The war is over

[kenny]

Penny for your thoughts.

The Final U.S. Military Plane Has Left Afghanistan As America's Longest War Ends

The final evacuation flight brought to a close the longest war in U.S. history. The withdrawal leaves the future of Afghanistan in disarray and uncertainty under renewed Taliban rule.

www.npr.org

 

[kenny]

Here are two thoughts.

1. I'M GLAD IT'S OVER! While he could have done a much better job, KUDOS to Biden for having the balls (and taking his lumps) to end it!

2. The US said it will be out by the end of the month.
But that's tomorrow, not today.
With reportedly so much left to do to extract Afghans who helped America, why didn't the US use tomorrow to get more done?

 

[telephone89]

Time zones? It already is ‘tomorrow’ in Afghanistan isn’t it

 

[Lookinagain]

But that's tomorrow, not today.
With reportedly so much left to do to extract Afghans who helped America, why didn't the US use tomorrow to get more done?

I think they said they'd be out by Aug. 31. It's Aug. 31 there.

 

[Matata]

With reportedly so much left to do to extract Afghans who helped America, why didn't the US use tomorrow to get more done?

I'm guessing it's due to the increased security threat from ISIS-K and the potential for more US troops to die by suicide bombers. One arm of the war may be over but the war against terrorists continues. I know Biden said the war on terrorists is being focused on other global sites but I fear we may be under estimating ISIS in Afghanistan. I hope they're kept busy fighting the Taliban and not planning more "death to America" pogroms.

 

[Matata]

Time zones? It already is ‘tomorrow’ in Afghanistan isn’t it

LOl, there is that.

 

[kenny]

Time zones? It already is ‘tomorrow’ in Afghanistan isn’t it

Oh Yea! ... Duh! ... Sorry.

 

[Matata]

I had a senior moment about it @kenny . I'll amend my position (changed due to time zone, lol) and state that I think the reason we left people behind is due to increasing ISIS threat.

 

[kenny]

I had a senior moment about it @kenny . I'll amend my position (changed due to time zone, lol) and state that I think the reason we left people behind is due to increasing ISIS threat.

I was thinkin' that too.

A big attack at the last moment would have been great "optics" for ISIS-K.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Is it over? Really?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Here are two thoughts.

1. I'M GLAD IT'S OVER! While he could have done a much better job, KUDOS to Biden for having the balls (and taking his lumps) to end it!

He may have the balls but no evacuation plans in placed. Most Americans do agree that this war should end, but this is one of the biggest blunder in military history which caused 13 American lives and more to come.

 

[dk168]

Is it over? Really?

Yup, more like one war is over, another one is just around the corner etc., and that is just for one country!

DK

 

[missy]

I am glad we are out but I am sad for all that has been lost...so many lives. And for the poor people left behind. Their lives will never be the same. Those young women who were full of hopes and dreams and whose lives held such promise...now what will become of them? My heart breaks for the people left there who don't want to be there.

 

[autumngems]

Glad it's over but the shit-show that ensued due to lack of planning is reprehensible.
Reading yesterday that many of the "refugees" on the planes were not even vetted or had never worked for the US. This from other refugees on the planes. This is what we are in store for, we brought in our own terrorists most likely.

 

[tyty333]

I'm glad we are out but I certainly don't feel like the war is over. I feel certain that we will be dealing with them, like, forever.
Hopefully, it will be from a distance and we wont have to put boots on the ground.

This exit was a total sh$t show. I am saddened over the 13 we lost.

 

[mom2dolls]

Why was this not planned out over time? They knew the date we had to be out, this was set by the previous P. Why did we wait until the last minute?

Where do all of the Afghani people we brought out go? How do we know they are not going to cause us continued harm? What is the plan to get the hundreds of Americans left in Afghanistan out? How protected are they from Isis-k or the Taliban?

I had a lot of faith in the P, I was hopeful things would be different . This has been a catastrophe. 13 people lost their lives because of this sh*tshow. His response to the families as they were being brought home is a disgrace.

 

[Lookinagain]

What was his response to families? I only saw that he attended the arrival of the fallen soldiers.

 

[Dancing Fire]

What was his response to families? I only saw that he attended the arrival of the fallen soldiers.

It was past his nap time.

Did Joe Biden check watch amid ceremony for dead US troops? Here's truth behind video

Video goes viral showing Biden check his watch as 13 US service members killed in Kabul are brought home to Dover base in Delaware

meaww.com

 

[Lookinagain]

It was past his nap time.

Well, I do recall that Ronald Reagan used to take a nap every day. I don't think I've seen that reported about any other presidents though.

 

[MissGotRocks]

It was never going to be neat and orderly. The war was a huge operation in Afghanistan for 20 years. It spanned many people and much equipment. The later goal of the operation was to arm and train the Afghan army. I remember years ago when Obama wanted to scale down but there weren’t enough Afghan soldiers to make that possible. It has been said that the Afghan soldiers considered it a job with a paycheck but not necessarily a cause. You can arm and train but still not instill a mindset. Given how fast the Taliban took over, I would say that goal completely failed. Lots of dollars and lives spent and 20 years evaporated in a matter of days.
Having said all of that, if you believe the many reporters and humanitarian aid groups, the path to freedom for the Afghans was difficult. I know many think that if America had held their position until most were evacuated, it would have gone better. In reality, I am not entirely sure that was true. We lost those lives at the end but we lost over 2400 in the entire 20 years. One life not any harder to lose than another. The effects of our presence gone will surely haunt us at some point but for how long and at what cost could it continue? I hope greater minds than mine made these difficult decisions but I think it leaves us all unsure. I mourn all of the lives lost and I feel enormously for those left behind. I couldn’t help be be reminded of Vietnam during the fall of south Vietnam with the Vietnamese trying to cling to the helicopters. We get into these conflicts with a vision but then change it several times over until the end. War is war - you either get in to fight to the bitter end or you stay home. Peace keeping and training and such don’t seem to land the USA in good stead. I feel an overwhelming sadness about it all - for us and the Afghan people. Money spent, lives lost and for what? I think America needs to seriously consider future conflicts - learn from our past victories and failures - but I fear we never will. Other times and other leaders will make some of the same mistakes again at the same cost. Color me sad.

 

[Ella]

Folks, a reminder we do not allow politics. Keep politicians and political parties out of the discussion or we will close the thread.

 

[Calliecake]

You perfectly summed up how many are feeling @MissGotRocks.
Thank you.

 

[PinkAndBlueBling]

this is one of the biggest blunder in military history which caused 13 American lives and more to come.

It is awful any time lives are lost. Period. Where is all the anger over previous lives lost? From fact-check.org: "In fact, 11 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan last year, including four in combat, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. Twenty-three service members were killed in Afghanistan in 2019, including 17 in combat."

We shouldn't have been there. It was not in our best interest and we should have left years ago. I could site several times that US intelligence failed over the last 20+ years, causing innumerable lives to be lost.

I'm not saying the deaths are acceptable, but stop the BS that these were the only lives lost. Also, stop with the refugee xenophobia . You're pissed that people weren't evacuated, you're pissed people were evacuated, you're pissed lives were lost, you're pissed we stayed so long, you're pissed we left. Maybe be pissed that those who applied to leave weren't allowed to last year when it was safe. Maybe be pissed that intelligence briefings weren't shared with an elected President. Or how about the reasons why we were there and stayed? Ever wonder why they hated us to begin with?!

P.S. Afghani is a monetary unit. The people are Afghans.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'm not saying the deaths are acceptable, but stop the BS that these were the only lives lost. Also, stop with the refugee xenophobia . You're pissed that people weren't evacuated, you're pissed people were evacuated, you're pissed lives were lost, you're pissed we stayed so long, you're pissed we left. Maybe be pissed that those who applied to leave weren't allowed to last year when it was safe. Maybe be pissed that intelligence briefings weren't shared with an elected President. Or how about the reasons why we were there and stayed? Ever wonder why they hated us to begin with?!

I'm piss b/c we allowed the terrorists to be the policemen while we were evacuating. This administration saw the terrorists moving in since May and did nothing about it but only to blame others. There were 4 American lives lost in 2020.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Here are two thoughts.

1. I'M GLAD IT'S OVER! While he could have done a much better job, KUDOS to Biden for having the balls (and taking his lumps) to end it!

If he had any balls he would be taking Qs from the press.

 

[GliderPoss]

I believe it was Trump that actually began the process of withdrawal and negotiations to do so. Biden can take credit for simply executing it badly….

 

[Dancing Fire]

I believe it was Trump that actually began the process of withdrawal and negotiations to do so. Biden can take credit for simply executing it badly….

I don't think the agreement was for the Taliban to police the country.