Originally Posted by ureout (Post 1996716)

what I don't understand is that the treaty with the taliban was signed in Feb, of 2020... why didn't American citizens start leaving then?? also why were most of the armed forces removed before the evacuations were complete??

Originally Posted by ureout (Post 1996716)

what I don't understand is that the treaty with the taliban was signed in Feb, of 2020... why didn't American citizens start leaving then?? also why were most of the armed forces removed before the evacuations were complete??

Originally Posted by Toymeister (Post 1996730)

It's really easy to guess what should have been done but you didn't live it.

Originally Posted by dewilson58 (Post 1996694)

We have hundreds and hundreds of military personnel strategizing, strategizing, What If'g, What If'g and yet we are told..............."No one predicted an early collapse of the good guys / the quick take-over of the bad guys." (the chicken vs. the egg)

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki (Post 1996738)

I grew up in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia - father was CIA. he sept his career in the Middle East. We (and other Americans) were evacuated form Pakistan, to Afghanistan and from Liberia to US.



In both cases, state department (it’s not the military, its the state department with the CIA who knows) knew EXACTLY what and where things were happening. you don’t provide billions of assistance and not get that information.
Dad still knows a thing or two. This is from him..
State Department knows where and who every American is, don’t kid yourself. They could have gotten everyone out if they wanted. Maybe not the spouse of an Afghan living in a village who doesn’t want to leave. Most did not want to get left behind. The Afghans who provided support to the US certainly didn’t think the Taliban was ever coming back in control - do you think they would have supported us?
The whole pull out of Afghanistan was not supposed to happen, it was a political talking point. Neither president (the R or the D) would have pulled the troops out.
We had fairly low troop numbers, generally staying on the airbase. Afghan’s were providing security, we were providing air support. It was expensive, we were paying the afghan troops and bribing the village leaders.
We have 3.5 million troops in South Korea, 60,000 in Germany, 50,000 in Japan.
China put pressure on the US to get out of Afghanistan and we (someone) caved to the pressure.

Originally Posted by Neils (Post 1996725)

No politics here

Wonder why we could maintain a very large base in Germany for about 75 years after we defeated the Nazi and help ensure a stable government. Same for Japan. Same for Manila.

But now a relatively small force left in Afghanistan that mostly operated air power and intelligence services for the remote locations from a secure base at Bagram was deemed urgent to close.

I question why our leaders are making these decisions.

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan (Post 1996749)

No politics, just the answer, ask President Trump, he signed the treaty agreeing with the Taliban that we would leave last May.

Originally Posted by Bucco (Post 1996745)

then release 5000 prisoners, who may be the worst of the worst and actual “leaders” who returned immediately to the “war” they had been fighting…….what could be expected to happen. They were not imprisoned because they carried signs

Originally Posted by dewilson58 (Post 1996751)

With a lot of conditions / requirements.

The current retreat had nothing to do with the "treaty" agreeing to leave in May........the withdrawal happened way after May.

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki (Post 1996738)

I grew up in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia - father was CIA.

Originally Posted by Wyseguy (Post 1996697)

It is either incompetence, or uncaring disregard for the lives of US Citizens and Allies who are being abandoned. Regrettably it seems a cold uncaring disregard. When asked about the people falling to their death from planes as they tried to escape the Taliban, Biden said "C'mon man, that was four or five days ago". I can not be too hard on him, as I believe he has a mental issue. Those who defend him on the other hand... Just terrible people. So desperate to make it seem like they have accomplished something that they turn their backs on men, women and children.

Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan (Post 1996755)

Yup, lots of conditions and requirements. And they were mostly living up to them, not all but mostly.

As to why we left now, I was not at the meeting you apparently attended where the decision was made, since you KNOW it had nothing to do with the treaty... Please share what was said.

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki (Post 1996738)

I grew up in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia - father was CIA. he sept his career in the Middle East. We (and other Americans) were evacuated form Pakistan, to Afghanistan and from Liberia to US.



In both cases, state department (it’s not the military, its the state department with the CIA who knows) knew EXACTLY what and where things were happening. you don’t provide billions of assistance and not get that information.
Dad still knows a thing or two. This is from him..
State Department knows where and who every American is, don’t kid yourself. They could have gotten everyone out if they wanted. Maybe not the spouse of an Afghan living in a village who doesn’t want to leave. Most did not want to get left behind. The Afghans who provided support to the US certainly didn’t think the Taliban was ever coming back in control - do you think they would have supported us?
The whole pull out of Afghanistan was not supposed to happen, it was a political talking point. Neither president (the R or the D) would have pulled the troops out.
We had fairly low troop numbers, generally staying on the airbase. Afghan’s were providing security, we were providing air support. It was expensive, we were paying the afghan troops and bribing the village leaders.
We have 3.5 million troops in South Korea, 60,000 in Germany, 50,000 in Japan.
China put pressure on the US to get out of Afghanistan and we (someone) caved to the pressure.

Originally Posted by dewilson58 (Post 1996761)

Let's not get childish.

I hear one said say.........well it's because of the agreement by the prior president. When has the current president kept to anything the prior did or signed?? and if we stuck to the agreement, we would have been out by May.