and reviewing 48 procurement items.

This is of course akin to rearranging the deckchairs while Titanic is going down. Unsurprisingly, the tweet got scathing comments from Afghan journalists and other activists.

But while the violence in that country is an immediate existential problem for the Afghans -- it's instructive to go through the Twitter timelines of Afghans active on social media -- it also deepens Pakistan's dilemma. I have written about it before, but let me recap.

'Sapere aude'

While I appreciate that the return of the Taliban will not go great for what exists of the urban middle class, the incessant whining by our humanitarian pundits is beyond farcical. Are they really worse for women's rights than roving death squads? The very fact that they took over the whole country in a week gives the lie to that. The US and NATO built up nothing and effectively protected nobody. There's also some hope that this generation of Taliban are less murderously sectarians:

Mohammad Ali Fedayee was appointed by the Taliban as Taliban shadow district Governor for Miramoor in Daykundi few months ago, Ali Fedayee also a native of Daykundi is the first Hazara to be appointed to a Taliban posation in Daykundi. pic.twitter.com/5BQ8LrG4dL

— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 14, 2021

Pretty sure Taliban 1.0 had only bullets for the Hazara (Though the fate of the actual Shia Hazara is of course an open question). There's also the fact that they took over the Uzbek and Tajik regions without much resistance, while the 2001 Taliban never controlled those areas.

European humanitarianism:

Afghans who received Scholarships from the UK government to study in the UK this year have now been told they will not be granted visas due to "administration issues". #Chevening pic.twitter.com/GibwQm0NfD

— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) August 14, 2021

And one for the quality European media:

"Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) has become an anti-Taliban rallying cry in Afghanistan as civilians across the country show their support for the security forces battling the insurgents. pic.twitter.com/XNcNkbtMDq

— DW News (@dwnews) August 6, 2021

British forces are in Kabul to assist in evacuating British Nationals and former British staff eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

Read more below. [_link]

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 15, 2021

'Sapere aude'

😥

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace breaks down admitting "some people won't get back" from Afghanistan and "it's sad that the West has done what's it's done."
@NickFerrariLBC pic.twitter.com/UKMrUAQlDx

— LBC (@LBC) August 16, 2021

Defence secretary breaks down in tears and admits `some won't get back' from Afghanistan | The Independent |

Persons who won't shed a tear as strong leaders ...

President Biden slammed for 'hiding out on vacation' at Camp David during multiple crisis

Twenty years ago spending August vacation at his Crawford Ranch in Texas ...

Inside the Briefing Where George Bush Heard, 'Bin Laden Is Determined to Strike'

The thrifty Dutch leaders ...

Rutte reluctant to let in Afghan people who helped Dutch troops

'Sapere aude'