# News & Current Events > U.S. Political News >  And so it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan

## Swordsmyth

Hardly a week has passed since the conditional peace treaty between the U.S. and the Taliban, and American troops are already leaving the country. 
 Despite  evidence that the Taliban have resumed attacks on Afghan government  forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has given the order for the  United States to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.s.
 Esper, speaking to the media on Monday, said that the troop withdrawal order to Army Gen. Scott Miller,  the commander of U.S. forces in Kabul, is in keeping with the peace  deal with the Taliban. The peace deal calls for an American troop  reduction to begin within 10 days of the deals signing.
 My  instructions to the commander [were]: Lets get moving, lets show our  full faith and effort to do that,' Esper said in Washington with the  Joint Chiefs General Milley also in attendance. Ive said on many  occasions that Im comfortable we can still conduct all the missions we  need to conduct [with] 8,600 [troops].
 The  Americans are to cut 4,000 troops in Afghanistan within the first 135  days according to the terms of the deal. There are currently 13,000 U.S.  troops in Afghanistan; the remaining 8,600 would leave within 14  months.

More at: https://sofrep.com/news/and-so-it-be...m-afghanistan/

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## enhanced_deficit

Bold move to start to reducee the Afghan surge he had sent in 2017.

PSA:  Taliban peace deal reduces troop levels to start of Trump presidency

18,000+ troops he surged to mideast in late 2019 will still be there by end of his first term. 




> My  instructions to the commander [were]: Lets get moving, lets show our  full faith and effort to do that,' Esper said in Washington with the  Joint Chiefs General Milley also in attendance. Ive said on many  occasions that Im comfortable we can still conduct all the missions we  need to conduct [with] 8,600 [troops].


Perhaps it should also be added to PRs soundbites that will be cited in 2020 election rallies, what was net gain of the 2017 surge and lives/limbs/treasure lost ?
So as long as admission of mistake is not celeberated as some 'success story', it's encouraging sign for future surges planning.

Stats Show Trumps Afghanistan Surge Has Failed

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## vita3

Let me know when he actually gets back to square zero

You hype him way too much swordsm

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## Origanalist

> Let me know when he actually gets back to square zero
> 
> You hype him way too much swordsm


Pretty much my position, when we're out I'll give credit where credit is due. Until then there's always a good chance of something happening to cause another escalation.

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## specsaregood

> Pretty much my position, when we're out I'll give credit where credit is due. Until then there's always a good chance of something happening to cause another escalation.


Still won't hurt to give our full support in favor of the withdrawal.

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## Origanalist

> Still won't hurt to give our full support in favor of the withdrawal.


Absolutely not. Hurray for starting and finish the job!

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## pcosmar

> Still won't hurt to give our full support in favor of the withdrawal.


Dude,,we have been screaming "Withdraw" for years..

Empty Promises and vague and misleading reports and not backed up by factual movement.

There should be round the  clock airlifts till they are gone.  and that done long ago.

I ain't seen it happen.. Despite what the Lying Clown in Chief says.

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## AngryCanadian

> Dude,,we have been screaming "Withdraw" for years..
> 
> Empty Promises and vague and misleading reports and not backed up by factual movement.
> 
> There should be round the  clock airlifts till they are gone.  and that done long ago.
> 
> I ain't seen it happen.. Despite what the Lying Clown in Chief says.


I will believe a withdraw when i see it happen these war mongers, interventionists arent letting it happen so easily. Afghanistan's president should have just done the right thing and just release the POW like how the Taliban asked for it in the deal.

The  Afghanistan's president is a fool if he believes that his side and west will be winning securing part of  Afghanistan that Taliban have taken we had being in their for 20 years doing the same thing and what had we achieved in these military operations agaisnt them?
Nothing. 

Afghanistan's president  looks like a puppet for the MC/DS who thinks the west could stay longer. For what though? till shift happens?

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## pcosmar

> I will believe a withdraw when i see it happen these war mongers,


Dude..the "Taliban" are the Legitimate Government of that country.

They will not accept an American Puppet Govt any more than they would a Russian Puppet..

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## AngryCanadian

> Dude..the "Taliban" are the Legitimate Government of that country.
> 
> They will not accept an American Puppet Govt any more than they would a Russian Puppet..


Indeed you are right about that one, not mention the Taliban are the same forces and fighters which had driven out the soviet union/Russian troops in the 80s. They were the mujahideen fighters which the west armed and supported agaisnt a moderate Russian backed government in afghanistan who gave women rights among other issues.

Its kinda of ironic seeing the west being defeated by the very thing they created and armed. 

"But they are just moderate rebels"

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## dannno



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## specsaregood

> Dude,,we have been screaming "Withdraw" for years..
> 
> Empty Promises and vague and misleading reports and not backed up by factual movement.
> 
> There should be round the  clock airlifts till they are gone.  and that done long ago.
> 
> I ain't seen it happen.. Despite what the Lying Clown in Chief says.


yes, yes, dude, I get it.    The thread is about the order to begin withdrawing having been given.   I have NOTHING negative to say about that; I see no reason to give anything but positive reinforcement.  If it doesn't happen, then I'll go back to bitching and moaning like the rest of you.

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## RonZeplin

> Dude..the "Taliban" are the Legitimate Government of that country.
> 
> They will not accept an American Puppet Govt any more than they would a Russian Puppet..


The US neocons are still propping up their puppets in the ME. 



Shah of Iran, Gerry Ford, Kissinger - Nuclear Tech lesson.

We install it, and you flip this switch to start.....

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## Swordsmyth

> Bold move to start to reducee the Afghan surge he had sent in 2017.
> 
> PSA:  Taliban peace deal reduces troop levels to start of Trump presidency
> 
> 18,000+ troops he surged to mideast in late 2019 will still be there by end of his first term. 
> 
> 
> 
> Perhaps it should also be added to PRs soundbites that will be cited in 2020 election rallies, what was net gain of the 2017 surge and lives/limbs/treasure lost ?
> ...


the remaining 8,600 would leave within 14  months.

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## TheCount

Yet another pre-celebration

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## oyarde

I am gonna party like its 1999 .

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## pcosmar

> yes, yes, dude, I get it.    The thread is about the order to begin withdrawing having been given.   I have NOTHING negative to say about that; I see no reason to give anything but positive reinforcement.  If it doesn't happen, then I'll go back to bitching and moaning like the rest of you.


And how many times has that order been given,,only to be ignored of rescinded??..

I  HAVE HEARD THIS $HIT BEFORE..

It still smells like $hit.

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## Anti Globalist

Won't be satisfied until every soldier in that region comes home.

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## Swordsmyth

The Taliban's spokesman in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet  after the U.S. strike on Wednesday that the insurgent group had  implemented "all parts of the agreement one after the other to prevent  escalation."  

Taliban commander Salih Khan in Helmand, meanwhile,  told CBS News' Sami Yousafzai that the deal with the U.S. could  "vanish" if American forces continue targeting Taliban fighters. He said  he was awaiting further word from the group's leadership, but that he  had already received orders to resume attacking Afghan forces — but not  foreign troops.
"Now we are happy to resume attacking U.S. forces as well, if our leaders order" it, he said.
Another  Taliban representative in Qatar, Salam Hanafi, told fellow leaders of  the group in a message forwarded to CBS News' Yousafzai later Wednesday  that the Taliban did not consider the American airstrike a violation of  the deal signed over the weekend. Hanafi said that under the deal U.S.  forces can still defend their Afghan allies from attacking Taliban  militants, "just on the spot" of the initial attack. 
He said as  long as American troops do not pursue or carry out targeted strikes  against the insurgents elsewhere, retaliation was essentially fair game.
"If  [the] USA did not add this condition, then [the] Afghan government  would collapse, instead of in 14 months, in 14 days," Hanafi boasted.  The group has long been dismissive of the Afghan government, and  insisted on carrying out negotiations for the agreement signed in Doha  with U.S. diplomats, not Afghan government officials.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/4-days-u-sign...043139325.html

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## Swordsmyth

President Donald Trump has pushed his military and national security advisers in recent days to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan amid concerns about a major coronavirus outbreak in the war-torn country, according to two current and one former senior U.S. officials.

Trump complains almost daily that U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan and are now vulnerable to the pandemic, the officials said. His renewed push to withdraw all of them has been spurred by the convergence of his concern that coronavirus poses a force protection issue for thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and his impatience with the halting progress of his peace deal with the Taliban, the officials said.

The U.S. military is in the midst of a drawdown in Afghanistan already. In early March it began decreasing its total footprint from more than 12,000 to 8,600 over 135 days. But troops have been leaving the country faster than originally planned, according to two U.S. defense officials, and the U.S. is now on track to beat the original deadline.

"U.S. Forces Afghanistan continues to draw down force levels and expects to be at 8,600 U.S. troops in 135 days (mid-July) in accordance with the U.S.-Taliban agreement. USFOR-A remains committed to supporting our Afghan partners throughout the process and maintains the capabilities and authorities necessary to accomplish our objectives," said Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Pentagon spokesperson.

Trump, who campaigned in 2016 with a promise to end wars like the one in Afghanistan, has frequently expressed frustration with progress there since his early days in office. But the recent political stalemate combined with the COVID-19 pandemic has reinvigorated his impatience.

"He is itching to get out. He's pushing the Pentagon on it," the former official said.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-pushes-...150000743.html

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## Swordsmyth

A bitter feud between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah appeared closer to resolution Friday after Abdullah said the two men had moved forward in talks.

"We have made progress in negotiations & reached tentative agreement on a range of principles. Work on details is underway to finalize the agreement," Abdullah said on Twitter.

Abdullah previously served as Afghanistan's "chief executive" under a power-sharing deal with Ghani, but lost that post following last year's presidential elections that Ghani won amid claims of fraud.

Instead of accepting defeat, Abdullah proclaimed himself president, a title he uses to this day, though the international community only recognises Ghani.

The dispute has proved a huge distraction for Afghanistan at a terrible time, with the coronavirus crisis worsening daily and the Taliban stepping up attacks despite a deal they signed with the US in February.

"We hope to finalize the political agreement at the earliest so that we can pay undivided attention to tackling COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring a just, dignified & lasting peace, & confronting the security & economic challenges in a spirit of national unity & solidarity," Abdullah tweeted.

Ghani's office did not immediately comment.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Aghan official told AFP that Abdullah has made a multi-pronged proposal to Ghani.

The offer would see Abdullah appointed to lead eventual peace talks with the Taliban while also getting a 50-percent share of the government including several high-ranking positions for his allies.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-presid...131016016.html

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## tebowlives

> President Donald Trump has pushed his military and national security advisers in recent days to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan amid concerns about a major coronavirus outbreak in the war-torn country, according to two current and one former senior U.S. officials.
> 
> Trump complains almost daily that U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan and are now vulnerable to the pandemic, the officials said. His renewed push to withdraw all of them has been spurred by the convergence of his concern that coronavirus poses a force protection issue for thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and his impatience with the halting progress of his peace deal with the Taliban, the officials said.
> 
> The U.S. military is in the midst of a drawdown in Afghanistan already. In early March it began decreasing its total footprint from more than 12,000 to 8,600 over 135 days. But troops have been leaving the country faster than originally planned, according to two U.S. defense officials, and the U.S. is now on track to beat the original deadline.
> 
> "U.S. Forces Afghanistan continues to draw down force levels and expects to be at 8,600 U.S. troops in 135 days (mid-July) in accordance with the U.S.-Taliban agreement. USFOR-A remains committed to supporting our Afghan partners throughout the process and maintains the capabilities and authorities necessary to accomplish our objectives," said Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Pentagon spokesperson.
> 
> Trump, who campaigned in 2016 with a promise to end wars like the one in Afghanistan, has frequently expressed frustration with progress there since his early days in office. But the recent political stalemate combined with the COVID-19 pandemic has reinvigorated his impatience.
> ...


Why does Trump need to push military and national security advisers to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan? Doesn't he know the President controls troop movements and can bring them home at any time?

Don't you know that?

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## vita3

Still there with more troops than when he took initial position of commander in chief...

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## Swordsmyth

> Why does Trump need to push military and national security advisers to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan? Doesn't he know the President controls troop movements and can bring them home at any time?
> 
> Don't you know that?


Politics, he has to be able to say that the experts agree with him.

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## Swordsmyth

> Still there with more troops than when he took initial position of commander in chief...


We are leaving completely and we are ahead of schedule.

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## tebowlives

> We are leaving completely and we are ahead of schedule.


Im March he said 14 months. So thats May 2021. Now because of the Corona virus it's stepped up?

_"The accord states that the US will, assuming the Taliban lives up to its end of the deal, cut the number of American troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 in the first 135 days."

_Let me guess, Capt No Policy will fall for a staged Gas attack again. 

The could be withdrawal has nothing to do with being un Constitutional so we need to pullout. Not about exposing our troops needlessly while not protecting our borders, but because of a virus. I'll take it, but I wont believe it til it happens.

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## Swordsmyth

With violence surging in Afghanistan, and its government still deeply at odds with the Taliban, the Trump administration said Friday that a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the nation's longest war was still on track.

The administration's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said "challenges" were blocking progress on a U.S.-Taliban agreement signed earlier this year that was meant to clear the way for U.S. forces to leave. But he said both sides remained interested in ending a conflict that has gone on for decades.

Khalilzad said a horrific attack Tuesday on a maternity ward in Kabul that left newborn babies, their mothers and pregnant women dead, was the work of an offshoot of Islamic State and not the Taliban, the militant group that does not recognize the Afghan government. The Taliban has denied responsibility, but the Afghanistan government — which was not part of the withdrawal agreement — remains skeptical.

At the Pentagon on Friday, spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the U.S. is proceeding with plans to reduce its troop count in Afghanistan to 8,600, from roughly 12,000, by early summer.

“We’re still moving forward with the force reduction levels that we’re committed to,” he said. “We expect to meet that.”

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/troop-withdra...100232479.html

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## vita3

Talk talk talk.  Thats it.

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## Cap

So, how much longer until this is officially fake news?

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## acptulsa

Fourteen months from _now_?  But they're going to be out by July 26th!  I know because Trump and his shylls told me so!

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...aw+afghanistan

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## Swordsmyth

> Talk talk talk.  That’s it.


They are leaving, they are ahead of schedule and Trump is not letting the incidents delay or cancel the withdrawal.

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## vita3

Their schedule when its met....if its ever met....puts them back @ numbers as when he got the job...

NOT GOOD

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## Swordsmyth

> Their schedule when it’s met....if it’s ever met....puts them back @ numbers as when he got the job...
> 
> NOT GOOD


They are going to continue past that point until they are all gone, that is what the deal says and Trump and his representatives keep saying we will stick to the deal as long as the Taliban doesn't attack our troops whether they make peace with the Afghan government or not.

VERY GOOD!

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## vita3

Pass the Kool-Aid!

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## Swordsmyth

> Pass the Kool-Aid!


You shouldn't drink the TDS koolaid, it's not good for you.

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## Swordsmyth

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal to end a months-long political stalemate, Ghani's spokesman said on Sunday, a step that could smooth efforts to end the country's longrunning war. 

"The Political Agreement between President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has just been signed," said Sediq Sediqqi, Ghani's spokesman, on Twitter. Abdullah would lead the council for peace talks with the insurgent Taliban and his team members would be included in cabinet, Sediqqi added.

Seddiqi said more details would be released shortly. It was not immediately known which ministerial positions Abdullah's camp would control.

Washington has been frustrated by the growing impasse between the two men, even after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to Kabul in March to mediate. It had announced it planned to cut $1 billion in aid because the men could not agree.

Growing financial pressures

It was not immediately clear whether Sunday's agreement would result in the aid commitment being reinstated. Afghanistan is facing growing fiscal pressures, with tax revenues falling and foreign aid pledges due this year expected to shrink.

Officials say a deal between Ghani and Abdullah is crucial to launching peace talks, as Abdullah's camp represents much of the country's north-west.

U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Friday that a new date for intra-Afghan peace talks was under discussion and he would soon travel to the region and try to encourage a reduction in violence.

More at: https://www.france24.com/en/20200517...rival-abdullah

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## pcosmar

Still there..

I heard of pull outs from Vietnam,,for several Years before I enlisted..  
Ended when I was at Ft Polk.

Been in Afghanistan longer than Vietnam for less reason.

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## tebowlives

> They are going to continue past that point until they are all gone, that is what the deal says and Trump and his representatives keep saying we will stick to the deal as long as the Taliban doesn't attack our troops whether they make peace with the Afghan government or not.
> 
> VERY GOOD!


Do we know what the troop levels are currently? Didn't the Trump administration stop publishing the numbers? 
Any withdrawal is good.




> Their schedule when it’s met....if it’s ever met....puts them back @ numbers as when he got the job...
> 
> NOT GOOD


I had no idea this withdrawal is about getting it back to pre Trump levels.

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## TheCount

> I had no idea this withdrawal is about getting it back to pre Trump levels.


It's not.

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## Swordsmyth

> It's not.


You are correct for once.

It's about leaving entirely.

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## TheCount

> You are correct for once.
> 
> It's about leaving entirely.


Is it?

You'd think that with all of the wives and affairs he's had, he'd have more experience with timely withdrawal.

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## tebowlives

> You are correct for once.
> 
> It's about leaving entirely.


But by July we'll get down to pre Trump numbers at 8600 correct? That's what I meant.

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## Swordsmyth

> But by July we'll get down to pre Trump numbers at 8600 correct? That's what I meant.


Yes.
And then we will keep leaving until they are all gone.

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## Swordsmyth

President Trump slammed the Wall Street Journal's editorial board on Monday, a day after it warned him against being "impulsive" when making decisions on Afghanistan.

"The Wall Street Journal Editorial states that it doesn’t want me to act in an 'impulsive' manner in Afghanistan. Could somebody please explain to them that we have been there for 19 years, and while soldier counts are way down now, hardly impulsive," the president tweeted to his 80 million followers.

"Besides, the Taliban is mixed about even wanting us to get out," Trump added. "They make a fortune $$$ by having us stay, and except at the beginning, we never really fought to win. We are more of a police force than the mighty military that we are, especially now as rebuilt. No, I am not acting impulsively!"

More at: https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4...on-afghanistan

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## tebowlives

> Politics, he has to be able to say that the experts agree with him.


I was looking for this quote since Trump says that often enough. He's not grounded on policy so he relies on experts vs just bringing them all home now. Nothing wrong with experts but policy is better.

So if Trump gets re elected why wouldn't he bring them all home the next day or by Thanksgiving or by Christmas? No need to play politics anymore. He used the Chinese flu to get more troops back quicker so why not bring them all back after the election?
But isn't the playing politics thing off? About 70% of Americans want us out of Afghanistan.

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## Swordsmyth

> I was looking for this quote since Trump says that often enough. He's not grounded on policy so he relies on experts vs just bringing them all home now. Nothing wrong with experts but policy is better.
> 
> So if Trump gets re elected why wouldn't he bring them all home the next day or by Thanksgiving or by Christmas? No need to play politics anymore. He used the Chinese flu to get more troops back quicker so why not bring them all back after the election?
> But isn't the playing politics thing off? About 70% of Americans want us out of Afghanistan.


Politics is not just about elections and voters, it is about other office holders and getting their cooperation for things you need to do as well.

But the current plan will have all US troops out of Afghanistan by early next year and we are ahead of schedule for that plan.

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## showpan

4th CAB helo's been flying through here all week on their way to the coast to get shipped out. Been in the news all week. They only say they are heading to NY but it's just a stop over...lol...then I found this:

https://www.army.mil/article/234811/..._unit_rotation

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## Swordsmyth

The Taliban have announced a ceasefire with the Afghan government that will take effect when the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr begins on Sunday.

It follows a rise in attacks by the hardline Islamist group against government troops in recent weeks.

President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the announcement, and said his soldiers would respect the terms of the truce.

The three-day ceasefire is likely to raise hopes of a longer-term reduction in violence in the country.

It is only the third time that the Taliban have declared a temporary truce since the conflict began.

The first was in 2018, again during Eid celebrations, and was a key moment in galvanising the peace process. Taliban fighters and members of the security forces hugged and posed for selfies together. That will not happen this time - the Taliban have ordered their members not to enter government territory.

Earlier this year, the group signed an agreement with the US setting out a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country. But while they have stopped attacks against international troops they have continued targeting Afghan security forces.

Direct negotiations between the two sides were due to begin in March but have been delayed by a dispute over the exchange of prisoners and increased fighting. This brief reprieve in violence could help build momentum for those talks to finally start, and will revive some of the cautious hope Afghans had begun to feel: that an end to the conflict might eventually be possible.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-t...211836177.html

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## vita3

Trump has failed us getting out of Afghanistan.

Khalīlzād has already failed under Bush jr, its pure  insanity to have him in charge AGAIN 

& relying on the Tailaban being peaceful to withdraw is a joke

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## Swordsmyth

> Trump has failed us getting out of Afghanistan.
> 
> Khalīlzād has already failed under Bush jr, it’s pure  insanity to have him in charge AGAIN 
> 
> & relying on the Tailaban being “peaceful” to withdraw is a joke


Trump is getting us out whether the Afghans continue to fight or not.

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## vita3

Fact: More US troops today then when Trump was named Commander in Chief over 3 years ago


To Bull $#@!e anyone on a Ron Paul Forum that he is getting us out is disingenuous

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## Swordsmyth

> Fact: More US troops today then when Trump was named Commander in Chief over 3 years ago
> 
> 
> To Bull $#@!e anyone on a Ron Paul Forum that he is “getting us out” is disingenuous


LOL

We are in the middle of withdrawing them and we are ahead of schedule.
And we are leaving whether the Afghans make peace or not.

It's over.

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## vita3

bull $#@!e

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## acptulsa

> LOL
> 
> We are in the middle of withdrawing them and we are ahead of schedule.
> And we are leaving whether the Afghans make peace or not.
> 
> It's over.


What schedule?  What schedule?  Which freaking schedule?

You once reported they'd be out by July 26 this very summer.  You standing by that?  Or are you admitting you were full of bull then, but claiming you're not full of bull now?

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## RonZeplin

Trump's been lying about bringing the troops home from Afghanistan since 2012.

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## Swordsmyth

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced plans to release more Taliban prisoners in response to the militant group's three-day Eid ceasefire. Kabul's move could finally pave the way for intra-Afghan talks.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday announced plans to accelerate the release of up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners a day after the insurgent group announced a three-day ceasefire to mark Eid festivities.

There were no reports of fighting between the militants and government forces at the end of the first day of truce.

Ghani, in his Eid message, said he was releasing Taliban prisoners as a "goodwill gesture." The government "is taking further steps to ensure (the) success of the peace process," the president's spokesperson said.

The government urged the Taliban to release all Afghan security force personnel as soon as possible.

The Taliban dubbed the announcement "a good step" but said the Doha deal with the United States stipulated the "release of 5,000 prisoners."

"This process should be completed in order to remove hurdles in the way of commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations and to pave the way for further progress which is to follow," the group's spokesperson said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed the Eid ceasefire in a statement on Sunday. "This presents a tremendous opportunity for Afghans to overcome other obstacles and move urgently to Intra Afghan negotiations that end the war," he said.

US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated Washington's deal with the Taliban, also welcomed the holiday truce.

"We welcome the Taliban's decision to observe a ceasefire during Eid, as well as the Afghan government announcement reciprocating and announcing its own ceasefire," Khalilzad tweeted.

"This development offers the opportunity to accelerate the peace process," he added. Khalilzad spoke of "a momentous opportunity that should not be missed."

More at: https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-to...ure/a-53554649

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## enhanced_deficit

Bold press release by  tax payers funded non-puppet  leader.

Without ending foreign aid regime its difficult but hopefully it's not another non-fakenews and globalist nneocons interventions in Afghan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Taiwan sea , Korea etc will be coming to end under the MAGA first leadership. If  this  happened, would go a long away in erasing any right-wing theories about MAGA being a stealth plant of globalist neocons.

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## showpan

I guess nobody clicked on my link....lol....doesn't look to me like we are leaving anytime soon. It's a 12 month deployment.

WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Army announced today the upcoming 2020 rotation to Afghanistan of the 4th Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The 4th Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade will replace the 10th Mountain Division Combat Aviation Brigade as part of a regular rotation of forces to support the United States’ commitment to Operation Freedom Sentinel.

“The 4th Infantry Division CAB is a highly trained force comprised of aviation warfighters who are well-supported by our families and local communities,” said Col. Scott Myers, the 4th CAB commander. “This professional unit remains ready to answer our nation's call.”

“In the upcoming deployment to CENTCOM, which will be known as “Task Force Ivy Eagle,” the 4th CAB will be augmented by members of the National Guard, sourced primarily from Utah's 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment,” he continued. “The members of Task Force Ivy Eagle are proud and honored to serve our great nation and to represent the 4th ID in combat."

https://www.army.mil/article/234811/..._unit_rotation

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## showpan

8,600 troops to remain is NOT leaving...lol

Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel I Quarterly Report to the United States Congress I January 1, 2020 - Mach 31, 2020
OCO

0
PRINT  |  E-MAIL
May 15, 2020 —
Publicly Released: May 19, 2020

This Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) report to the United States Congress on Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS) is the 20th quarterly report detailing the overseas contingency operation. The report summarizes significant events involving OFS and describes completed, ongoing, and planned Lead IG and partner agency oversight work. This report covers the period from January 1, 2020, through March 31, 2020.

Although U.S. and Taliban representatives signed an agreement on February 29 as a first step toward ending the conflict, a number of events occurred that raised questions over whether the peace process would take place. Taliban violence continued at high levels, even during a negotiated weeklong reduction in violence that led to the agreement’s signing. The Taliban limited violence against coalition forces but increased attacks against the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) during this period. The Taliban escalated violence further after signing the agreement. U.S. forces defended the ANDSF against the Taliban. U.S. officials stated the Taliban must reduce violence as a necessary condition for continued U.S. reduction in forces and that remaining high levels of violence could jeopardize the U.S.-Taliban agreement. Even still, the United States began to reduce its forces in Afghanistan from roughly 13,000 to 8,600.

A political impasse that happened after the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the September presidential election results also complicated the peace process. The IEC declared incumbent president Ashraf Ghani the winner of the election over his challenger, former Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah. Abdullah immediately disputed the results, claiming ballot fraud. After the quarter ended, the Taliban and the Afghan government made little progress toward commencing the intra-Afghan talks, which were required under the U.S.-Taliban agreement, partly due to the political dysfunction.

The coronavirus disease–2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic caused further problems throughout the country, as the Taliban continued attacks despite international pleas for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds. Global humanitarian organization and Afghan government representatives assessed that COVID-19 would severely strain the Afghan healthcare system and economy, potentially infect millions, place millions deeper into poverty, and cause roughly 110,000 deaths. U.S. and coalition forces briefly paused efforts to train, advise, and assist Afghan forces because of COVID-19 but resumed some of these efforts through telephone, e-mail, and other means.

During the quarter, the Lead IG agencies issued two reports relating to OFS. The investigative branches of the Lead IG agencies and their partner agencies coordinated on 97 open investigations, involving allegations of procurement and grant fraud, corruption, computer intrusions, and human trafficking.

Operation Freedom’s Sentinel began on January 1, 2015. U.S. forces conduct two complementary missions under OFS: 1) counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan, and their affiliates in Afghanistan; and 2) training, advising, and assisting the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces through the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.

Section 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978 provides a mandate for the three Lead IG agencies—the Department of Defense OIG, Department of State OIG, and U.S. Agency for International Development OIG—to work together to develop and carry out joint, comprehensive, and strategic oversight. Each IG retains statutory independence, but together they apply their extensive regional experience and in-depth institutional knowledge to conduct whole-of-government oversight of these overseas contingency operations.


Related Documents
LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR OPERATION FREEDOM'S SENTINEL.PDF

LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR OPERATION FREEDOM'S SENTINEL ONE PAGE OVERVIEW.PDF

https://www.dodig.mil/In-the-Spotlig...-report-to-th/

----------


## vita3

Sword smith should be banned 

Too essential of a subject to BS

----------


## Swordsmyth

> 8,600 troops to remain is NOT leaving...lol
> 
> Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel I Quarterly Report to the United States Congress I January 1, 2020 - Mach 31, 2020
> OCO
> 
> 0
> PRINT  |  E-MAIL
> May 15, 2020 —
> Publicly Released: May 19, 2020
> ...


They are going to leave, Trump and his representatives have said they will leave whether the Afghans make peace or not and the Afghans are moving towards peace.
The OPINION of this INSPECTOR GENERAL is meaningless, he has no power.



> Sword smith should be banned 
> 
> *Too essential of a subject to BS*


Then maybe you should be banned.

----------


## Swordsmyth

"Even still, the United States began to reduce its forces in Afghanistan from roughly 13,000 to 8,600."

Which is just the first phase.

----------


## Swordsmyth

The  Americans are to cut 4,000 troops in Afghanistan within the first  135  days according to the terms of the deal. There are currently 13,000  U.S.  troops in Afghanistan; the remaining 8,600 would leave within 14   months.

More at: https://sofrep.com/news/and-so-it-be...m-afghanistan/

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Sword smith should be banned 
> 
> Too essential of a subject to BS


Defense Department officials are reportedly planning to brief President Donald Trump on several options to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan, including one to pull them out before the 2020 US presidential election in November.

Senior officials familiar with the plans said multiple options with varying timelines will soon be presented to the president, according to a New York Times report published Tuesday. 

The US previously committed to pulling out 3,400 troops by July, and all of them by May 2021, if certain conditions were met. 

Speaking to media at the Rose Garden on Tuesday, Trump addressed concerns about another withdrawal.

"We're there 19 years ... yeah, I think that's enough," Trump said of the US's war in Afghanistan. "We can always go back if we want to."

Trump added that he did not have a specific date in mind for a potential US withdrawal, and claimed he wanted it "over a period of time but as soon as reasonable."

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-milita...005534242.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The Afghan government released hundreds of Taliban prisoners Tuesday, its single largest prisoner release since the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace deal earlier this year that spells out an exchange of detainees between the warring sides.

The government announced it would release 900 Taliban prisoners as a three-day cease-fire with the insurgents draws to an end. The Taliban had called for the truce during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

There were expectations that the prisoner release could lead to new reductions in violence, and Taliban officials were considering an extension of the cease-fire, a senior Taliban figure confirmed to The Associated Press.

“If these developments, like the announcement of prisoner releases, continues, it is possible to move forward with decisions like extending the brief cease-fire and to move in a positive direction with some minor issues," the Taliban official said.

The prisoners were being released from Bagram prison, where the U.S. still maintains a major military base north of Kabul, and from Pul-e-Charkhi prison on the eastern edge of the Afghan capital.

By late afternoon, the AP witnessed scores of men pouring out of the Bagram compound, presumably released prisoners. It wasn't immediately possible to verify their numbers or whether they were all Taliban members. They were transported on six buses parked outside the prison.

An official at Bagram said 525 men were to be released but he spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

No number was given for how many prisoners would be released from Pul-e-Charkhi.

In a tweet late Tuesday, Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen in Doha said the insurgent group planned to release “a remarkable number” of government prisoners. He called the Afghan government's release of 900 “good progress.”

Javid Faisal, a national security spokesman in Kabul, urged the Taliban to extend the cease-fire and said the government would release 900 prisoners Tuesday. That would bring to 2,000 the number of Taliban prisoners released so far under the U.S.-Taliban deal. The Taliban say they have released 240 captives.

However, the Taliban have yet to confirm whether those released so far by the government were among the 5,000 names the insurgents had given U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad, the architect of the Feb. 29 deal.

A second Taliban official told the AP that those released so far were on the Taliban list, including the uncle of Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada. 

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-govt-f...105008189.html

----------


## vita3

Reportedly planning

Pathetic.

If troops ever come home from endless war in Afghanistan Ill be loudest one cheering, until then its all propaganda

----------


## RonZeplin

President Donnell is Hillary on steroids.   




> *Trump: I Can and Will Start Wars Whenever I Please*
> 
> President Donald Trumps May 6 veto of a Senate resolution that would  have required him to seek congressional approval for any further  military confrontations with Iran demonstrates that, despite his  occasional feints toward scaling back foreign intervention, Trump is as  much a warmonger as anyone else in Washington. Worse still, his  explanation for his veto indicates that he believes presidents have  unlimited authority to launch wars, contrary to clear constitutional  language.
> 
> The question of whether United States forces should be engaged in  armed conflict against Iran should only be made following a full  briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a  public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote as contemplated by  the Constitution, reads the resolution.  It directs Trump to remove U.S. troops from any hostilities with Iran  within 30 days and not to order any further attacks unless explicitly  authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use  of military force. It does, however, reserve to Trump the right to  respond to an imminent attack.
> 
> In short, the measure simply restates the Constitutions war  requirements, to wit: (1) The United States may not engage in offensive  military action absent a congressional declaration of war (the  resolution actually weakens this a bit, allowing for a generic  authorization), and (2) the president is in charge of prosecuting a  war once Congress declares it.
> 
> But to Trump, who swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the  Constitution, it is a very insulting resolution, as he put it in a statement  explaining his veto. As far as he is concerned, it was a purely  political move by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on  November 3 by dividing the Republican Party. Moreover, The few  Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands.
> ...

----------


## devil21

In other news, Trump administration currently briefing President on plans to Lock Her Up and Build The Wall, prior to November election.  Unnamed sources declined to share details but said "Sooooooon."

----------


## dean.engelhardt

Is the great orange president still negotiating with the Taliban to get permission for the troops to come home?

----------


## vita3

Taliban just got hundreds of prisoners back from one of our bases.

You know that will probably produce casualties & something terrible down the line.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Is the great orange president still negotiating with the Taliban to get permission for the troops to come home?


Nope, we are leaving, try reading the posts.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Taliban just got hundreds of prisoners back from one of our bases.
> 
> You know that will probably produce casualties & something terrible down the line.


You complain when the Afghans aren't moving towards peace even though Trump says we are leaving whether they do or not and now you complain when they move towards peace which makes it harder for Neocons to try and make him keep the troops there.

You don't care about leaving Afghanistan, you just want to hate Trump.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> “Reportedly planning”
> 
> Pathetic.
> 
> If troops ever come home from endless war in Afghanistan I’ll be loudest one cheering, until then it’s all propaganda


They ARE leaving, right now.
You won't cheer, you'll come up with some new complaint.

----------


## Swordsmyth

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...12405784162304

----------


## acptulsa

> But I guess Orange Man is now bad for getting us out of Afghanistan?


Oh, look.  More SJW logic.  I'd ask you when you stopped beating your wife, if the idea of someone marrying you weren't so laughable.




> Read it and weep:


You're right.  Part if that does make me weep.  Specifically, the fact that it's all yahoo, and it's highly unlikely that there's a word of truth in it.

But I forgot, didn't I?  You have TvsgS so yahoo!'s only fakenews© when it trashes Trump.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Oh, look.  More SJW logic.  I'd ask you when you stopped beating your wife, if the idea of someone marrying you weren't so laughable.
> 
> 
> 
> You're right.  Part if that does make me weep.  Specifically, the fact that it's all yahoo, and it's highly unlikely that there's a word of truth in it.
> 
> But I forgot, didn't I?  You have TvsgS so yahoo!'s only fakenews© when it trashes Trump.


LOL

Trying to use the fact that a news aggregator posted the story to claim it's false is hillaryous.

It's from AFP. (not that the source would make it any less true anyway, it's from official sources that seem to be good enough when people want to whine about Trump not having ended all the wars yet)


And just so you don't succeed in sliding it off the current page:

The US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is considerably ahead of   schedule, an official told AFP on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump   reiterated calls for the Pentagon to bring troops home.

Under a deal the US signed with the Taliban in February, the Pentagon   was to bring troop levels down from about 12,000 to 8,600 by mid-July,   before withdrawing all forces by May 2021.

But a senior US defence official said the troop number was already at   approximately 8,500, as commanders accelerate the withdrawal over fears   of the coronavirus.

"The drawdown was accelerated due to COVID-19 precautions," the official   told AFP, noting that the departure of anyone with health concerns or   over a certain age was being prioritised.

Trump told reporters Tuesday the US force level was "down to 7,000-some-odd soldiers right now".

Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Campbell said in a statement the US was adhering to its agreement with the Taliban.

Further drawdowns would come "after the US government assesses the   security environment and the Taliban's compliance with the agreement",   he added.

The Afghan government meanwhile said it would continue with the release   of Taliban prisoners that had been agreed in the US deal with the   insurgents and is seen as key to kickstarting long-delayed peace talks.

On Tuesday, the Afghan military freed about 1,000 Taliban inmates,   mostly from Bagram jail near Kabul, as part of a pledge to release up to   2,000 insurgents in response to the Taliban-led ceasefire.

A senior Taliban member told AFP that in return, the insurgents planned   to free up to 100 Afghan security force members as early as Thursday.

Top Afghan officials have demanded the Taliban extend the ceasefire and offered to reciprocate.

"If the Taliban are ready to extend the ceasefire, we are ready to   continue the ceasefire too," National Security Council spokesman Javid   Faisal said Tuesday.

The future of talks with the insurgents "depends on the Taliban's next move", he added.

The prisoner swap is part of a US-Taliban deal, which excluded the   Afghan government, that stipulates Kabul would release up to 5,000   Taliban prisoners and the militants would free about 1,000 national   security personnel.

Kabul had already freed about 1,000 Taliban inmates before the   ceasefire, while the insurgents had released about 300 government   captives.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/us-troop-pull...132219311.html

----------


## pcosmar

> They are leaving faster than any are rotated in and they will all be gone by early next year or maybe even before November.


Of what year?

Heard that $hit since 1970.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Of what year?
> 
> Heard that $hit since 1970.


Go ahead and keep this bumped.

Other people can read.

We are leaving and we are ahead of schedule.

----------


## tebowlives

> Go ahead and keep this bumped.
> 
> Other people can read.
> 
> We are leaving and we are ahead of schedule.


It's hard to believe what Trump says since he lies too often.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> It's hard to believe what Trump says since he lies too often.

----------


## tebowlives

> 


lol I guess it doesn't bother you Trump supporters. And why should it since you're all liars too.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> lol I guess it doesn't bother you Trump supporters. And why should it since you're all liars too.


Projection.

You are just desperate to deny that Trump is doing something good.

----------


## tebowlives

> Projection.


Deceitful comment




> You are just desperate to deny that Trump is doing something good.


Because I correctly and truthfully pointed out Trump lies too much?  lol Whatever the word is that means you're more than desperate is what you are. Delusional would fit.

And because Trump lies to much I won't believe it until it happens. Keep posting updates on this as that is actually something you are good at. But this isn't about what you made up about me. That's a pussy move.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Deceitful comment
> 
> Because I correctly and truthfully pointed out Trump lies too much?  lol Whatever the word is that means you're more than desperate is what you are. Delusional would fit.
> 
> And because Trump lies to much I won't believe it until it happens. Keep posting updates on this as that is actually something you are good at. But this isn't about what you made up about me. That's a pussy move.


It's happening.
Your attempts to deflect from that by questioning Trump's honesty show desperation.

----------


## tebowlives

> It's happening.


Yes it looks like the troop withdrawal is happening *SO FAR.*




> Your attempts to deflect from that by questioning Trump's honesty show desperation.


I'm not deflecting from anything. That's just another pussy move on your part because you don't think Trump breaking his word often enough is a big deal. That's on you and your demented sense of the truth.

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghanistan's government will soon complete a Taliban prisoner release that is a key condition to the launch of peace talks with the insurgents, President Ashraf Ghani said Thursday.

Under the terms of a US-Taliban deal signed in February, Kabul has pledged to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners in a swap that would see the insurgents release 1,000 Afghan security force captives.

Once the swap is done, the two sides have pledged to begin peace talks that could end nearly 19 years of war.

Kabul has already released 3,000 prisoners, with the remainder due to be freed shortly, Ghani said.

"The remaining commitment -- my colleagues and I have made the decision to release an additional 2,000 prisoners within a very short period. We will announce the date soon," Ghani said in a video interview with a Washington think tank.

Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter the prisoner release so far was "a positive step" and marked "good progress".

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US negotiator on Afghanistan, also called the latest developments "very positive" and said that intra-Afghan talks appeared closer than ever.

"All sides must work to get to the negotiations table ASAP and prevent spoilers from undermining the process and betraying the hopes and yearning of Afghan people for peace," he wrote on Twitter.

The Taliban and Afghan security forces observed a three-day ceasefire last month and have generally reduced violence across Afghanistan since then in an attempt to set the stage for peace talks.

Ghani said he would elaborate the next steps in the peace process next week and called for a "humanitarian ceasefire" to provide food and medical assistance during the coronavirus crisis.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-priso...165255868.html

----------


## devil21

> Once the swap is done, the two sides have pledged to *begin* peace talks that could end nearly 19 years of war.




What's it now?  3 or 4 times?  @enhanced_deficit

----------


## vita3

Groundhog Day

----------


## Swordsmyth

> What's it now?  3 or 4 times?  @enhanced_deficit


We are already leaving and will leave completely whether they make peace or not.
But their progress towards peace makes it easier for Trump to remove us faster and harder for the swamp to try and make us stay.

----------


## Anti Globalist

> Groundhog Day


Just like quarantine day.

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghanistan’s government and the Islamist Taliban group have agreed that Doha will be the venue for the first meeting in their peace talks, both sides said on Sunday.

The talks, known as the intra-Afghan dialogue, will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides after years of fighting.

No date has been announced for the meeting, but it is expected to take place after the two sides settle differences on the release by the Afghan government of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, which could be as soon as the end of next week.

“The first intra-Afghan meeting will happen in Doha,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Reuters, adding that the Islamist group was ready to hold intra-Afghan talks within a week of the release of 5,000 prisoners.

The Afghan government has released 3,000 Taliban prisoners so far under an agreement signed between the United States and the insurgent group in February. 

More at: https://in.reuters.com/article/afgha...-idINKBN23M06M

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> What's it now?  3 or 4 times?


Hopefully this is not 'foolme 4.0'  and pressure of popularity contest of elections 2020 reality tv would get something done.

But there could be still bit of gaming the non-gullible base going on in terms of  promises & statements & PRs.


June 15, 2020 /  10:07 AM / 2 days ago*
Exclusive: U.S. senators ask Pentagon if $1 billion in Afghan aid was cut*

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Democratic senators on Monday asked U.S.   Defense Secretary Mike Esper what happened to $1 billion in aid for   Afghanistan the Trump administration said it would cut nearly three   months ago, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

Reuters reported on April 5 the reduction would come from funds for  Afghan security forces and, on May 20, that the Pentagon had not  withheld the money despite Pompeos March 23 vow to cut it  immediately.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN23M1Z5


Keeper of promises:

*Global Policing: More US troops heading to Syria, Iraq*
June 17, 2020 
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) *
*2,200 paratroopers  assigned to the 82nd Airborne Divisions 2nd Brigade Combat Team  deploying to Iraq and Syria amid the coronavirus  pandemic ...

----------


## Swordsmyth

The U.S. envoy to Afghanistan has signaled Washington’s Taliban peace deal, which was signed in February, will now move forward. On Twitter, Zalmay Khalilzad revealed the status of the deal following his week-long tour, which included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Qatar where Taliban headquarters are located.

According to him, both the U.S. and the terrorist group have “agreed developing plans in support of peace can never start too early.”

    2/3 In follow on mtg w/ the Taliban, we underscored the econ development oppts that will follow a sustainable peace. We agreed developing plans in support of peace can never start too early, assuming the 2 sides can overcome final hurdles on the path to intra-Afghan negotiations.

    — U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) July 3, 2020

Khalilzad added the peace deal will offer many economic benefits. He further suggested joint projects involving Qatar and Pakistan could involve trade and infrastructure.

More at: https://www.oann.com/u-s-pushes-ahea...an-peace-deal/



The biggest hurdle has been the release of prisoners. The peace deal called for the Afghan government to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Taliban releasing 1,000 government personnel. So far, the government has freed 4,015 and the Taliban has freed 669, according to the Afghan government..

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/us-envoy-forg...101741695.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Two House conservatives are calling on President Trump to “immediately withdraw” all troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing the country needs to stop engaging in “endless wars.” 

In a letter sent to President Trump on Tuesday, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said keeping a military presence in the region could mean a loss of power for the U.S.

“Throughout your entire presidency, you have worked tirelessly to Make America Great Again. We are confident you will repeat this feat again after this pandemic. However, the United States will not remain a great power for long if we stay engaged in perpetual warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the letter says.   

The Trump administration is reportedly finalizing plans to withdraw 4,000 troops from Afghanistan before Election Day, a move that critics — including House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — argue would destabilize the region and put the U.S. national security at risk. 

The lawmakers said they believe the calls from members on both sides of the aisle to remain in the country are misguided. 

More at: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5...om-afghanistan

----------


## Swordsmyth

The Defense Department announced Tuesday that U.S. troops have withdrawn from five military bases and reduced the size of its forces in Afghanistan as part of the agreement reached with the Taliban in February.

Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement that "U.S. forces in Afghanistan remain in the mid-8,000s and five bases formerly occupied by U.S. forces have been transferred to our Afghan partners."

More at: https://thehill.com/policy/507378-pe...iban-agreement

----------


## Swordsmyth

The Taliban have put the son of the movement's feared founder in charge of their military wing and added several powerful figures to their negotiating team, Taliban officials said. The shake-up, one of the most significant in years, comes ahead of expected talks with Kabul aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan.

As head of a newly united military wing, 30-year-old Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob brings his father's fiercely uncompromising reputation to the battlefield.

Equally significant is the addition of four members of the insurgent group's leadership council to the 20-member negotiating team, Taliban officials told The Associated Press.

The shuffle, overseen by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhunzada, is meant to tighten his control over the movement’s military and political arms, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the inner workings of the Taliban.

Analysts say the shake-up could be good news for negotiations with the Afghan political leadership, and a sign of how seriously the Taliban are taking this second — and perhaps most critical — step in a deal Washington signed with the insurgents in February.

“I’d say it appears to be a positive development because the Taliban are creating a delegation that seems more senior and more broad-based than they’ve used to date, or than might be strictly necessary for the opening stages of talks,” said Andrew Wilder, vice president of the Asia Program at the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace.

On Monday, four-and-a-half months since the signing, chief U.S. negotiator and peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted that “a key milestone in the implementation of the U.S.-Taliban agreement” had been reached as American troop numbers dropped to 8,600 from about 12,000 and five bases were closed in Afghanistan.

Even as Khalilzad chastised increased insurgent attacks on Afghan security forces, he said the Taliban had been true to their word not to attack U.S. and NATO troops.

“No American has lost his/her life in Afghanistan to Taliban violence. Regional relations have improved,” he tweeted.

The Taliban have stepped up their military activity against Afghan government forces since Yaqoob's appointment in May, a sign the militants under his leadership may see battlefield wins as upping their leverage at the negotiating table.

“I can see a lot of reasons for the Taliban to be pushing the envelope — perhaps as a negotiation tactic, but equally likely as a means to test U.S limits,” said Daniel Markey, a senior research professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. “So far, the Trump administration looks like it is heading for the exit, no matter what. Why not ratchet up the violence to see what greater victories can be won? ”

Surprisingly, the shuffle also sidelined senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi, removing him from the negotiating committee. Seen as close to neighboring Pakistan, his removal could limit Pakistan's influence and buttress their position with Kabul, which is deeply suspicious of Islamabad.

Already a deputy head of the movement, the sudden appointment of the son of Mullah Mohammed Omar as the Taliban military chief reportedly ruffled feathers among members of the leadership council, who had not been consulted. Yaqoob, however, met with the council and won over the dissenters, said the Taliban officials.

“Yaqoob’s appointment appears to be, at least in part, an effort by Mullah Akhundzada to shore up oversight of battlefield operations at a key moment ... as the insurgents ramp up violence to strengthen their negotiating position in preparation for potential peace talks with the Afghan government,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-big-c...115706578.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Amid a substantial US pullout from Afghanistan, the administration still doesn’t have a proper US Ambassador for that country. Reports, however, are that the short list includes a long-time war critic, Will Ruger.

Though not nominated yet, Ruger is undergoing vetting, and has been meeting with officials. The Vice President for Research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute, Ruger has frequently advocated ending the Afghanistan War.

Though the US is heading toward ending that war anyhow, with so many officials taking a wait and see approach, having a proper ambassador who is known to want a pullout would be a clear signal the administration intends to complete the process.

According to Politico:



    Ruger, a Naval Reserve officer who served a year in Afghanistan a decade ago, is aligned with the president’s thinking about the U.S. footprint in the Middle East and the wars in Afghanistan and Syria, and has been especially vocal about getting out of Afghanistan.

    “President Trump has correctly concluded that a full and speedy withdrawal of our troops is imperative,” he wrote in the American Interest in late May. “Our national interest isn’t served by continuing to wage a futile battle but by exiting it.”



The US is well ahead of its pullout schedule, down to about 8,500 troops in Afghanistan. Officials sayt hey want 4,000 by the election, and some are saying a complete pullout is possible by then.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/...edy-withdrawal

----------


## devil21

Yeah totally happening _this time_.  Or not....

Congress blocking Trump's Afghanistan withdrawal
https://www.defenseone.com/politics/...drawal/166880/

If only he were like Commander-in-Chief of the military and could issue an executive order directly to the DoD demanding immediate withdrawal.  Naaa, we'll stick with the narrative that he's always blocked at every turn by that pesky Congress instead.

But muh bounties!

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Yeah totally happening _this time_.  Or not....
> 
> Congress blocking Trump's Afghanistan withdrawal
> https://www.defenseone.com/politics/...drawal/166880/
> 
> If only he were like Commander-in-Chief of the military and could issue an executive order directly to the DoD demanding immediate withdrawal.  Naaa, we'll stick with the narrative that he's always blocked at every turn by that pesky Congress instead.
> 
> But muh bounties!


LOL

Congress is threatening to do something but they haven't yet and Trump will veto it if they try, by the time they might override his veto the troops will be home.

You sure want to keep the troops in Afghanistan, I wonder why.

----------


## devil21

> LOL
> 
> Congress is threatening to do something but they haven't yet and Trump will veto it if they try, by the time they might override his veto the troops will be home.
> 
> You sure want to keep the troops in Afghanistan, I wonder why.


Ya got me.  My secret is now out.  I control everything via my RPF posts.  It's totally about what I want or don't want instead of what the CFR wants.

----------


## Firestarter

> Ya got me.  My secret is now out.  I control everything via my RPF posts.  It's totally about what I want or don't want instead of what the CFR wants.


But you have to admit that president Donald could veto the decision of the toothless Congress!
So if he doesn't that only proves that he was lying once again.

Then maybe in a couple of months or so, some Trump fan could start a "new" thread on president Donald really getiing "our" troops home from somewhere in the world. There must be a couple of occasions when that will actually become true.
There are of course other regions that can get more American soldiers at the same or private contractors (like Erik Prince the brother of Betsy DeVos), but please don't mention that or you will be accused of all sorts of nasty  things by the Trumpkins...

----------


## devil21

> But you have to admit that president Donald could veto the decision of the toothless Congress!
> So if he doesn't that only proves that he was lying once again.


It's just the narrative they're going with.  Trump doesn't need Congressional approval to withdraw every last soldier from Afghanistan, just like he never needs Congress to send more.  Real 35D chess would be an executive order directly to the DoD demanding immediate withdrawal.  What's Congress gonna do?  Stop funding the war under the 20 year old AUMF?  Congress could only pass a non-binding resolution.  The original AUMF gave the President the Commander-in-Chief authority to continue the Afghanistan occupation.  It doesn't REQUIRE it, therefore Trump could simply demand withdrawal via EO and be done with it.  The first EO was issued by Lincoln (big ol' rabbit hole there) so if Trump is trying to emulate Lincoln, there's a perfect opportunity.




> Then maybe in a couple of months or so, some Trump fan could start a "new" thread on president Donald really getiing "our" troops home from somewhere in the world. There must be a couple of occasions when that will actually become true.


It will, in an official sense, but only because the dollar is losing its global reserve status and can't be directly used for imperialism by US Inc., on behalf of Britain, any more.  Overthrowing existing governments and replacing with western central bank puppets allowed the global dollar standard to be used to pay off the installed heads of state and new puppet governments.




> There are of course other regions that can get more American soldiers at the same or private contractors (like Erik Prince the brother of Betsy DeVos), but please don't mention that or you will be accused of all sorts of nasty  things by the Trumpkins...


That is the catch.  "Removal" of troops will only generally mean they switch from US uniforms to Blackwater uniforms and/or UN uniforms and receive a big pay increase of devaluing dollars.  This has already been happening.  I'm just waiting for the official announcement that "There are no longer any US Military troops in Afghanistan."  The mindscrew will be that it is technically correct, since they wouldn't be US Military troops anymore.  They would be private contractors or UN.

----------


## Swordsmyth

The Taliban are prepared to hold peace talks with the Afghan government next month straight after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the insurgents said Thursday, provided an ongoing prisoner swap has been completed.

The conditional offer marks the first occasion a talks timeline has been floated since warring parties blew past a March 10 deadline to begin negotiations.

The Taliban are "likely ... ready to begin intra-Afghan negotiations immediately after Eid in case the process of the release of the prisoners is completed," the insurgents' political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter.

He added that the Taliban were ready to release the remaining Afghan security force prisoners in their custody, as long as Kabul freed all insurgent inmates "as per our list already delivered" to authorities.

Afghanistan's National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said several of the freed Taliban inmates were dangerous fighters who quickly returned to the battlefield.

"The Taliban ... must stick to their commitments of stopping the freed prisoners from going back to violence," he said on Twitter.

"Stop violence, get ready for intra-Afghan talks as soon as possible," he said soon after Shaheen's tweet.

So far, Kabul has released about 4,400 Taliban captives. The militants say they have freed 864 government inmates.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-propo...162413477.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

bump

----------


## Swordsmyth

Anti-Troll bump

----------


## Swordsmyth

Anti-Troll bump

----------


## Swordsmyth

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced the group was observing a three-day ceasefire for Eid al Adha beginning July 31, Tolo News reported July 28

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...muslim-holiday

----------


## Swordsmyth

The US will reduce its military presence in Afghanistan to about 4,000 troops “very soon,” US President Donald Trump said.

“We are largely out of Afghanistan,” Trump said in an interview with US news website Axios, aired on Monday.

“We’ll be down in a very short period of time to 8,000, then we’re going to be down to 4,000, we’re negotiating right now”, the US president elaborated, without specifying the exact time, but saying that it will happen “very soon.”

Asked how many US troops will remain in Afghanistan on election day in November, Trump said that it would be “anywhere from four to five thousand.”

The statement by the president comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week said that Trump’s expectation was to get all remaining US troops out of Afghanistan by May 2021.

More at: https://www.infowars.com/trump-expec...tan-very-soon/

We got ahead of schedule before and I'd bet we do it again.

----------


## RonPaulRocksMyWorld

We got ahead of schedule before and I'd bet we do it again.

Why not all of them before Election Day? Is this not important enough to end it barring reelection...bring them all home NOW!

----------


## Swordsmyth

The United States plans to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to “a number less than 5,000” by the end of November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast on Saturday, adding detail to drawdown plans U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week.

The United States currently has about 8,600 troops in Afghanistan. Trump said in an interview released Monday by Axios that the United States planned to lower that number to about 4,000.

Esper announced the lower troop levels in a Fox News interview. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN255031

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 “hard-core” Taliban prisoners, paving the way for the beginning of peace talks aimed at ending more than 19 years of war. 

Under election-year pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal allowing him to bring home American troops, the war-torn country’s grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, on Sunday approved the release, a controversial condition raised by the Taliban militants to join peace talks.

“In order to remove an obstacle, allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed, the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban,” the assembly said in a resolution.

Minutes later, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said, “Today, I will sign the release order of these 400 prisoners.”

Last week Ghani invited some 3,200 Afghan community leaders and politicians to Kabul amid tight security and concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic to advise the government on whether the prisoners should be freed.

With the release, the Afghan government will fulfil its pledge to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

Talks between the warring Taliban and government will start in Doha this week, Western diplomats said. Ghani appealed to the hardline Islamist group to pledge to a complete ceasefire ahead of talks. 

Ahead of the Loya Jirga, Human Rights Watch cautioned that many of the prisoners had been jailed under “overly broad terrorism laws that provide for indefinite preventive detention”.

Ahead of November U.S. elections, Trump is determined to fulfil a major campaign promise of ending America’s longest war. 

More at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKCN25507I

----------


## Swordsmyth

Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said the insurgent group is reportedly ready to start direct peace negotiations with Kabul following the Afghan government’s decision to release the 400 remaining Taliban prisoners in its custody, Kashmir Monitor reported Aug. 12. ...

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...isoner-release

----------


## Swordsmyth

In 2005, Taliban financier and Afghan drug lord Haji Bashir Noorzai  flew from Dubai to New York City to strike a deal with American  officials seeking peace with the Taliban. Or so he thought. It was a  trap. DEA officials met him, and arrested him for his global heroin  trafficking operations that had been funding the Taliban’s war machine  for years. He was tried in the Southern District of New York and sentenced to life in U.S. federal prison.

That  was then. Now, the Trump Administration is considering letting Noorzai  out. Trying to make good on its Feb. 29 peace deal with the Taliban, the  Administration is entertaining the militant group’s request to release  Noorzai — and every last Taliban detainee in Guantanamo Bay — in order  to get the former rulers of Afghanistan to sit down with the country’s  current ruling elite for talks. When the Taliban’s co-founder Mullah  Akhund Baradar asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the prisoners’  release at the end of July*,* U.S.  envoy to Afghanistan Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad quietly recommended setting  Noorzai free, a senior administration official and a senior western  official say, though it would mean putting one of the world’s top drug  kingpins back on the street.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/prisoners-pea...005208891.html

----------


## enhanced_deficit

Bringing troops home from the longest war in US history will certainly be great for America's interests and a setback for Forever Wars lobbies and profiteers. But to be devil's advo,  if there are no US taxpayers funded troops in Afghanistan, how can Israel's major enemy Iran be surounded from both sides (Iraq and Afghanistan) to keep pressure on Iran and as contigency option for a future Iran war to defend our allies?

There were 8400 troops in Afghanistan at the start of current Prez term. Practically speaking and from the stand point of 'follow the money', won't it be better to leave most of the troops ( like 6000 or at least 5000) there and withdraw only a portion and claim political credit at election rallies that way?  This would also avoid risk of funding cut off from top MAGA campaign donor who is a strong supporter of Israel First. 

What say you starter of this  thread?  
As there were 8400 troops there in jan 2017, how many are there today just weeks before end of first term?

There are plenty future promises already posted in the multi page thread, no need to repeat promises.

----------


## Swordsmyth

The Afghan government released 80 of the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners Thursday, paving the way for long-stalled peace negotiations after nearly two decades of bitter and violent conflict in the country.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani got the go-ahead from the consultative assembly Loya Jirga, which sanctioned the release of prisoners in an effort to speed up talks in the war-torn nation.

Some of the prisoners have been implicated in devastating bombings in the capital Kabul. During a televised talk Thursday with the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations, Ghani warned of dangers they could present to lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Prisoner releases on both sides are part of an agreement signed in February between the U.S. and the Taliban. It called for the release of 5,000 Taliban held by the government and 1,000 government and military personnel held by the insurgent group as a goodwill gesture ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations.

More at: https://www.foxnews.com/world/afghan...l-forges-ahead

----------


## Swordsmyth

A Taliban political team arrived in Pakistan on Monday as efforts appear to be ramping up to get negotiations underway between the Afghan government and the insurgents.

The visit comes a day after the Taliban chief announced a powerful negotiating team that includes nearly half of the Taliban leadership council and has the power to set agendas, decide strategy and even sign agreements with the Kabul government. That Taliban team is headed by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai.

U.S. troops have begun withdrawing and by November, fewer than 5,000 American soldiers are expected to still be in Afghanistan, down from 13,000 when the deal was signed.

The Taliban have held to their promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops but have been staging near-daily attacks on Afghan government forces. They say a permanent cease-fire will be part of the negotiations once they begin.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-polit...083142644.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghanistan's president has appointed a council for national reconciliation, which will have final say on whether the government will sign a peace deal with the Taliban after what are expected to be protracted and uncertain negotiations with the insurgents.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree late Saturday establishing the 46-member council, led by his former rival in last year’s presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, who is now in the government.

The council is separate from a 21-member negotiating team, which Ghani appointed in March and which is expected to travel to the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office, for intra-Afghan talks.

The council will have the final say and will ultimately decide on the points that the negotiating team takes up with the Taliban.

Abdullah's appointment to head the reconciliation efforts followed a power-sharing deal he signed in May with Ghani to end the political deadlock after last year's election — a vote in which Abdullah had also declared himself a winner.

The High Council for National Reconciliation is made up of an array of Afghan political figures, including current and former officials, and nine women representatives, one of whom was named Abdullah’s deputy. Ghani also appointed former President Hamid Karzai to the council but his predecessor rejected the appointment in a statement Sunday, saying he declines to be part of any government structure.

Also on the council are mujahedeen and jihadi leaders who fought against the Soviet Union in the 1980s but who were also involved in a Afghanistan’s brutal civil war that followed their takeover in 1992 that left 50,000, mostly civilians, dead in Kabul. Among them is Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who signed a peace deal with Ghani in 2016 but previously was declared a terrorist by the U.S.

The council also includes Abdur Rasool Sayyaf, who was the inspiration for the Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. During the 1992-1996 civil war, Sayyaf’s fighters killed thousands of minority Shiite Muslims led by a rival warlord.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-presid...084128088.html

----------


## devil21

> The Taliban have held to their promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops but have been staging near-daily attacks on Afghan government forces. *They say a permanent cease-fire will be part of the negotiations once they begin.*

----------


## Swordsmyth

> 


I know how much it displeases you to be reminded that Trump is bringing the troops home and ending the wars.

----------


## devil21

> I know how much it displeases you to be reminded that Trump is bringing the troops home and ending the wars.


LOL, that's gotta be it.  Can't be that you've been posting basically the same exact article for months.  "Soooooooooon"

----------


## Todd

> I know how much it displeases you to be reminded that Trump is bringing the troops home and ending the wars.


Yeah cause we all joined this site a decade ago cause we wanted more war and intervention.  Do you really think that if Trump were doing anything close to bringing and end to US intervention we wouldn't support that.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> LOL, that's gotta be it.  Can't be that you've been posting basically the same exact article for months.  "Soooooooooon"


Proving you don't even read the posts here.

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghanistan has resumed the controversial release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners.

A Taliban official told the AFP news agency that 200 prisoners had been freed by the Afghan authorities since Monday, while the Taliban reportedly released four Afghan commandos.

The release of Taliban inmates has been a pre-condition to negotiations to end 19 years of conflict in the country.

Peace talks are expected to start in Qatar within days of the full release.

An unnamed senior Afghan official told AFP that "dozens" of prisoners had been released on Monday, with the remaining prisoners due to follow suit "within a couple of days".

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised the resumption of the prisoner release, which he described as a "positive step towards peace in Afghanistan".

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-r...010804250.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Wednesday that the government had met all of its commitments for peace talks with the Taliban, as a team left for Qatar to prepare for negotiations.

Ghani's remarks came after Kabul broke an impasse with the insurgent group on Monday by resuming a protracted prisoner exchange, a key hurdle to long-delayed negotiations between the two sides opening in Doha.

"The government has fulfilled all its commitments in the peace process that the international community had hoped for," Ghani told a team of government-backed negotiators at a meeting at the presidential palace, his office said.

"The release of Taliban prisoners is a clear demonstration of the government's commitment to peace."

Kabul has sent a "small technical team" to Doha to make logistical preparations, Najia Anwari, spokeswoman for the State Ministry for Peace Affairs told AFP.

Anwari said that Kabul's negotiators will also leave for Doha "very soon".

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-presid...121151264.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The U.S. military is reducing troops in Afghanistan from 8,600 to about 4,500 by early November, the head of U.S Central Command said Wednesday, hours after he announced the withdrawal of more service members from Iraq this month.  

More at: https://www.voanews.com/usa/centcom-...ghanistan-4500

----------


## phill4paul

> The U.S. military is reducing troops in Afghanistan from 8,600 to about 4,500 by early November, the head of U.S Central Command said Wednesday, hours after he announced the withdrawal of more service members from Iraq this month.  
> 
> More at: https://www.voanews.com/usa/centcom-...ghanistan-4500


  So he is cutting troops by half in BOTH Iraq and Afghanistan.

  I'm sure RPF's favorite negative Nancies will be along any minute to tell us why this is such a terrible thing.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> So he is cutting troops by half in BOTH Iraq and Afghanistan.
> 
>   I'm sure RPF's favorite negative Nancies will be along any minute to tell us why this is such a terrible thing.


He has said we will be leaving entirely from BOTH.
And if we leave Iraq we will have to leave Syria.

----------


## Swordsmyth

A US negotiator on Friday voiced understanding for Afghanistan's transfer of Taliban prisoners who killed citizens of France and Australia, saying the "big picture" was to end the war.

France and Australia both opposed the prisoners' release, which has been pushed by US President Donald Trump's administration as the Taliban made the freedom of hundreds of fighters a condition to meet with Afghanistan's government.

After Kabul overcame hesitation and released the militants, the two sides will open landmark talks in Doha on Saturday in the presence of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"I know that none of us are happy about the release of prisoners that committed violence against forces but we want to keep the big picture in mind," said Zalmay Khalilzad, the US negotiator on Afghanistan.

The start of the talks can ensure that Afghanistan "never again becomes a threat to any of us," he told reporters.

"None of the countries that are concerned have made this an issue that will affect relations with Afghanistan," he said.

"They don't like it but at the same time they understand that this was an Afghan decision -- a decision that was difficult but necessary, they felt, at the end to start intra-Afghan negotiations and to give peace a chance."

Khalilzad also indicated that the United States could soon remove some Taliban from its terrorism blacklist.

He said that the US-Taliban agreement set the start of intra-Afghan talks as a condition to start reconsidering sanctions.

"We are committed to the terms of the agreement," he said.

Two Taliban prisoners who murdered Frenchwoman Bettina Goislard, a UN refugee worker, were released in the province of Wardak.

Six other militants including two who killed French and Australian soldiers were transferred on a special plane to Doha where it is unclear what will happen to them.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-backs-...155255001.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

As reported by Breitbart News, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters on his way to attend peace talks with the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha, Qatar that “if the Taliban follow through on their word, the United States is committed to removing all American forces from Afghanistan once and for all.”

    The United States welcomes the announcement that Afghanistan peace negotiations will begin September 12. This is an historic moment and Afghanistan’s best chance at ending forty years of war and bloodshed.
    — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 10, 2020

“Our commitment to reducing our forces to zero is conditioned on them executing their obligations under the agreement,” Pompeo said. “We’ve been very clear about their responsibilities with respect to the terrorist activity taking place in Afghanistan that is plotting external operations. It’s very clear that the violence levels have to come down to acceptable levels. We saw just yesterday or the day before there are a lot of spoilers out there. There are people who don’t want this to go forward. They want America mired in this place. They don’t want peace in Afghanistan. Most of the Afghanistan people want that. We’re going to stay focused on it.

More at: https://saraacarter.com/pompeo-time-...orces-to-zero/

----------


## Swordsmyth

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Breitbart News exclusively —  after meetings between Afghan government officials and Taliban leaders  as part of the beginning of intra-Afghan peace negotiations — that the  process is moving along on pace for a full withdrawal of all U.S. forces  from Afghanistan by the spring of 2021.

More at: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...s-afghanistan/

----------


## Brian4Liberty



----------


## Swordsmyth

> Guess where more troops are slated to go in 2021?   Yep .....moving from Afghanistan to another region in the ME.  
> 
> Shuffling $#@! around the theatre isn't bringing the troops home.


BUNK.

Trump is also withdrawing from Iraq and even from places like Saudi Arabia.

And ending a war and leaving the war zone is a good thing even if the troops did go to a non-war zone instead of coming home.

----------


## Todd

> BUNK.
> 
> Trump is also withdrawing from Iraq and even from places like Saudi Arabia.
> 
> And ending a war and leaving the war zone is a good thing even if the troops did go to a non-war zone instead of coming home.


So says the guy with no insight, no proof and no clue.  I don't speak on this ignorantly.  There are dozens of troop deployments slated for TY21.  To all sorts of regions...Jordan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, to replace the security details in and around Baghdad, to replace the troops in Yemen. 
You are just angry that you can't see it because your heads so far up Trumps ass.  

and all you got is "Bunk".  GTFOH.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> So says the guy with no insight, no proof and no clue.  I don't speak on this ignorantly.  There are dozens of troop deployments slated for TY21.  To all sorts of regions...Jordan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, to replace the security details in and around Baghdad, to replace the troops in Yemen. 
> You are just angry that you can't see it because your heads so far up Trumps ass.  
> 
> and all you got is "Bunk".  GTFOH.


LOL

Of course there are scheduled deployments, it's called troop rotation.
Trump is not bringing all of the troops home at once but I have repeatedly posted the proof that Trump is withdrawing thousands of troops from many countries.

All you have is bunk.

----------


## Todd

> LOL
> 
> Of course there are scheduled deployments, it's called troop rotation.
> Trump is not bringing all of the troops home at once but I have repeatedly posted the proof that Trump is withdrawing thousands of troops from many countries.
> 
> All you have is bunk.


Uggh!  Youre defeating your own argument. Lol.  
Im glad you agree we are just shuffling $#@! around and that no one is actually coming home.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

*So it begins circa 2018, Syria series...*

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Uggh!  Youre defeating your own argument. Lol.  
> Im glad you agree we are just shuffling $#@! around and that no one is actually coming home.


You can't be this obtuse.

More are coming home than are going out, Trump is leaving Afghanistan completely and Iraq completely but not all at once, he is also decreasing the number of troops in other places.

But they don't leave units overseas permanently so they constantly send out new units to replace old units that are coming home.

----------


## Todd

> You can't be this obtuse.
> 
> More are coming home than are going out, Trump is leaving Afghanistan completely and Iraq completely but not all at once, he is also decreasing the number of troops in other places.
> 
> But they don't leave units overseas permanently so they constantly send out new units to replace old units that are coming home.


Thanks. I was in the army for over 30 years so appreciate your education buttmunch

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Thanks. I was in the army for over 30 years so appreciate your education buttmunch


Thank you for confirming that your misrepresentations are the result of malice rather than stupidity.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

OP, instead of indulging in personal attacks and calling others names, care to answer a simple question:

Is it true that there are 8,000-10,000 more troops in mideast today than there were when GOPA funded leader took charge of White House?


If so, isn't it time to stop 'So it begins/So it flip-flops again' type vague and misleading headlines & "very soon xyz would happen" promises and start citing concrete numbers?

There will be plenty of time to celeberate after your predictions have come true, I hope they do.

----------


## Todd

> Thank you for confirming that your misrepresentations are the result of malice rather than stupidity.


I have no idea what you are trying to stay little one, but no one's been misrepresenting anything around here but a paid shill like you.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> I have no idea what you are trying to stay little one, but no one's been misrepresenting anything around here but a paid shill like you.


You and the other trolls always present regular troop rotation as "additional troops sent to the war zone" even when overall numbers are dropping.

You have no credibility.

----------


## Swordsmyth

Senior Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah arrived in Pakistan on Monday for meetings in a country seen as vital to the success of Afghan talks aimed at ending decades of war.

During his three-day visit to Islamabad, Abdullah, a former foreign minister and chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as Pakistan's foreign minister.

"Pakistan fully supports all efforts for peace," its foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.

"The visit of Dr Abdullah Abdullah will contribute to further strengthening amity, brotherhood and close cooperation."

The United States has acknowledged Pakistan's help in fostering Afghan peace efforts including in encouraging the Taliban to negotiate.

The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said last week the United States and its allies were looking at an agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan so that neither side's territory would be used to attack the other.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-offici...093639435.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The Afghan government and Taliban negotiators are nearing a compromise on a key sticking point that has stalled peace talks in Doha, a senior Afghan official said Wednesday.

The Taliban, who are Sunni hardliners, had insisted on strict adherence to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, but government negotiators worried this could be used to discriminate against the predominantly Shi'ite Hazara community and other religious minorities.

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation that is overseeing Kabul's peace push, said in an interview with AFP that after several small-group meetings in Doha, the issue had been resolved "to a large extent".

Both sides have provisionally agreed "to recognise the principal issue of Hanafi's role without any discrimination to Shia communities or minorities, so … the compromise is around that," Abdullah said.

Resolution of the issue means one less obstacle as negotiators try to draw up an agenda for talks, which could take years to complete.

Another stumbling block has emerged: the extent to which the Taliban recognise the legitimacy of the Kabul government under a future deal.

The insurgents have always insisted President Ashraf Ghani's government is a US-enabled "puppet" regime. In the deal the Taliban cut with Washington in February, they did not have to recognise Kabul.

Similarly, the Taliban now want any future peace deal to exclude overt references to the government and instead to frame the agreement as some sort of "intra-Afghan" accord.

Without providing details, Abdullah said the two sides appeared to have made progress on the issue.

He said after a slow start, the negotiating teams were now "getting along quite well and this latest impasse, hopefully we will overcome it soon."

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/negotiators-n...183550487.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...84510749544450

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Said the lying pussy


Thanks for the correction, I will consider using your preferred description when referring to you in the future.




> Sigh... I quoted your post that you copied and pasted. Own it copy and paste boy.


You deliberately ignored the relevant part about Afghanistan which is what we were talking about and tried to change the subject, you failed and everyone can see who is being dishonest here.




> True. Except if Biden decides to stay.


Biden will not get to decide anything, he lost and that becomes clearer every day since the fraudulent election.




> I don't have your confidence on this.


Just look at who he is putting in to replace Esper and the others who were fired or resigned.
They will be home by Christmas.




> Disagree. Policy first.


Results first, policy is meaningless if it is never implemented.




> lol I'm not trying to stop Trump. You're a medicated side show freak.


You protest too much, there was no reason to wear that shoe unless it fit.





> Fair enough. It is trending that way. But like I said, he breaks his word too much.


At last you admit that I was right in the first place.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Here's a novel take on Afghan troop numbers: why should we care?
> 
> If the goal is to reduce the cost to the US taxpayer, then whether there are 10,000 or 5,000 or 500 makes virtually no difference, and whatever savings there may be are overshadowed by the hundreds of billions in increased military spending overall. If the goal is to prevent US casualties, same thing: the active phase of the war where there were significant casualties is long over. 
> 
> The idea that this administration represents some watershed moment in US foreign policy because it slightly reduced the leftover police force in Afghanistan is ludicrous. All the big problems of recent decades remain or have gotten worse: vastly excessive military spending, risk of war with Iran, risk of war with China, risk of war with North Korea.


Wars and overseas deployments cost far more than keeping the troops at home and prevent any thought of reducing the number of troops.

But we know better than to expect honesty from our resident warmonger.

And the risk of war has provably gone down under Trump, there haven't been any new wars no matter how often the trolls said there would be and Trump has reduced our exposure to war risks and our enemies' ability to prosecute wars against us.

----------


## tebowlives

> Thanks for the correction, I will consider using your preferred description when referring to you in the future.


The only correction would be if you stopped acting like a pussy.





> You deliberately ignored the relevant part about Afghanistan which is what we were talking about and tried to change the subject, you failed and everyone can see who is being dishonest here.


I didn't ignore it and I specifically addressed it. That you have to lie like the little pussy you are isn't surprising.





> YBiden will not get to decide anything, he lost and that becomes clearer every day since the fraudulent election.


Hopefully. 




> Just look at who he is putting in to replace Esper and the others who were fired or resigned.
> They will be home by Christmas.


Yes I saw that and that does bring hope. But I'll believe it when it actually happens because Trump can't keep his word. And you're a little pussy who is too busy carrying Trumps water to admit that relevant point.




> Results first, policy is meaningless if it is never implemented.


Of course not. If the policy is bring them home you do it and after it's done that's called the result. Make something else up.




> You protest too much, there was no reason to wear that shoe unless it fit.


It's called waiting until it happens since Trump breaks his word too much. Lie to yourself all you want about that since you refuse to address the fact that Trump doesn't keep his word. Just another gutless move on your part as you carry Trumps water like the good little worm that you are.




> At last you admit that I was right in the first place.


You're not right since it hasn't happened yet but you keep making things up if it helps you sleep at night.
Just keep copying and pasting since you can't add 1 and 1.

Your final sentence describes you perfectly. Trying so hard to be right instead of looking for the truth. It's a pussy move.

----------


## r3volution 3.0

> Wars and overseas deployments cost far more than keeping the troops at home and prevent any thought of reducing the number of troops.




How much of that $200 billion per year increase do you think we'll get back from removing a few thousand soldiers from Afghanistan?




> And the risk of war has provably gone down under Trump, there haven't been any new wars no matter how often the trolls said there would be and Trump has reduced our exposure to war risks and our enemies' ability to prosecute wars against us.


Trump has made war with Iran more likely by virtue of reneging on the treaty, and war with China more likely by virtue of the trade war.

North Korea is unchanged.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> How much of that $200 billion per year increase do you think we'll get back from removing a few thousand soldiers from Afghanistan?


We can't put a price tag on freedom... period. DJTvsg understands value of Freedom, skeptics like you apparently don't.

*This Photo of Afghan Women in Miniskirts Helped Convince Trump to Send More Troops*

----------


## r3volution 3.0

> We can't put a price tag on freedom... period. DJTvsg understands value of Freedom, skeptics like you apparently don't.
> 
> *This Photo of Afghan Women in Miniskirts Helped Convince Trump to Send More Troops*


No doubt Trump crafted his Afghan strategy with the care and conscientiousness with which he approaches all serious matters.

----------


## Swordsmyth

This week, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Austin S. Miller, traveled to Washington on a previously scheduled trip as officials in both countries braced for a possible announcement as early as next week to quickly reduce the 4,500 U.S. troops still left in Afghanistan. Trump has said previously that he wants to pull all troops from Afghanistan by Christmas.

With his recent flurry of firings and appointments, Trump has effectively pulled down a majority of the personnel guardrails against a fast withdrawal.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-pentago...162643478.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

Afghan government and Taliban representatives reached a preliminary deal on Wednesday to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the United States as a chance to halt the violence.

The agreement lays out the way forward for discussion but is considered a breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire, even as Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces have continued unabated.

"The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalised and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda," Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government's negotiating team, told Reuters.

The Taliban spokesman confirmed the agreement on Twitter.

"A joint working committee was tasked to prepare the draft topics for the agenda (of peace talks)," a joint statement from both sides said.

The agreement comes after months of talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, encouraged by the United States, despite the ongoing violence.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated the two sides on "perseverance and willingness to find common ground", and added that the United States would "work hard with all sides in pursuit of a serious reduction of violence and ceasefire".

U.S. Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter that the two sides had agreed on a "three-page agreement codifing rules and procedures for their negotiations on a political roadmap and a comprehensive ceasefire".

"This agreement demonstrates that the negotiating parties can agree on tough issues," Khalilzad said.

Key players including Qatar, who is hosting the talks, and neighbouring Pakistan, whose government and military have helped put pressure on the Taliban to bring them to the negotiating table, also welcomed the agreement which Doha called a "milestone".

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-govt-t...120936805.html

----------


## tebowlives

> Afghan government and Taliban representatives reached a preliminary deal on Wednesday to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the United States as a chance to halt the violence.
> 
> The agreement lays out the way forward for discussion but is considered a breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire, even as Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces have continued unabated.
> 
> "The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalised and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda," Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government's negotiating team, told Reuters.
> 
> The Taliban spokesman confirmed the agreement on Twitter.
> 
> "A joint working committee was tasked to prepare the draft topics for the agenda (of peace talks)," a joint statement from both sides said.
> ...


How's that withdrawal working out? I haven't heard of anything.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> How's that withdrawal working out? I haven't heard of anything.


It's MSM reporting, pending confirmation from reliable fringe sources:


*Trump directed Pentagon to reverse decision and keep aircraft carrier in Middle East amid Iran tensions*

By Jim Sciutto, Barbara Starr and Nicole Gaouette, CNN
Updated 10:40 AM ET, Mon January 4, 2021 
How the US and Iran became enemies 03:39

 (CNN)President  Donald Trump directed acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller to  reverse course and order a US aircraft carrier to return to the Middle  East following a White House meeting Sunday, according to a senior  defense official. 

cnn.com/2021/01/04/politics/uss-nimitz-aircraft-carrier-middle-east-iran/index.html

----------


## wizardwatson

> How's that withdrawal working out? I haven't heard of anything.


Well, it's very important that we restore democracy and fight terrorists and stuff.  Clearly, we can't withdrawal.

If we withdraw, then there will be all sorts of withdrawal symptoms.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> How's that withdrawal working out? I haven't heard of anything.


It's in progress.

----------


## PAF

> It's in progress.


When? After the 10th?

----------


## tebowlives

> It's in progress.


So when is that troop withdrawal going to happen you lying sack of mule dung?

How about this, try not to write checks with your stupid mouth? Can you do that? Can you quit throwing Liberty candidates under the bus and stop supporting those that grow government?

Just copy and paste articles. that's all your good for. When we want garbage commentary, lies, and deceit, then we'll give you a call.

----------


## ClaytonB

> So when is that troop withdrawal going to happen you lying sack of mule dung?
> 
> How about this, try not to write checks with your stupid mouth? Can you do that? Can you quit throwing Liberty candidates under the bus and stop supporting those that grow government?
> 
> Just copy and paste articles. that's all your good for. When we want garbage commentary, lies, and deceit, then we'll give you a call.


You have no business calling names. As a point of fact, no one on this forum has any real knowledge of where US troops are deployed or not. "But I read an (MSMBS) article!" We're supposed to believe that the very same people that have deployed textbook Marxist propaganda tactics on a global scale in order to stage a soft-coup to take over the US government and install a Chicom puppet in the Oval Office (apparently) are reliable sources of information about _anything_? Have you not read The Boy Who Cried Wolf? The first or second or even third time you lie, people might believe you-- because of their own honesty and goodness, they tend to assume that others are also honest and good. But when you build a mountain of lies so enormous that the stench rises up to heaven itself, no one should believe a single word you utter. Your time is better spent solving cryptograms than staring at the gibberish that comes up on your screen when you click on an MSMBS article link.

You have no idea where the US troops are and you cannot cite any reliable sources in that regard because _there are no longer any reliable sources_.

----------


## acptulsa

> You have no business calling names.


Swordshyll has less business calling people names, but that never stopped him.  We are talking about the king of negative reputation, here.

Those who live by the sword shall also perish by the sword.

----------


## TheCount

> You have no idea where the US troops are and you cannot cite any reliable sources in that regard because _there are no longer any reliable sources_.


Because _Trump made the numbers secret_


Now let's think about this for a second:  Why would he do that if his actual goal was to end wars and withdraw troops?

----------


## tebowlives

> You have no business calling names.


I was responding to a pos who started the ball rolling on it. Treat the cause, don't react to a symptom




> As a point of fact, no one on this forum has any real knowledge of where US troops are deployed or not. "But I read an (MSMBS) article!" We're supposed to believe that the very same people that have deployed textbook Marxist propaganda tactics on a global scale in order to stage a soft-coup to take over the US government and install a Chicom puppet in the Oval Office (apparently) are reliable sources of information about _anything_? Have you not read The Boy Who Cried Wolf? The first or second or even third time you lie, people might believe you-- because of their own honesty and goodness, they tend to assume that others are also honest and good. But when you build a mountain of lies so enormous that the stench rises up to heaven itself, no one should believe a single word you utter. Your time is better spent solving cryptograms than staring at the gibberish that comes up on your screen when you click on an MSMBS article link.
> 
> You have no idea where the US troops are and you cannot cite any reliable sources in that regard because _there are no longer any reliable sources_.


The Trump administration has refused to disclose the numbers.
Our troops are not out. We know that. That has been my point.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> So when is that troop withdrawal going to happen you lying sack of mule dung?
> 
> How about this, try not to write checks with your stupid mouth? Can you do that? Can you quit throwing Liberty candidates under the bus and stop supporting those that grow government?
> 
> Just copy and paste articles. that's all your good for. When we want garbage commentary, lies, and deceit, then we'll give you a call.


It was in progress when I wrote that, your precious Biden is reported to have stopped it.
Maybe you should have done more to keep Trump from being robbed of the election.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> I was responding to a pos who started the ball rolling on it. Treat the cause, don't react to a symptom
> 
> The Trump administration has refused to disclose the numbers.
> Our troops are not out. We know that. That has been my point.


We know the numbers Trump had them down to and we know the rest were going to leave.

----------


## Firestarter

> We know the numbers Trump had them down to and we know the rest were going to leave.


We all know that we can trust lying Donald, because Donald's word are just as empty as @Swordsmyth 's.

Now that the election was "stolen" from poor Donald, we never know if maybe, possibly, hypothetically he would've brought the troops home.
Obviously 4 years weren't enough!

----------


## Swordsmyth

> We all know that we can trust lying Donald, because Donald's word are just as empty as @Swordsmyth 's.
> 
> Now that the election was "stolen" from poor Donald, we never know if maybe, possibly, hypothetically he would've brought the troops home.
> Obviously 4 years weren't enough!


And the commie who thinks it was a bad thing for Trump to stop the government from taking people's property because rain water made puddles in the wet season chimes in to imply the election wasn't stolen and that Trump ending wars and bringing troops home wasn't a major reason for it.

----------


## tebowlives

> We know the numbers Trump had them down to and we know the rest were going to leave.


Going to leave? Maybe if he was re elected but you can't trust Trump because he isn't grounded in policy.
.
Two things, he wasn't re elected - you lied about that
He didn't bring the troops home before he was ousted - you lied about that

Look at the new boss, same as the old boss

----------


## tebowlives

> It was in progress when I wrote that,


You were full of it then




> your precious Biden is reported to have stopped it.


Your full of it now, you lying little pussy




> Maybe you should have done more to keep Trump from being robbed of the election.


This isn't about me pussy boy, and why would I want a lying pos in office when I don't even want a lying pos like you on this forum.

----------


## Anti Globalist

Certainly isn't going to be a withdrawal of troops with Biden now at the helm.

----------


## Firestarter

> And the commie who thinks it was a bad thing for Trump to stop the government from taking people's property because rain water made puddles in the wet season chimes in to imply the election wasn't stolen and that Trump ending wars and bringing troops home wasn't a major reason for it.


You really have completely lost it. This is even more unintelligible than the average statement from sleepy Joe!

This isn't the first time you insult me by calling me a "commie". Aren't there forum rules? Or do some members simply don't have to follow these rules?!?
Please explain what makes me a "commie".

What the hell do you mean by "_it was a bad thing for Trump to stop the government from taking people's property because rain water made puddles in the wet season_". 
Are you becoming "rain" man?!?
Yes lying Donald was, is and will be a "bad thing". But the "rain" gibberish, I really don't have a clue.
At least I can understand the "commie" insult.

I'm afraid I completely missed the "_Trump ending wars and bringing troops home_" too.
Which war did he end? Where is the evidence that Trump actually brought troops home?

----------


## TheCount

> We know the numbers Trump had them down to and we know the rest were going to leave.


Oh?  What were the numbers when Trump left office, and when were the rest going to leave?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> You really have completely lost it. This is even more unintelligible than the average statement from sleepy Joe!
> 
> This isn't the first time you insult me by calling me a "commie". Aren't there forum rules? Or do some members simply don't have to follow these rules?!?
> Please explain what makes me a "commie".
> 
> What the hell do you mean by "_it was a bad thing for Trump to stop the government from taking people's property because rain water made puddles in the wet season_". 
> Are you becoming "rain" man?!?
> Yes lying Donald was, is and will be a "bad thing". But the "rain" gibberish, I really don't have a clue.
> At least I can understand the "commie" insult.
> ...


I have posted the evidence and PROOF that Trump ended wars and brought troops home all along, I'm not going to run and fetch it for a liar who knows it is true.

And you defended the WOTUS regulation and attacked Trump for getting rid of it along with defending commie regimes like the one in Bolivia or the one in Venezuela and Lula in Brazil.
You are a commie whether you pretend not be or not.

----------


## Todd

> I have posted the evidence and PROOF that Trump ended wars and brought troops home all along, I'm not going to run and fetch it for a liar who knows it is true.
> 
> And you defended the WOTUS regulation and attacked Trump for getting rid of it along with defending commie regimes like the one in Bolivia or the one in Venezuela and Lula in Brazil.
> You are a commie whether you pretend not be or not.


Bush Obama and Trump all brought troops home too.   It's called a Rotation.  Shuffling $#@! around the middle east and Europe isn't ending the US empire

----------


## tebowlives

> I have posted the evidence and PROOF that Trump ended wars and brought troops home all along, I'm not going to run and fetch it for a liar who knows it is true.


In other words, you're just a gutless little pussy who writes checks with his mouth and doesn't have the balls to admit when you are wrong.
You posted the troops would be home by a certain date, and you kept pushing that date back and it never happened. Why believe you when you make things up often?




> And you defended the WOTUS regulation and attacked Trump for getting rid of it along with defending commie regimes like the one in Bolivia or the one in Venezuela and Lula in Brazil.
> You are a commie whether you pretend not be or not.


This has nothing to do with the topic you worthless piece of filth.

----------


## tebowlives

> You really have completely lost it. This is even more unintelligible than the average statement from sleepy Joe!
> 
> This isn't the first time you insult me by calling me a "commie". Aren't there forum rules? Or do some members simply don't have to follow these rules?!?
> Please explain what makes me a "commie".
> 
> What the hell do you mean by "_it was a bad thing for Trump to stop the government from taking people's property because rain water made puddles in the wet season_". 
> Are you becoming "rain" man?!?
> Yes lying Donald was, is and will be a "bad thing". But the "rain" gibberish, I really don't have a clue.
> At least I can understand the "commie" insult.
> ...


Nope, The rules are not enforced. otherwise this weasel wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be retaliating in kind.

----------


## Cap

> Nope, The rules are not enforced. otherwise this weasel wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be retaliating in kind.


Yes, the mods need to be called out on this.

----------


## tebowlives

> Yes, the mods need to be called out on this.


They have been. I've messaged them but the ones running this forum are not interested. They put too much emphasis on the value of the copy and paste articles which are all very good and relevant over the actions of the pieces of filth who violate the code of conduct.
Ones word used to mean something. Unfortunately at times here the word of those entrusted to uphold the code of conduct here have fallen flat.

----------


## Firestarter

> You are a commie whether you pretend not be or not.


You're the "commie" here (at the very least more of a supporter of Marxist, dictatorial ideology than me), the Zionist Mormon.

I've previously posted the connection between Zionism, Freemasonry and the Mormon Church. And also exposed that Marxism is effectively a form of Zionism:



> *Zio-Communism*
> An obvious connection between Zionism and Communism, is that one of the founding fathers of both Zionism and Communism is Moses Hess (years before Theodor Herzl).
> Moses Hess was born in 1812 in Bonn, from a family of wealthy Jews in Rhineland. He died in 1875 in Paris and is buried in Israel.
> 
> It was the same Hess, who converted Friedrich Engels to communism, and was ghost writer for parts of Marx's ideology.
> Hess, a pathological liar, was the founder of the “Rheinische Zeitung”, where he met Karl Marx.
> 
> Karl Marx married the blue-blooded Jenny von Westphalen. The young couple spent a few months of honeymoon in the house of the elder Frau Marx.
> In September, Arnold Ruge settled in Paris, followed by Karl and Jenny Marx in November. Moses Hess had accompanied Ruge to Paris, where he introduced Ruge and Marx to the French socialists: https://www.marxists.org/archive/ruh.../marx/ch02.htm
> ...


http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...=1#post6916911






> And you defended the WOTUS regulation and attacked Trump for getting rid of it along with defending commie regimes like the one in Bolivia or the one in Venezuela and Lula in Brazil.


I've argued against the foreign, American interventions in Bolivia and Brazil. This doesn't mean that I'm a "socialist" let alone a "commie".
You're the one supporting covert actions by the Trump administration to get rid of "unfriendly" regimes (that sounds soo much better than war!).

I certainly haven't defended the dictatorial rule of Maduro over Venezuela.
I've instead argued that Maduro and his predecessor Chavez were installed by American intelligence, Bush-crony Cisneros in particular.



> Usually when a scandal suddenly gets lots of media attention, this is to cover up an even bigger scandal (more stuff coming).
> The Venezuela and Philippine links are certainly interesting….
> 
> Two decades ago, 3 engineers, led by Antonio Mugica, founded the new election technology firm Smartmatic in Venezuela.
> After the 2000 US election, which made George W. Bush US president, they incorporated in Delaware (in 2000) with funds from Jorge Massa Dustou.
> Dustou was married to none other than the sister of media mogul billionaire Gustavo Cisneros.
> 
> I’ve previously posted about the Cisneros links to Rockefeller and Bush, and their close association to both Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro.
> 
> ...


Viva-Frei-breaks-down-voting-machine-quot-glitch#post6999210

----------


## Swordsmyth

President Joe Biden plans to announce Tuesday a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to two people familiar with the plans.

The withdrawal extends the US troop presence past a May 1 deadline set by the Trump administration in an agreement with the Taliban, but only by a matter of months.

More at: https://www.wral.com/biden-to-announ...r-11/19624640/

All of the credit belongs to Trump, Biden never would have done this if Trump hadn't pulled us most of the way out and made a deal to completely leave.

----------


## Occam's Banana

> All of the credit belongs to Trump, Biden never would have done this [...]


Done what?

----------


## acptulsa

> Done what?


Make SS lose any semblance of critical thinking he may have allegedly ever had and go all...

----------


## devil21

> Done what?


Say he'll order something in the future.  That's all Swordy needs to see in order to believe that it's, for all intents and purposes, already happened.

The funny part is that Trump promised he would do a lot of things in the future and it kept his base calm, while none of it ever happened.  Swordy can't seem to understand that Biden does the same to his own base, also.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

*Taliban attack on covert US base in Afghanistan complicates Biden withdrawal decision*




> April 8, 2021 
> 
> Top Senate Dem: Time to end the war in Afghanistan 01:03
> 
> Washington (CNN)In one of the most significant attacks against US forces  in Afghanistan  recently, CNN has learned that the Taliban twice  targeted one of the  most heavily guarded bases in the country late last  month and that US  military personnel working for the CIA were at the  installation when it  came under fire.  
> 
> Rockets  landed near Forward Operating Base Chapman, a classified US  military  installation in eastern Afghanistan, and wounded seven  civilians outside  the base, according to a US official familiar with  the details. During a  second attack, a water tower was hit and a few  rounds landed on the  base, though no US personnel were killed or  injured. 
> The  attacks, which have not been widely reported, were followed by  another  in Kandahar this week, where Taliban rockets landed near a NATO  air base  used by US and coalition troops providing support to Afghan  forces. 
> The  flurry of violence is fueling concerns inside the Biden  administration  that the Taliban could step up efforts to target  American forces ahead of a May 1 deadline for the US to withdraw under  an agreement struck under then-President Donald Trump, sources say.
> ...



Historically, US  military interventioan in Afghanistan has been a key part of global war against anti-semitism also:

Surprising Side Effects of Fight Against Anti-Semitism in USSR (Soviet Union)



> Some theories in the past had linked rise of extremist racial  ideologies   (some races are more supremacist/chosen than others) among  Israelis  and  Israeli settlers  to abuse, mistreatment and antisemitism  against   Jewish minorities in places like New York, Soviet  Union/Russia,  France,   UK, Germany, Arab lands etc. In this frame,  "racist" ideologies and   extremism/violent extremism  are sometimes  seen as a reactionary coping   machanism against abuse and trauma borne  out of past or current   insecurities that can be generational in some  cases.
> Election few  years ago of a Russian migrant bouncer and "racist"   Foreign Minister  Lieberman  was also linked to past decades sharp rise    in Jewish migration out of USSR to Israel following defeat/breakeup of    Soviet Union at the hands of assorted variety of violent Islamist    Jihadis, Foreign Fighters, terrorists in Afghanistan (sometimes known as  "ISIS 1.0", armed by Israel and funded by  Reagan/Carter and various  Jesus Return Prophecies driven Evangelical  Christian (allegedly  anti-semitic) outfits).







> President Joe Biden *plans to* announce ...
> *All of the credit belongs to Trump*, Biden never would have done..


EM.
That's interesting argument. Hopefully you're right, he's said to be mentor/protege of Israel lobby groomed Obama who planned to "end wars" before he escalated wars. More than any POTUS, other factors and timelines probably bigger catalysts behind changes in policy. 

Excluding the 2017 Trump surge of 3500 troops and any war privatization efforts, do you have any numbers how many net troops were withdrawn by Trump?


There are apparently about *28,000 military troops/contractors (American/NATO*) still there. 

*U.S. Has 1,000 More Troops in Afghanistan Than It Disclosed*
nytimes
Mar 15, 2021 — In addition to the *3,500 Americans, there are roughly 7,000 NATO* and allied troops still in Afghanistan 

*Pentagon could open itself to costly litigation from contractors if US pulls out of Afghanistan this year*
By Oren Liebermann, CNN
 March 29, 2021 
(CNN) Despite the signing of the Doha agreement  last February that called for a full drawdown of US troops and  personnel from Afghanistan by May 1, the Department of Defense issued  nearly a billion dollars in contracts to 17 different companies related  to work in Afghanistan past the withdrawal date. There are currently  some *18,000 contractors* in the country, of which 6,350 are American  citizens.

----------


## TheCount

> Make SS lose any semblance of critical thinking he may have allegedly ever had and go all...


Go easy on him, he's trying to get emotionally prepared for Joe $#@!ing Biden to pull out of more wars than Donald Trump did.

----------


## Pauls' Revere

> Pretty much my position, when we're out I'll give credit where credit is due. Until then there's always a good chance of something happening to cause another escalation.


Read about what's going on in Ukraine?

----------


## Anti Globalist

The withdraw date is now September 11th.  Nothing symbolic about that date whatsoever.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Done what?


Agree to leave completely. (even if it is delayed a few months)

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Go easy on him, he's trying to get emotionally prepared for Joe $#@!ing Biden to pull out of more wars than Donald Trump did.


I knew you would try to steal credit for Biden but it won't work.

----------


## Occam's Banana

> Originally Posted by Occam's Banana
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Swordsmyth
> ...


_Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart.
Th effect doth operate another way.
Go, wind, to wind! There turn and change together.
My love with words and errors still she feeds,
But edifies another with her deeds._

----------


## Swordsmyth

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he will begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan on May 1 to end America’s longest war, rejecting calls for U.S. forces to stay to ensure a peaceful resolution to that nation’s grinding internal conflict.

In a White House speech, Biden acknowledged that U.S. objectives in Afghanistan had become “increasingly unclear” over the past decade. He set a deadline for withdrawing all 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan by Sept. 11, exactly 20 years after al Qaeda’s attacks on the United States that triggered the war. 

Meeting NATO officials in Brussels, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said foreign troops under NATO command in Afghanistan will leave in coordination with the U.S. withdrawal by Sept. 11, after Germany said it would match American plans.

Blinken also spoke by phone with Pakistan’s army chief on Wednesday and discussed the peace process, the media wing of Pakistan’s military said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wrote on Twitter that he spoke with Biden and respects the U.S. decision. Ghani added that “we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition” and “we will continue to work with our US/NATO partners in the ongoing peace efforts.”

More at: https://news.whatfinger.com/2021/04/14/time-to-end-the/

----------


## TheCount

> I knew you would try to steal credit for Biden but it won't work.


You spent 4 years trying to give Trump credit for things that he didn't actually do.  Why stop now?

----------


## Firestarter

The NATO announced to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, following Joe Biden's announcement to get them out by 11 September.
Including the Dutch army...

Should we now praise Biden for doing something "good"?

----------


## tebowlives

> The NATO announced to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, following Joe Biden's announcement to get them out by 11 September.
> Including the Dutch army...
> 
> Should we now praise Biden for doing something "good"?


Sure. Why not? Trump got the ball rolling and it looks like Biden is pretty much staying the course of Trumps plan.

----------


## Firestarter

> Trump got the ball rolling and it looks like Biden is pretty much staying the course of Trumps plan.


So you're really saying that we should give Donald credit for Biden taking "our troops" home?

Is that similar to arguing that Donald couldn't be held accountable for continuing the horrible policies of his corrupt predecessor presidents?!?

----------


## dannno

> The withdraw date is now September 11th.  Nothing symbolic about that date whatsoever.





> Agree to leave completely. (even if it is delayed a few months)



LOL.. turns out it was all fake news. 

Trump set the date to pull out of Afghanistan to May 1. Biden extended it to Sept. 11.





> So you're really saying that we should give Donald credit for Biden taking "our troops" home?



You got the story wrong.

----------


## tebowlives

> So you're really saying that we should give Donald credit for Biden taking "our troops" home?
> 
> Is that similar to arguing that Donald couldn't be held accountable for continuing the horrible policies of his corrupt predecessor presidents?!?


No it's exactly what I said it was. Trump got the ball rolling, laid out a plan and Biden is finishing it. I can't explain it any plainer

----------


## devil21

> No it's exactly what I said it was. Trump got the ball rolling, laid out a plan and Biden is finishing it. I can't explain it any plainer


Just for sake of discussion since I didn't read all the articles, can you point to where it's ever mentioned that any Afghanistan withdrawal means they're coming home?  

I'm always reminded to listen to what they actually say, not what I think I want to hear.  Perhaps Trump at some point said he's bringing them home but I didn't see that mentioned in what I read of the CFR's....err Biden's statements on Afghanistan.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> Just for sake of discussion since I didn't read all the articles, can you point to where it's ever mentioned that *any Afghanistan withdrawal means they're coming home*?  
> 
> I'm always reminded to listen to what they actually say, not what I think I want to hear.  Perhaps Trump at some point said he's bringing them home but I didn't see that mentioned in what I read of the CFR's....err Biden's statements on Afghanistan.


EM.

Good point.

*4,000 more troops going to mideast ; 18,000 additional troops  sent to mideast since May 2019*

Zero debate questions on Foreign Policy, Forever Wars, 14,000 troops sent to mideast in 2019
*Trump says U.S. troops can come home if Israel has peace*
By Philip Weiss                                                                         October 16, 2020

Trump threatens Iraq with crippling sanctions if US troops are expelled
6 January 2020
Donald Trump has threatened Iraq with "sanctions like they've never seen  before"                                                    President  Trump has threatened severe sanctions against Iraq after its parliament  called on US troops to leave the country. 
Speaking from the presidential plane, Mr Trump said that if Iraq asked  US  forces to depart on an unfriendly basis, "we will charge them  sanctions  like they've never seen before, ever. It'll make Iranian  sanctions look  somewhat tame."



*How U.S. Troops Are Preparing for the Worst in the Middle East*

The  Pentagon has directed about 4,500 troops to the region atop the roughly  50,000 already there as tensions rise with Iran. They are reinforcing  their outposts, bases and airfields.

A soldier preparing  last week to deploy to the Middle East from Fort Bragg, N.C.Credit...Travis Dove for The New York Times
Published Jan. 6, 2020

WASHINGTON  — American military units stationed in Iraq and Syria are readying for  attacks from either Iranian forces or their proxies after the drone  strike that killed a senior Iranian general last week.
It is unclear what an Iranian retaliatory attack would look like after the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, an Iranian security and intelligence commander responsible for the deaths of hundreds of troops over the years, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia commander and government official. 
nytimes.com/2020/01/06/world/middleeast/troops-iran-iraq.html

----------


## tebowlives

> Just for sake of discussion since I didn't read all the articles, can you point to where it's ever mentioned that any Afghanistan withdrawal means they're coming home?  
> 
> I'm always reminded to listen to what they actually say, not what I think I want to hear.  Perhaps Trump at some point said he's bringing them home but I didn't see that mentioned in what I read of the CFR's....err Biden's statements on Afghanistan.


Yes coming home, in this instance, doesn't mean coming home. It's just a catchy phrase. But it does keep "Murcia out of one less country.

----------


## Swordsmyth

The American military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gen. Austin Miller, the head of the U.S.-led coalition there, said at a press conference Sunday, per the New York Times.

Why it matters: Miller's statement comes about two weeks after President Joe Biden formally announced that the U.S. would execute a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and effectively "end America’s longest war."

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

What they're saying: “I now have a set of orders," said Miller.

    "We will conduct an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that means transitioning bases and equipment to the Afghan security forces.”

What's more: In addition to the 3,500 U.S. troops that will leave the country by mid-September, many of the 7,000 NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan will also withdraw, according to the Times.

    Many private contractors operating in Afghanistan will leave as well, though Miller noted that some contracts will be adjusted to continue support for the Afghan security forces.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/u-military-st...165029450.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

The State Department on Tuesday ordered a significant number of its remaining staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to leave Afghanistan as the military steps up the pullout of American troops from the country.

The order came as the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan told lawmakers that it no longer made sense to continue the 20-year deployment of American troops there.

Shortly before he spoke, the State Department said it had instructed all personnel to depart unless their jobs require them to be physically located in Afghanistan. The order was not specific as to the number of people affected, but it went well beyond the usual curtailment of staffers for security and safety reasons. Such orders normally apply only to non-essential personnel.

In an updated travel advisory for Afghanistan, the department said it had ordered the departure of all U.S. government employees “whose functions can be performed elsewhere.” It also said American citizens should not travel to Afghanistan and those there who want to depart “should leave as soon as possible on available commercial flights.”

The embassy in Kabul is heavily dependent on the U.S. military for security, and staff drawdowns had been been underway since the Trump administration had announced last year that American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by May 1.

The Biden administration extended that deadline until Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, but has accelerated the pullout.

The pullout of American troops and their NATO coalition colleagues is proceeding even in the absence of a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban, whose harboring of Osama bin Laden'a al-Qaida network prompted the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/us-orders-big...180711516.html

----------


## Swordsmyth

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday the process of removing all contractors from Afghanistan working with the United States was under way as part of President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of forces from the country.

The remarks are the clearest indication yet that Biden’s April order to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 extended to U.S.-funded contractors.

Asked whether the Pentagon had issued orders to withdraw not just American troops but also contractors, Austin said: “We’re going to responsibly retrograde all of our capabilities that we are responsible for and the contractors fall in that realm as well.”

Austin said the drawdown was going according to plan so far. 

More at: https://news.whatfinger.com/2021/05/...-says-removal/

Without Trump this would not have happened.

----------


## acptulsa

> Without Trump this would not have happened.


Opinions like this are like hemorrhoids.  They don't prove anything.  They don't accomplish anything.  They don't mean anything.  But every $#@! develops one nonetheless, sooner or later.

----------


## Firestarter

If only lying Donald would still be in the White House, maybe he would have kept one of his promises for a change...

 and the US troops would already be "home" (or sent to some other Asian country?)...

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Opinions like this are like hemorrhoids.  They don't prove anything.  They don't accomplish anything.  They don't mean anything.  But every $#@! develops one nonetheless, sooner or later.





> If only lying Donald would still be in the White House, maybe he would have kept one of his promises for a change...
> 
>  and the US troops would already be "home" (or sent to some other Asian country?)...


You two just can't admit you were wrong.

----------


## acptulsa

> You two just can't admit you were wrong.


Prove your Trumptarian Church dogma is true and we'll see if we can admit it.

This thread is nine pages of disproven claims, proof we don't have any facts, and what if fantasies.  If you want to hear what you cannot say, namely someone admitting they're wrong, then prove something already.

----------


## Firestarter

> You two just can't admit you were wrong.


But lying Donald didn't "withdraw" US troops from Afghanistan at all did he? So how you want to spin this into a "you were wrong", "I was right" and "Donald is great" after all argument is beyond my comprehension.


My very simple conclusion is that @Swordsmyth was wrong once again, and US troops didn't start "to withdraw from Afghanistan" in March 2020, and lying Donald didn't get any US troops home...

Let's see, if I understand correctly @Swordsmyth started this thread waay back in March 2020 with the title "it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan"...
Maybe I've missed something but now that Sleepy Joe has replaced Donald the great MAGA as US president, he has promised to get them out on 9/11 (of this year). I say there's a 50-50 chance that Joe will keep this promise.


Since January 2019, @Swordsmyth repeatedly started threads on US troops coming home from Afghanistan.

January 2019 "Foreign troops to quit Afghanistan in 18 months ...": http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...der-draft-deal

September 2019: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...mes-corruption

February 2020 (@Warlord seems to have left the forum): http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...-me-off-ignore


I think that the OP of this July 2017 started @Swordsmyth thread isn't bad though: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...to-Afghanistan

----------


## devil21

> That is the catch.  "Removal" of troops will only generally mean they switch from US uniforms to Blackwater uniforms and/or UN uniforms and receive a big pay increase of devaluing dollars.  This has already been happening.  I'm just waiting for the official announcement that "There are no longer any US Military troops in Afghanistan."  The mindscrew will be that it is technically correct, since they wouldn't be US Military troops anymore.  They would be private contractors or UN.


This is what has been happening with the Afghan situation.  Something like 20,000 contractors/mercs, intel agents, etc while the official troop number slowly drops.  They're just swapping the "public" military for the "private military".  SecDef is already switching the narrative to promising to remove contractors at some undefined point in the future.

----------


## Firestarter

> This is what has been happening with the Afghan situation.  Something like 20,000 contractors/mercs, intel agents, etc while the official troop number slowly drops.  They're just swapping the "public" military for the "private military".  SecDef is already switching the narrative to promising to remove contractors at some undefined point in the future.


You could be right, but today I read a letter in our wonderful Dutch media that not only the US (government) military but also the (private) contractors will be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

I could claim that time will tell, but with our media dumb, deaf and blind, maybe we'll never find out...

----------


## TheCount

> If only lying Donald would still be in the White House, maybe he would have kept one of his promises for a change...
> 
>  and the US troops would already be "home" (or sent to some other Asian country?)...


Do you think Trump staying in office would have made the troops stay there longer or less long?

----------


## Firestarter

> Do you think Trump staying in office would have made the troops stay there longer or less long?


As I think that D or R are basically the same party, it wouldn't have mattered either way, so precisely the same.

I'm no good at predicting though, maybe because I'm no good at chess (not even the 2D type).
In 2016 I thought that Hillary would win and in 2020 that Donald was the favourite with a longshot.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> But lying Donald didn't "withdraw" US troops from Afghanistan at all did he? So how you want to spin this into a "you were wrong", "I was right" and "Donald is great" after all argument is beyond my comprehension.
> 
> 
> My very simple conclusion is that @Swordsmyth was wrong once again, and US troops didn't start "to withdraw from Afghanistan" in March 2020, and lying Donald didn't get any US troops home...
> 
> Let's see, if I understand correctly @Swordsmyth started this thread waay back in March 2020 with the title "it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan"...
> Maybe I've missed something but now that Sleepy Joe has replaced Donald the great MAGA as US president, he has promised to get them out on 9/11 (of this year). I say there's a 50-50 chance that Joe will keep this promise.
> 
> 
> ...


Trump did withdraw most of the troops, so many that Biden had to keep the withdrawal going.
This thread is full of posts about Trump's withdrawal, just quit lying.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Do you think Trump staying in office would have made the troops stay there longer or less long?


They would have all been gone by the deadline Trump set in his deal with the Taliban.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> This is what has been happening with the Afghan situation.  Something like 20,000 contractors/mercs, intel agents, etc while the official troop number slowly drops.  They're just swapping the "public" military for the "private military".  SecDef is already switching the narrative to promising to remove contractors at some undefined point in the future.


LOL

Learn to read before posting.

ALL of the contractors are leaving too:




> U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on  Thursday the process of removing all contractors from Afghanistan  working with the United States was under way as part of President Joe  Biden’s withdrawal of forces from the country.
> 
> The remarks are the clearest indication yet that Biden’s April order to  withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 extended to  U.S.-funded contractors.
> 
> Asked whether the Pentagon had issued orders to withdraw not just  American troops but also contractors, Austin said: “We’re going to  responsibly retrograde all of our capabilities that we are responsible  for and the contractors fall in that realm as well.”
> 
> Austin said the drawdown was going according to plan so far. 
> 
> More at: https://news.whatfinger.com/2021/05/...-says-removal/
> ...

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Prove your Trumptarian Church dogma is true and we'll see if we can admit it.
> 
> This thread is nine pages of disproven claims, proof we don't have any facts, and what if fantasies.  If you want to hear what you cannot say, namely someone admitting they're wrong, then prove something already.


This thread is nine pages of proven claims that are now culminating in a complete withdrawal arranged by Trump.


The fact that you have the gall to pretend you are right and I am wrong under these circumstances says all that needs to be said about you.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

Not clear if media is trying to paint Trump as DGP 2.0 but if confirmed could reflect bad light on his legacy as final decider of the failed 2017 surge.

New report says 40 percent of all air strike causalities from 2016 to 2020 were children.
7 May 2021
“Sadly,  these numbers are no surprise,” said Chris Nyamandi, country   director  for Afghanistan at Save the Children International.   “Afghanistan has  been the deadliest country for children for years.”




In other news/views:

*Lavon Affair again? "Al Qaeda promises war on all fronts"  as US prepares to withdraw troops*

If ISIS, Alqaeda want US to leave Afghanistan, why are such groups  trying to increase carnage and attacks in Afghanistan when US is  reportedly about to start troops withdrawal?


The Guardian
*Afghanistan: car bomb kills at least 21 as US prepares to withdraw troops
*Scores also injured in the blast in southern city of Pul-e-Alam the day   before Pentagon begins to pull out its remaining forces. Afghans wait  ...
18 hours ago

CNN
*Al Qaeda promises 'war on all fronts' against America as Biden pulls out of  Afghanistan*
America's "war on terror" is about to enter a new phase as President Joe   Biden prepares to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by the 20th  ...
1 day ago

*At least 25 killed, 52 wounded in blast near Kabul girls' school*
By Jennifer Hauser, CNN
Sat May 8, 2021 
(CNN)At  least 25 people have been killed and 52 others wounded in an  explosion  near a high school for girls in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
The  Ministry of Interior (MOI) said the blast happened close to the   Sayeed-ul-Shuhada School in the Dasht-e-Barchi area on Saturday   afternoon.
MOI spokesperson Tariq Arian said the number of casualties could increase.
Officials have not revealed the cause of the explosion, or if there was a target. There has been no claim of responsibility yet.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mojahid denied involvement in the explosion in a message to the media.
According  to Afghanistan's Tolo News, the incident happened when  students were  leaving the school. "A car bomb blast happened first, and  then two more  explosions occurred near the girls school in Kabul,"  said Ibrahim, a  schoolteacher, according to Tolo. He added that the  majority of victims  are girls, Tolo reports.


Likely-Unrelated

Flashback: Terrorists who bombed US-UK civilian buildings with aim to  create instability and stop Western troops exit from Egypt
The *Lavon Affair* refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named *Operation Susannah*,   conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag   operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military   intelligence to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and British-owned    civilian targets, cinemas, libraries and American educational centers.    *The  attacks were to be blamed on the Muslim  Brotherhood, Egyptian  Communists,  "unspecified malcontents" or "local  nationalists" with the  aim of  creating a climate of sufficient  violence and instability to  induce the  British government to retain  its occupying troops in Egypt's  Suez Canal zone.*
After Israel publicly denied any involvement in the incident for 51    years, the surviving agents were official


*ISIS Attacks Surge in Iraq Amid Debate on U.S. Troop Levels*

The  growing pressure on the United States to reduce its military  presence  in Iraq comes as strikes by the Islamic State are on the rise.
June 10, 2020
As  American and Iraqi negotiators begin a new round of strategic talks  on  Thursday, the question of how to respond to the Islamic State’s  quiet  resurgence — and how much American help is required to do so —  will be  at the center of the discussion.
There are currently about 5,200 American troops in Iraq, whose main missions are counterterrorism and training Iraqi forces.
The  Trump administration, which sees the American presence as crucial  for  tamping down the resurgence of ISIS and as a bulwark against  Iranian  power in Iraq, wants to keep a substantial force there.
“We’re  going to continue to maintain forces as long as the Iraqi  government is  willing to have U.S. and coalition forces present in the  country until  the enduring defeat of Daesh is accomplished, and it’s  not yet  accomplished,” James F. Jeffrey, the American special envoy to  the  region, said in a briefing on Friday, using the Arabic acronym for  ISIS.  “That’s our policy.”
nytimes.com/2020/06/10/world/middleeast/iraq-isis-strategic-dialogue-troops.htmlly honored in 2005 by being    awarded certificates of appreciation by Israeli President Moshe Katzav.




On a side note, lately there may been some glitches in messaging regarding troops withdrawal from foreign lands with active freedom projects though:




> June 10, 2020
> *We’re  going to continue to maintain forces* *as long as the Iraqi  government is  willing to have U.S. and coalition forces present in the  country* until  the enduring defeat of Daesh is accomplished, and it’s  not yet  accomplished,” James F. Jeffrey, the American special envoy to  the  region, said in a briefing on Friday, using the Arabic acronym for  ISIS.  “That’s our policy.”





> January 5, 2020                                                                                
> Iraq's Parliament votes to expel U.S. military
> 
> January 6, 2020
> Trump threatens Iraq with crippling sanctions if US troops are expelled



Hopefully Afghan withdrawal messaging would be managed in a better way and won't get mired in some political 'credit war' between Biden and Trump (as happened in the case of  recent Vax project where Biden was accused of trying to take credit for massive Vax launch success story that was made possible mostly due Trump's non-stop efforts).

----------


## Firestarter

> This thread is nine pages of proven claims that are now culminating in a complete withdrawal arranged by Trump.


What happened to @Swordsmyth? In July 2017 it was still posting interesting info, and has now become the most despised Trump-cheerleader on this forum...



> I think that the OP of this July 2017 started @Swordsmyth thread isn't bad though: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...to-Afghanistan

----------


## devil21

> LOL
> 
> Learn to read before posting.
> 
> ALL of the contractors are leaving too:



Who, then, will protect the huge mineral reserves in Afghanistan that control over was so hard fought for?  I won't believe it, especially from a political appointee like SecDef.


On second thought, you may be right and the country just handed over to Chinese control as part of the Belt and Road.  Both Trump and Biden have done a lot of China's bidding so it stands to reason that this could be the end game of securing that region for them.  Yeah that's probably it....

http://recca.af/?page_id=2077 




> The MoU (between Af and Cn) states “[t]he two sides shall jointly promote cooperation on the One-Belt-One Road Initiative in a bid to realize the goal of common development, and translate the advantages of solid political ties, economic complementarities, and people-to-people exchanges into pragmatic cooperation in an effort to promote increasing economic growth.” Well-resourced in both financial and human capital, BRI is poised to serve as an integral element of the Afghan Government’s Infrastructure and Connectivity Development and Private Sector Development National Priority Programs.
> .......................
> Additionally, Afghanistan became a permanent member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in October this year, which will further facilitate cooperation on infrastructure development between the two countries under the BRI and RECCA.


^^^^^
That ended up being a pretty sweet deal.  Americans only spent trillions of dollars and countless lives in the process to hand it over to China.

----------


## Firestarter

> On second thought, you may be right and the country just handed over to Chinese control as part of the Belt and Road.  Both Trump and Biden have done a lot of China's bidding so it stands to reason that this could be the end game of securing that region for them.  Yeah that's probably it....


That couldn't be true, I've learned that the Trump-supporting media is always lying, so I wouldn't ever believe that Hunter Biden and daddy Joe are really Chinese agents.

I have argued that Donald is good buddies with the Chinese elite though (Elaine Chao!).



> In February 2013, Angela Chen invited China's Ambassador to the US Sun Guoxiang and none other than British Crown agent, Donald’s handler and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to her party.
> See Angela and Wilbur pictured together again in January 2019.


Do-the-Russians-have-a-Trump-card#post6990635

----------


## devil21

> That couldn't be true, I've learned that the Trump-supporting media is always lying, so I wouldn't ever believe that Hunter Biden and daddy Joe are really Chinese agents.
> 
> I have argued that Donald is good buddies with the Chinese elite though (Elaine Chao!).
> Do-the-Russians-have-a-Trump-card#post6990635


I always thought it a ridiculous narrative that the Trump administration was constantly meeting with PRC operatives for the better part of 3 years over a "trade deal and some tariffs".  As if it takes years of close cooperation in DC and Beijing meetings to agree to sell them soybeans and import their gadgets, which was already happening on a large scale any way.  Anyone who believed that story is a moron.  Perhaps the "trade" spoken of was finalizing the "trading" of China's financing the government deficit by purchasing bonds, which was then used to finance military conquest of the areas needed for the Belt and Road, in exchange for the insiders getting stupid rich and China not blowing up the dollar by dumping those bonds onto the open market.  Now, China is test-running the digital vaporware currency that everyone else will be rolling out soon after.  The whole notion that the entire Trump administration wasn't working hand-in-hand with the PRC for that entire 4 years is ludicrous.  We are seeing the culmination and conclusion of what Kissinger (who also met with Trump repeatedly) and Nixon promised the Chinese way back in 1971.

(sidenote:  Ni hao.  Smart people that have come to a similar conclusion should also remember that the entire time, the PBOC was buying every ounce of gold and silver they could get their hands on.  Seems the rational conclusion would be that the new vaporware currencies will be declared metals backed, at least in part.  Xiexie)

--------


(eta:  I just noticed that the definition of "vaporware" has apparently morphed over the years.  Vaporware used to mean installed software that disappeared/uninstalled itself after a defined period of time, unless certain terms were met, such as paying for a license to continue using it.  I guess I'm out of the software nomenclature loop these days.  The current definition is different.  When I said vaporware currency I mean currency that has an expiration date, which is exactly what the soon-to-be-unveiled CBDCs reportedly will be.)

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> I always thought it a ridiculous narrative that the Trump administration was constantly meeting with PRC operatives for the better part of 3 years over a "trade deal and some tariffs".  As if it takes years of close cooperation in DC and Beijing meetings to agree to sell them soybeans and import their gadgets, which was already happening on a large scale any way.  Anyone who believed that story is a moron. ...





> *Trade deficit widens amid Trump tariff war*
> upi.com/Top_News/US/2018...4601536152355/                         
> 
> *Why Trump no longer talks about the trade deficit with China*
> President has shifted his language after failing to achieve a core 2016 campaign promise
> Financial Times 10/2020
>   ft.com/content/081e6d25-...a-2765a66f0052
> 
> *Republicans blasting China forget that the GOP enabled Beijing's rise*
> BY MARIK VON RENNENKAMPFF, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 05/11/20


I dunno, news/views like these can end up reinforcing  notions like GOP being "pawty of small minds".

H/T other forum guests.

----------


## Firestarter

> Perhaps the "trade" spoken of was finalizing the "trading" of China's financing the government deficit by purchasing bonds, which was then used to finance military conquest of the areas needed for the Belt and Road, in exchange for the insiders getting stupid rich and China not blowing up the dollar by dumping those bonds onto the open market.


Or maybe they plan to flood China with Afghan heroin?

It's not like that hasn't been done before...

----------


## devil21

> Or maybe they plan to flood China with Afghan heroin?
> 
> It's not like that hasn't been done before...

----------


## Swordsmyth

I love it.
When the trolls can no longer deny that Trump did a good thing they try to spin that thing as bad.

Maybe the President who stood up to China is actually working for them and the good thing was to help China, or maybe it is a sneaky way to attack China.
Either way it MUST be bad. (Since both helping and hurting China are deemed bad it seems it is the existence of America that is being objected to)


Funny, but most real Americans see ending the war as a good thing whether it helps or hurts China because it is good for America.

----------


## Firestarter

> When the trolls can no longer deny that Trump did a good thing they try to spin that thing as bad.


It looks to me that some of us are even more disgusted by this @Swordsmyth than lying Donald or sleepy Joe.
You can spin this all you want into things we didn't post, but that doesn't mean it's true.

Mission accomplished?
As the attention is now diverted from lying Donald for more than 3 years in his presidency NOT withdrawing any troops from the Middle East, and sending troops to chase migrants out of Syria so the EU can continue to be flooded by migrants.
While because of the lockdown we aren't even allowed to go to a restaurant or bar, for some reason it would be in violation of human rights to keep the migrants from coming here.

Can we soon expect a flood of Afghans coming to Europe?!?
Maybe doing some importing of recreational drugs on the side?

----------


## TheCount

> They would have all been gone by the deadline Trump set in his deal with the Taliban.


And then he would have given everyone a pony

----------


## devil21

> I love it.
> When the trolls can no longer deny that Trump did a good thing they try to spin that thing as bad.
> 
> Maybe the President who stood up to China is actually working for them and the good thing was to help China, or maybe it is a sneaky way to attack China.
> Either way it MUST be bad. (Since both helping and hurting China are deemed bad it seems it is the existence of America that is being objected to)
> 
> 
> Funny, but most real Americans see ending the war as a good thing whether it helps or hurts China because it is good for America.


Or maybe not everything is good or bad....sometimes things just _are_.  Good and bad is entirely perspective and subjective.  Information and analysis isn't inherently good or bad.  Anyone that filters everything through such a good/bad lens is a slave to duality.  But you already knew that, didn't ya mormon?

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> And so it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan


*So it begins, US troops move from Afghanistan to Middle East...
*to keep up pressure on Iran from the other side and defend our closest allies.


Wall Street Journal
Afghan Pullout Leaves U.S. Looking for Other Places to Station Its Troops
U.S. military planners are seeking options to base forces and equipment  in  Central Asia and the Middle East after American and allied troops  ...
2 days ago


Guess bringing them home was not the first answer that came to the minds of all the thought leaders facing this quandrum.                         
But OTOH, after America-First Trump escalated military action against Iran and ordered killing of Iranian General few months ago, tensions went up and so did mideast manpower needs.






> Just for sake of discussion since I didn't read  all the articles, can you point to where it's ever mentioned that any  Afghanistan withdrawal means they're coming home?  
> 
> I'm always reminded to listen to what they actually say, not what I  think I want to hear.  Perhaps Trump at some point said he's bringing  them home but I didn't see that mentioned in what I read of the  CFR's....err Biden's statements on Afghanistan.


Very good point that was.





Related

*How American Politics Got Troops Stuck—and Killed—in Afghanistan*


The Obamas pose for a picture with the author at the grave of his friend   Tyler Parten at Arlington National Cemetery in 2011. | Courtesy of  Erik  Edstrom

   "The  president tactfully asked to hear about Tyler’s life, and I told  him.  We took a photo, capturing the moment for Tyler’s family. It felt  like a  touching gesture from a genuinely decent man. *And yet I  could not shake  a rotten feeling that this was also the man who had  pushed the number  of troops in Afghanistan beyond 100,000.* And  though he had just  announced his intention to bring that number back  down, the violence  would not really diminish, just be replaced by  drones and special  forces. The tableau was thick with irony: The  politicians who sponsor  pointless wars are the same ones who must be  seen “power grieving” for  fallen troops on days of remembrance."

----------


## Swordsmyth

Trump brought a lot of troops home and would have brought more home.
But even just leaving and being in one less country and in one less active warzone is a victory.

----------


## Swordsmyth

U.S. Central Command reported Tuesday that close to 20 percent of the U.S. troops withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete. The Pentagon confirmed that the Taliban have yet to attack U.S. troops, as the terrorist group claimed they would.

President Joe Biden announced on April 14 that the U.S. intends to pull around 3,000 troops from the Middle East by Sept. 11. The Department of Defense has thus far turned over five buildings to the Afghan Ministry of Defense, as well as 5,000 equipment pieces. At the order of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the U.S. flew in six B-52 Bombers, 12 F-18 fighter jets, and 600 special forces troops to facilitate the withdrawal process. 115 loads of C-17 equipment have been turned over.

“The withdrawal continues at pace, with nothing more than some minor harassing attacks that have had no impact,” John Kirby, a spokesman for The Pentagon told reporters. “We certainly hope that that remains the case going forward. We’re not going to take anything just on hope and face value. We have to assume and we have to plan for the potential that it could be resisted, it could be opposed by the Taliban, so we’re continuing to take all the right precautions.”

More at: https://thefederalist.com/2021/05/18...m-afghanistan/

----------


## pcosmar

> the U.S. flew in six B-52 Bombers,


Carpet Bomb a path out?

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Carpet Bomb a path out?


If necessary.

----------


## pcosmar

> If necessary.


They are piss poor Troop Transports. makes me question both the Honesty and intent of their actions..

----------


## acptulsa

> They are piss poor Troop Transports. makes me question both the Honesty and intent of their actions..


And six hundred Special Forces.  Specially trained to handle baggage?

----------


## TheCount

> And six hundred Special Forces.  Specially trained to handle baggage?


Ready for the magic?

20% of troops that were in Afghanistan have left.

20% of 3000


How many special forces were added?

600.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> They are piss poor Troop Transports. makes me question both the Honesty and intent of their actions..


Increased firepower is often used to cover a withdrawal.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Ready for the magic?
> 
> 20% of troops that were in Afghanistan have left.
> 
> 20% of 3000
> 
> 
> How many special forces were added?
> 
> 600.


If 20% have been removed then 1,200 ordinary troops were removed and 600 special forces were brought in to help cover the withdrawal.

----------


## TheCount

> If 20% have been removed then 1,200 ordinary troops were removed and 600 special forces were brought in to help cover the withdrawal.


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/w...ghanistan.html

3500 in Afghanistan in March

(1000 higher than the 2500 that they bragged about in January)

----------


## Swordsmyth

> https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/w...ghanistan.html
> 
> 3500 in Afghanistan in March
> 
> (1000 higher than the 2500 that they bragged about in January)


Even if that is an accurate report it changes nothing.
We are leaving and Trump is responsible for us leaving.

----------


## Swordsmyth

According to a report from The New York Times, US troops are expected to be out of Afghanistan by early to mid-July, well before the September 11th deadline set by President Biden.

Unnamed US officials told the Times that Washington’s allies are also expected to be out by July, although Germany is apparently struggling to keep up the pace. US Central Command on Tuesday said the Afghanistan withdrawal process was about 16 to 25 percent complete.

The US recently handed over Kandahar Airfield to Afghan forces. The Times report said that US fighter jets and other military equipment will start leaving Bagram Air Base in the coming days. Last week, locals told Afghanistan’s Tolo News that the US has shipping truckloads of scrapped equipment out of the Bagram Air Base, which is the largest US military facility in Afghanistan.

Washington’s decision to pull out before September is likely an effort to avoid Taliban attacks on withdrawing troops. President Biden broke the US-Taliban peace deal by pushing back the original May 1st withdrawal deadline. Earlier this month, Tolo News reported that the US and the Taliban were in talks to get foreign troops out by sometime in July. In exchange, the Taliban would participate in a planned Afghan peace summit in Istanbul.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitic...agon-officials

----------


## AngryCanadian

> According to a report from The New York Times, US troops are expected to be out of Afghanistan by early to mid-July, well before the September 11th deadline set by President Biden.
> 
> Unnamed US officials told the Times that Washington’s allies are also expected to be out by July, although Germany is apparently struggling to keep up the pace. US Central Command on Tuesday said the Afghanistan withdrawal process was about 16 to 25 percent complete.
> 
> The US recently handed over Kandahar Airfield to Afghan forces. The Times report said that US fighter jets and other military equipment will start leaving Bagram Air Base in the coming days. Last week, locals told Afghanistan’s Tolo News that the US has shipping truckloads of scrapped equipment out of the Bagram Air Base, which is the largest US military facility in Afghanistan.
> 
> Washington’s decision to pull out before September is likely an effort to avoid Taliban attacks on withdrawing troops. President Biden broke the US-Taliban peace deal by pushing back the original May 1st withdrawal deadline. Earlier this month, Tolo News reported that the US and the Taliban were in talks to get foreign troops out by sometime in July. In exchange, the Taliban would participate in a planned Afghan peace summit in Istanbul.
> 
> More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitic...agon-officials


Probably not all of the forces.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

Not clear if this would acclerate or slowdown withdrawal of personnel:

*US Afghan embassy in lockdown amid covid crisis. Call for mandatory Vax for US gov employees*


AFSA which represents the  US diplomatic corps has calld on Prez Biden  to make vax mandatory for  all US gov employees unless there is medical  or religious exception.  There is reported 2400% jump in covid  infections in a month in Afghanistan housing tens of thousands of  Americans currently in various military, contractor, diplomatic  positions. UN Office  suspects the  Delta variant, first detected in  India, could be  responsible for the recent spike in Afghan cases.  



USA Today

*COVID-19 surge in Afghanistan hits US embassy, prompting lockdown, onsite wards
*
COVID  infection rates have surged in Afghanistan by 2400% over the past   month, according to the International Federation of Red Cross.
21 hours ago

WASHINGTON – A dangerous surge in COVID-19 cases in  Afghanistan has  gripped the U.S. embassy in Kabul, forcing an immediate  lockdown and  the creation of temporary, on-site COVID-19 wards to care  for  oxygen-dependent patients, according to an internal memo.

"COVID-19  is surging in the Mission. 114 of our colleagues now have  COVID and are  in isolation; one has died, and several have been  medevaced," reads the  notice from Shane Pierce, an employee in the  embassy's health unit. 

His  memo says that intensive care units at a U.S. military hospital  "are at  full capacity," triggering the need to set up temporary on-site  units  for staff who need oxygen. 

The outbreak has  prompted the American Foreign Service Association,  which represents the  U.S. diplomatic corps, to call on President Joe  Biden to require  all U.S. government employees overseas to be  vaccinated, unless they  have medical or religious exceptions.

"This is the  most serious outbreak (at a U.S. diplomatic facility), and  I believe  it’s the first time, at least recently, that we’ve had an  entire embassy  on lockdown," said Eric Rubin, a former ambassador to  Bulgaria and head  of the foreign service association. 

"This  is such a truly worrying and sad situation that we feel necessary  to go  public and just to say, 'Enough,'" he said. "It should be a  condition  of employment. People should not be allowed to endanger the  lives of  fellow citizens, their fellow employees."

The State Department press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the mandatory vaccine proposal. 

Earlier on Thursday,Ned  Price, the State Department's chief spokesman,  noted the surge in cases  at the embassy in Kabul coincides with "an  intense third wave of  COIVD-19 cases" across Afghanistan.

COVID infection rates have surged in Afghanistan by 2,400% over the past month, according to the International Federation of Red Cross

usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/06/17/covid-afghanistan-us-embassy-kabul-hit-virus-third-wave/7729552002/



*Coronavirus Breaks Out at US Embassy in Afghanistan*

                            June 17, 2021 

The  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies  (IFRC)  warned in a statement that infection rates in Afghanistan have  climbed  by 2,400 percent in the past month. It noted 34 percent of  tests  returned positive results last week, pointing to many thousands  of  undiagnosed infections.  

“Afghanistan is at a crisis point in  the battle to contain COVID-19 as  hospital beds are full to capacity in  the capital Kabul and in many  areas,” an IFRC statement quoted Nilab  Mobarez, acting president of the  Afghan Red Crescent Society, as saying.

“This  surge is fast spiraling out of control adding huge pressures on  our  fragile health system and millions of people living in poverty,”  said  Mobarez. “We fear that we are just a heartbeat away from the kind  of  horror that we have already seen in countries like India and Nepal.”

FILE  - An Afghan security officer stands guard at the Green Zone, which  is  home to a number of foreign embassies, in Kabul, Afghanistan, May  25,  2021.

India’s COVID-19 outbreak has broken records for cases and  deaths,  though daily case numbers have been declining there since  mid-May. But  the Indian variant has spread to neighboring Nepal, where  it is causing  massive infections and straining a less-resourced health  system.   

India recorded 29.7 million cases and 382,000 deaths while Nepal reported 614,000 and 8,558 as of Thursday.  

The  U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs suspected   Thursday the  Delta variant, first detected in India, could be   responsible for the recent spike in Afghan cases.  

“While  Afghanistan lacks in-country facilities to test for the variant  that  originated in India, concern over the variant’s spread is high as  many  of the patients hospitalized over the last four weeks have a  history of  recently returning from India or having contact with people  who have,”  the agency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, hospitals around  Afghanistan have refused to accept new  coronavirus patients, citing a  lack of beds and oxygen shortages.

The global agency was working  with Afghan authorities to provide more  resources and try and boost  medical oxygen production, said Necephor  Mghendi, the head of the  Afghanistan country delegation for IFRC.

“More international support is needed to help win this race against this virus, so we can save thousands of lives,” he said.

Afghan  officials and aid groups say Afghanistan is also dealing with a  vaccine  shortfall exacerbated by a high level of hesitancy.

“Less than  half a percent” of the country’s estimated 35 million  population has so  far been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according  to IFCR.

voanews.com/south-central-asia/coronavirus-breaks-out-us-embassy-afghanistan



Potentially Related

June 19, 2021
*U.S.-led military forces in Afghanistan abruptly cancel NATO flag-lowering ceremony*

----------


## Swordsmyth

The U.S. military appears just days away from completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan, well ahead of the Sept. 11 deadline set by President Joe Biden to end America's longest war, U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The withdrawal of troops and equipment from Afghanistan would not include forces that will remain to protect diplomats at the U.S. embassy and potentially assist securing Kabul airport.

U.S. officials have told Reuters that embassy presence could be around 650 troops.

The U.S. military stopped publicly detailing the pace of its withdrawal after it was more than 50 percent complete earlier in June.

More at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...es-2021-06-29/

----------


## Swordsmyth

After nearly 20 years, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said Friday.

The airfield was handed over to the Afghan National Security and Defense Force in its entirety, they said on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to release the information to the media.

One of the officials also said the U.S. top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Austin S. Miller, “still retains all the capabilities and authorities to protect the forces.”

The withdrawal from Bagram Airfield is the clearest indication that the last of the 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops have left Afghanistan or are nearing a departure, months ahead of President Joe Biden's promise that they would be gone by Sept. 11.

It was clear soon after the mid-April announcement that the U.S. was ending its “forever war,” that the departure of U.S. soldiers and their estimated 7,000 NATO allies would be nearer to July 4, when America celebrates its Independence Day.

Most NATO soldiers have already quietly exited as of this week. Announcements from several countries analyzed by The Associated Press show that a majority of European troops has now left with little ceremony — a stark contrast to the dramatic and public show of force and unity when NATO allies lined up to back the U.S. invasion in 2001.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/us-hands-bagr...043528730.html

----------


## acptulsa

So, Biden might do what Trump didn't have permission and the balls to do?

Or do you think the military is still following Trump's orders?

Are you trying to spin this into something other than what it is, namely proof that Trump's foreign policy was dictated to him by the same people who dictated to Obama and dictate to Biden--a seamless continuation without interruption?

Trying to give credit to a president who has been out of office for nearly six months is a pretty blatant attempt at spin, even for you.  That ship sailed already.  Get over it.

----------


## oyarde

Should be a celebration for America . US hands over Bagram Air Base to Afghan Security Forces . Not so much of a celebration for free Afghanis as one quarter of the 421 districts have been taken back under taliban control since the US withdrawal began . While this should be expected you'd think after 20 years the Afghans would have a plan on what areas they wanted to push back in and which they would concede. According to one General there that plan never happened so I'd say at this point they better get busy if the want to save the cities and capitals .

----------


## oyarde

In other news , Bagram Air Force Base looted by dozens of looters after the Americans departed as the Afghans had no plan in place to secure and occupy the base. Afghan Security Forces have now moved in . Fed still buying 120 billion per month , unemployment up 5.9 percent from 5.8 percent and US has pledged 4 billion per yr to Afghan Security Forces through 2024.

----------


## enhanced_deficit

> *After nearly 20 years*, the U.S. military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two U.S. officials said Friday.
> ...


20 years of latest hot war but almost 40 years span covers full overt/proxy US military involvement there. Media experts' customary analyses on the return for *lost tens of thousands of American lives/limbs in blood & $Trillions in treasure* will be splashed across media for a week or so after marking the historic milestone of  leaving behind about a 1000 US troops (plus few thousand American contractors) but  no guarantee if any lasting lessons will be learnt. 



Afghanistan: Remembering the Long, Long War We Would Rather Forget

A now declassified memorandum  that National Security Advisor *Zbigniew Brzezinski* sent to *Carter*  on  Dec. 26 offers a rare historical example in which it is possible to   trace the origins of major consequences to a single document. In it,   Brzezinski, the anti-Soviet son of a Polish diplomat, misused history   by claiming that if Moscow succeeded “the age-long dream of direct   access to the Indian Ocean will have been fulfilled.” The fall of the   Shah of Iran in January had enflamed the Middle East into what   Brzezinski termed an “arc of crisis;” Carter was facing a tough   reelection challenge from Republican front-runner Ronald Reagan and   badly needed to reverse the perception that his foreign policy was   failing. The President began to hyperbolize that Moscow’s aggression in   Afghanistan “would threaten the security of all nations.”

Determined to deliver the Soviet Union its own Vietnam, Brzezinski   advised the president that it was essential that the Afghan resistance   continue. Carter approved a covert action finding that increased the   program, code-named Operation Cyclone, to $50 million. He took to  calling the *mujahedeen “Freedom Fighters”* (a label that *Ronald Reagan*  and Charlie Wilson later appropriated as they poured support into the  program). Brzezinski outlined four courses of action in the Dec. 26  memo, each of which Carter approved. They would have enduring and  fateful consequences.

In Afghanistan, the purposes of Saudi Arabia, jihad against the   atheistic foreign invader, and the United States, the Cold War against   the Soviet Union, overlapped. With the Inter-Services Intelligence as   executive agent, this intersection brought the most radicalized   Islamists among the Afghan mujahedeen into association with the Afghan   Arabs, including *Osama bin Laden*.

*Defeat of the Soviet superpower in Afghanistan was the inspiration  for  9/11, which bin Laden organized from sanctuary the Taliban gave  al-Qaeda  in Afghanistan.* Most of the attackers were Saudi, while  the Wahhabi  program thrives throughout the Muslim world today. The  Afghan Arabs were  also the model for the foreign fighters  who flowed  to Iraq and Syria, first under al-Qaeda in Iraq and then  under the  self-proclaimed Islamic State. No one responsible for  Operation Cyclone  realized at the time they were sowing the wind.  

How A Quest To Save Soviet Jews Changed The World

 
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaks at an  award ceremony   for immigrant scientists at Tel Aviv University on Oct.  26. Lieberman   is one of the Soviet Jewish emigres who moved to Israel.                                                                  

On Dec. 12, 1987, a quarter-million people gathered  in  Washington,  D.C., on the eve of a historic summit between  Ronald   Reagan and  Mikhail Gorbachev. They came from all over the country to  a   rally aimed  at freeing Jews in what was then the Soviet Union.

   Among the  speakers was George H.W. Bush, who was vice  president at   the time. In  his speech, he echoed the words of Reagan at the Berlin   Wall, "Mr.  Gorbachev," he said, "Let these people  go. Let them go."
   Author Gal Beckerman explores that moment, and that movement, in his new book _When They Come For  Us, We'll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet  Jewry_.
   He  tells NPR's Guy Raz that the day after the  rally, Reagan stood   with  Gorbachev in the Oval Office and asked if he'd seen  footage of   the  demonstration.

"Gorbachev kind of shook it off, but  it was clear this sent a very strong message," Beckerman  says.

*A History Of Persecution*
   Jews  had been persecuted in the  Soviet Union through much of the   20th  century. In 1970s Moscow, a city with hundreds of thousands of   Jews,  there was only one synagogue. Beckerman says there was no way to  become a   rabbi or even eat kosher food.

*Desperate To Flee*
   While Soviet Jews could  apply to  leave the country, the vast   majority were denied. They became  known  as "refuseniks" and were often   unable to get a job.
   "You  became almost a  pariah inside of Soviet society and it led to a   whole  series of bad things that  could happen to you," he says.  "You'd  lose  your job, but then it was illegal to  be without a job --  you  would be  accused of parasitism. And then you suddenly  had people  who  were former  world renowned scientists working as stokers,   shoveling  coal or  elevator operators, because the government would  assign you to   a job."

Beckerman  says many of those who  were desperate to   flee were Zionists -- they  wanted to go to Israel. In the  summer of   1970, a group from Latvia was  determined to make it  there any way they   could.
They decided to hijack a  plane.

   The group found a 12-seater scheduled to fly to Sweden. They planned to take over during a stopover in Finland.
   But  the plan never came to fruition.  The KGB tackled and arrested   some of  the group on the  tarmac the day they planned to hijack the   plane.
   "Just  in the Soviet Union, if you had two people involved in   anything,  you  could be sure that one of them was somehow talking to   the KGB,"  Beckerman  says.
   However, he says, the group wrote a sort of  "suicide note."
   "They  wanted to make sure that if  they were caught or killed in the   process,  the world would know somehow why they  did this. The Soviets   couldn't  just paint them as criminals who were trying to  hijack a   plane."
   After  the arrest, the Soviets seized  the opportunity to paint the   Latvians  as religious extremists. The knew "they  could put on a very   large show  trial and show the world in fact, that these were  not these   idealistic  Zionists that they said they were, but Zionism was really a    mask for  'hooliganism," Beckerman says.
   And the end of a swift trial,  the  judge sentenced the group's two   leaders to death. Beckerman says  the verdict  reverberated across the   world.

*The Effect On U.S. Policy* 
   As  the movement gained more  prominence, it began to influence the   way the  United States  formulated its foreign policy. At the forefront   of the  shift was a senator for  Washington state -- Henry "Scoop"   Jackson.
   Beckerman  says Jackson's interest in the  movement was triggered in   August 1972  when the Soviets started to let out some  Jews, but was   requiring them  to pay a "diploma tax" for education they had  received   from the Soviet  state. This bothered Jackson especially because, at  the  same time, they  were  involved with the U.S. in trade talks and   seeking  so-called  "preferred trading status."
   "Henry Jackson said, 'You know  what,  no. If they want these things   -- these goodies from the U.S. --  they  have to do something as well.   And what we want from them in  exchange is for  them to change  something  about their internal policy  that's making Soviet Jews  in  particular  suffer,' " Beckerman says.
   Over the next decade, those sentiments had a profound influence on American foreign policy.
   "Every  time Gorbachev would walk  into meeting with Reagan by the   mid-'80s,  the first thing Reagan would do -- and  we see this in   memoirs and oral  histories -- is Reagan would pull out a piece of    paper with names of  Soviet Jews who had been refused visas or had been   somehow  sent to  prison for their activism and he said, 'Well if you   want to talk, first   we have to discuss these names,'" Beckerman says.
   Eventually  emigration restrictions eased and Soviet Jews were   allowed to leave in  larger numbers. Among those  who left are Avigdor    Lieberman, now  Israel's foreign minister, and Sergey Brin, co-founder   of  Google.


*Jihad with US-Arms – The Soviet–Afghan War*

 The  moment the Soviet Union inserted itself in the Afghan Civil War,  they  started a domino-like spiral of violence that continues even to  this day  nearly 40 years later. On one side of the situation, the  Soviets were  never able to assert and gain control over the huge  country.

On  the other side of the problem, the United States, via CIA operatives   and neighboring Arab countries, supported guerrilla fighters by   delivering arms to support their resistance efforts.

Naming  themselves the Mujahideen, the resistance fighting militias  considered  themselves embroiled in a Holy War against the invading  communist  infidels. Even after the Red Army pulled out of the country  Afghanistan  remained in a continued state of chaos.

The  Taliban rose to and seized power in the war-torn nation. Following  the  events of 9/11 NATO forces invaded the embattled country making  roughly  the same mistakes the Russians did a generation earlier.

The  Soviet–Afghan War lasted nearly a decade from December 1979 to  February  1989. The Mujahideen resistance fighters fought a war of  attrition  against the Soviet Army and allied Afghan forces. In all,  approximately  850,000 to 1.5 million civilians were killed over the  decade long  conflict and millions of other Afghans were forced to flee  their  homeland as refugees. Most resettled in Pakistan or Iran.
warhistoryonline.com/featured/jihad-with-us-arms-the-soviet-afghanwar.html

*1980s: Reagan's MAGA Revolution
USA prints extremist textbooks to radicalize Afghan children
*



"Every   time Gorbachev would walk  into meeting with Reagan by the   mid-'80s,  the first thing Reagan would do -- and  we see this in   memoirs and oral  histories -- is Reagan would pull out a piece of    paper with names of  Soviet Jews who had been refused visas or had been   somehow  sent to  prison for their activism and he said, 'Well if you   want to talk, first   we have to discuss these names,'" Beckerman  says.

The former Soviet citizens who flooded into Israel  decades ago have changed the country's demographics.

The  Soviet–Afghan War lasted nearly a decade from December 1979 to February  1989. 
The Mujahideen resistance fighters fought a war of attrition  against  the Soviet Army and allied Afghan forces. In all, approximately  850,000  to 1.5 million civilians were killed over the decade long  conflict and  millions of other Afghans were forced to flee their  homeland as  refugees. 

Related

*Reckless Putin: "US nurtured Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, supported terrorists in Chechnya"*




*The Immorality of Leaving Iraq and Afghanistan*
By Dennis Prager  
https://www.nationalreview.com/2014/...dennis-prager/



From:
*Biden says no more questions on Afghanistan, wants to ‘talk about happy things’*
July 2, 2021

----------


## Swordsmyth

> So, Biden might do what Trump didn't have permission and the balls to do?
> 
> Or do you think the military is still following Trump's orders?
> 
> Are you trying to spin this into something other than what it is, namely proof that Trump's foreign policy was dictated to him by the same people who dictated to Obama and dictate to Biden--a seamless continuation without interruption?
> 
> Trying to give credit to a president who has been out of office for nearly six months is a pretty blatant attempt at spin, even for you.  That ship sailed already.  Get over it.


Trump started the process and forced it through far enough that it couldn't be stopped in spite of being fought every step of the way.
Don't insult our intelligence by pretending the deepstate wanted this.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Should be a celebration for America . US hands over Bagram Air Base to Afghan Security Forces . Not so much of a celebration for free Afghanis as one quarter of the 421 districts have been taken back under taliban control since the US withdrawal began . While this should be expected you'd think after 20 years the Afghans would have a plan on what areas they wanted to push back in and which they would concede. According to one General there that plan never happened so I'd say at this point they better get busy if the want to save the cities and capitals .


It's almost as if their globalist friends didn't plan for this.

----------


## acptulsa

> Trump started the process and forced it through far enough that it couldn't be stopped in spite of being fought every step of the way.
> Don't insult our intelligence by pretending the deepstate wanted this.


I'm not the one here insulting people's intelligence.

I admit I have considered insulting your intelligence in the past, but that prey is very, very elusive.

----------


## shakey1

> The U.S. military appears just days away from completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan, well ahead of the Sept. 11 deadline set by President Joe Biden to end America's longest war, U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Joeblow wanted to make it an even 20yrs… would only serve to highlight the utter failure of this venture. At this point, good just to be getting out… hopefully to never return. History taught us nothing.

----------


## devil21

> Joeblow wanted to make it an even 20yrs… would only serve to highlight the utter failure of this venture. At this point, good just to be getting out… hopefully to never return. History taught us nothing.


Afghanistan has been turned over to China.  Mission accomplished.  Americans were just the tools to do the heavy lifting and pay the bills ("military men are dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns of foreign policy", as Kissinger was quoted as saying).  It was actually a smashing success, not an utter failure, but I guess that depends on whether you're an elite or the mother of a dead 22 year old soldier.

This official Afghan government website details it very thoroughly:
https://recca.af/?page_id=2077

http://recca.af/?p=1909




https://www.timesofisrael.com/machia...sh-philosophy/

(worth clicking link to see the photo slide show)
-----------------------

Kissinger's secret 1971 trip to China 
https://china.usc.edu/getting-beijin...cret-1971-trip

Visit was 50 years ago as of this month, July 2021.

-------------------------------
To  @acptulsa's point:





Ever present....

----------


## Pauls' Revere

China prepares to fill void left by US.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-program.html

*China makes its move on Afghanistan: Beijing prepares to fill the vacuum left by Biden's plan for US military exit from the nation with $62B investment plan for its 'Belt and Road' program*

As American troops left their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, marking a symbolic end to the longest war in U.S. history, China is now preparing to enter to war-torn country to essentially fill the vacuum left by U.S. and NATO troops.  

Authorities in Kabul are considering extending a $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as part of China's  Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

First launched in 2013 by Chinese president Xi Jinping, and written into the Chinese constitution in 2017, it is billed by Beijing officials as a global infrastructure development fund which aims to better connect China to the rest of the world.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Afghanistan has been turned over to China.  Mission accomplished.  Americans were just the tools to do the heavy lifting and pay the bills ("military men are dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns of foreign policy", as Kissinger was quoted as saying).  It was actually a smashing success, not an utter failure, but I guess that depends on whether you're an elite or the mother of a dead 22 year old soldier.
> 
> This official Afghan government website details it very thoroughly:
> https://recca.af/?page_id=2077
> 
> http://recca.af/?p=1909
> 
> 
> 
> ...


China is going to collapse long before they can make any use of Afghanistan.
And if they try to use Afghanistan the Afghans will help them collapse.

Nice try and making a good thing Trump did into a bad thing but it just won't work.

----------


## Swordsmyth

> China prepares to fill void left by US.
> 
> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-program.html
> 
> *China makes its move on Afghanistan: Beijing prepares to fill the vacuum left by Biden's plan for US military exit from the nation with $62B investment plan for its 'Belt and Road' program*
> 
> As American troops left their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, marking a symbolic end to the longest war in U.S. history, China is now preparing to enter to war-torn country to essentially fill the vacuum left by U.S. and NATO troops.  
> 
> Authorities in Kabul are considering extending a $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as part of China's  Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
> ...


Good, this will hasten their collapse.

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## oyarde

Free Afghanis fleeing taliban  to Tajikistan are the rumors. Taliban now control 26 of 28 border districts and the roads are also the rumors. Russian consulate in Mazar i Sharif will be closed.

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## oyarde

No word yet on taliban wuhan plague or vaccines. Hopefully @Danke can give us an update from his chicom contacts.

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## Pauls' Revere

> Indeed you are right about that one, not mention the Taliban are the same forces and fighters which had driven out the soviet union/Russian troops in the 80s. They were the mujahideen fighters which the west armed and supported agaisnt a moderate Russian backed government in afghanistan who gave women rights among other issues.
> 
> Its kinda of ironic seeing the west being defeated by the very thing they created and armed. 
> 
> "But they are just moderate rebels"


^yep^ and Osama Bin laden was funded and supported by USA & CIA when he was with the Mujahideen.

https://woldcnews.com/883341/how-the...ama-bin-laden/

During in the 1970s, when the Russia was the biggest threat to America and radical Islam was not as a concern of the USA’s, the USA began funding and training Islamic militants to fight our Russian enemies in Afghanistan.

These militants, known as the mujahideen would rebel the Russians out of Afghanistan and later become the Taliban, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

One of the most prominent members of he mujahideen was a wealthy son of a Saudi Arabian businessman named Osama Bin Laden.

National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski visited Afganistan in 1979 and met with Bin Laden and even took a picture with him. Brzezinski would tell the mujahideen

and U.S.A. funded and supported Bin Laden during the Afghan war.

Former British Foreign secretary, Robin Cook said:

Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan.

Several other authors, journalists and statesmen have all made the claim that Bin Laden was funded, armed and trained by the CIA to fight off the Russians.

After Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981, U.S. funding of the mujahideen increased significantly and CIA Paramilitary Officers played a big role in training, arming and sometimes even leading mujahideen forces.

The CIA trained the mujahideen in many of the tactics Al Qaeda is known for today, such as car bombs, assassinations and other acts that would be considered terrorism today.

The U.S.A. would fund Gulbuddin Hekmatyar a mujahideen leader and alleged heroin dealer who worked closely with Bin Laden. Hekmaytyar and his political party/paramilitary group would receive more than $600 million from the USA. Author, Alfred McCoy, would claim that the CIA supported Hekmatyar in his illicit heroin trade to allow him to fund the mujahideen.Like Bin Laden, Hekmatyar has also become an enemy of the U.S., waging a war against coalition forces in Afghanistan after 2001.

America must learn from the foreign policy mistakes of our past. These mistakes have lead to the creation of our enemies, such as Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noreaga, and Osama Bin Laden. The enemy of our enemy is not always our friend, most often they become our enemies too.

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## oyarde

Russian consulate and Afghan army fleeing for their lives. I mean really , who wants to be a POW to the taliban ? $#@!ing nobody .

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## Firestarter

> During in the 1970s, when the Russia was the biggest threat to America and radical Islam was not as a concern of the USAs, the USA began funding and training Islamic militants to fight our Russian enemies in Afghanistan.
> 
> These militants, known as the mujahideen would rebel the Russians out of Afghanistan and later become the Taliban, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.


Don't forget about the heroin...




> The Mujahideen that later evolved into the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were forced to pay the CIA for the arms, and they could only do so by growing poppy.
> Afghanistan produced about 100 tons of opium annually in the 1970s. By 1989-1990, that amount of opium had become 2,000 tons a year, which was already about 75% of the worlds illicit opium trade.


Drugs-profits-for-Oil-wars

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## Pauls' Revere

> Don't forget about the heroin...
> 
> 
> Drugs-profits-for-Oil-wars


That's right!, thank you, yeah Osama Bin Laden's boss was a heroin dealer with the CIA until he was whacked and that put Osama in charge.

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## enhanced_deficit

> ...
> America must learn from the foreign policy mistakes of our past. These  mistakes have lead to the creation of our enemies, such as Saddam  Hussein, Manuel Noreaga, and Osama Bin Laden. The enemy of our enemy is  not always our friend, most often they become our enemies too.






> Don't forget about the heroin...
> 
> 
> Drugs-profits-for-Oil-wars



Grooming and feeding snakes is risky business. Hopefully our alpha foreign policy thinkers have realized that now.

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## enhanced_deficit

> Afghanistan has been turned over to China.   Mission accomplished.  Americans were just the tools to do the heavy  lifting and pay the bills ("military men are dumb stupid animals to be  used as pawns of foreign policy", as Kissinger was quoted as saying).   It was actually a smashing success, not an utter failure, but I guess  that depends on whether you're an elite or the mother of a dead 22 year  old soldier.
> 
> This official Afghan government website details it very thoroughly:
> https://recca.af/?page_id=2077
> 
> http://recca.af/?p=1909
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That highlighted quote sounds too incredible, did the famous advisor of numerous Presidents really say that...

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## devil21

> That highlighted quote sounds too incredible, did the famous advisor of numerous Presidents really say that...


I think the results speak for themselves as to whether that is his philosophy and the likelihood of the quote being genuine.  Talmudists like Kissinger certainly believe such things, regarding the utility of _g-word_.

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## Swordsmyth

As the US accelerates its withdrawal from Afghanistan, China is worried about the instability to come.
    In May, after a series of explosions in Kabul that killed 60 people  including several schoolgirls, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua  Chunying said Americas abrupt withdrawal was a factor in the  violence.
    Hua said the US needed to withdraw its troops in a responsible  manner that avoids inflicting more turmoil and suffering on the Afghan  people.
    What she didnt say, however, is what China fears the most about  Americas troop withdrawal from Afghanistan: a revival of the  fundamentalist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and its  cross-border agitation and terrorism in Chinas volatile Xinjiang  region.   
    The ETIM, also known as the Turkistan Islamic Movement, is an ethnic  Uighur militant group active in Afghanistan that has long sought to  achieve independence for Xinjiang, which it envisions as a future East  Turkestan.  

    The ETIM is also active in Syrias civil war, where battle-hardened  fighters have largely been grouped in Idlib and other northern regions.  The United Nations has categorized the group as a terror organization  since 2002.
    Curiously, the former Donald Trump administration removed ETIM from  Americas terror list in November 2020, saying at the time there was no  credible evidence that ETIM still exists.
    As the Taliban surges north in the wake of Americas troop  withdrawal, it seems likely only a matter of time before the militant  group overruns Kabul and its US-backed government, and establishes in  its place a new Islamic Emirate, as it has repeatedly said it aims to  do.


A Taliban takeover, analysts and observers believe, will open new  space for groups like ETIM to recruit and radicalize Uighur youth, many  of whom are already reportedly deeply disaffected by reports of  Beijings Uighur vocational camps and authoritarian control of Muslim  religious practices in Xinjiang.  
    For Beijing, however, the concern is not merely the spread of radical  ideas among Uighur Muslims in neighboring Afghanistan. Rather, it is  the threat a resurgence of extremism could pose to its strategic Belt  and Road Initiative in the region, not least in Pakistan.

    Four of Chinas six so-called Silk Road networks, including the  China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), emanate from or pass through  Xinjiang. Those roads aim to connect China with Russia, Central,  Southern and Western Asia, reaching the Mediterranean Sea.
    Specifically, Silk Road networks other than the CPEC that run through  Xinjiang include the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor,  the New Eurasia Land Bridge Economic Corridor and the  China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.

More at: https://asiatimes.com/2021/07/the-te...ears-the-most/

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## enhanced_deficit

> *Afghan pullout has US spies reorienting in terrorism fight*
> 
> 
> AP July 3, 2021





> The ETIM, also known as the Turkistan Islamic Movement, is an ethnic  Uighur militant group active in Afghanistan that has long sought to  achieve independence for Xinjiang, which it envisions as a future “East  Turkestan.”  
> 
>     The ETIM is also active in Syria’s civil war, where battle-hardened  fighters have largely been grouped in Idlib and other northern regions.  The United Nations has categorized the group as a “terror organization”  since 2002.
> Curiously, the former Donald Trump administration removed ETIM from  America’s terror list in November 2020, saying at the time there was “no  credible evidence” that ETIM still exists.
>     As the Taliban surges north in the wake of America’s troop  withdrawal, it seems likely only a matter of time before the militant  group overruns Kabul and its US-backed government, and establishes in  its place a new “Islamic Emirate”, as it has repeatedly said it aims to  do.
> 
> More at: https://asiatimes.com/2021/07/the-te...ears-the-most/


EM.
Did Trump make Reaganesque move there?



On a related note, that AT mag does not seem to have very optimistic view of things there:

https://asiatimes.com/2021/07/americ...t-afghanistan/*

American ghosts of war will haunt Afghanistan*

 The wild men who fought America's 'forever war' will not and should not be forgotten as a new era of Afghan conflict dawns        
                                                                               by Richard S Ehrlich  July 4, 2021



> American soldiers on the tarmac of the Bargam airbase. - All US and NATO  troops have left the facility, signalling the complete withdrawal of  foreign forces from Afghanistan by September 11 this year. Photo: AFP /  Jimin Lai
> 
>   When the US invasion of Afghanistan secured Bagram Air Base in  January 2002, a Special Operations officer said he motivated newly  arrived 82nd Airborne Division troops with a human skull.
>     A human skull, given to him by fellow soldiers who purchased it  legally online, was mounted in his office at MacDill Air Force Base’s  Special Operations Command headquarters in Florida wearing a 82nd Airborne Division’s beret, he said.
>     “I’m a skull worshipper,” Special Operations Command Sergeant-Major  Raymond Cordell said in an interview at the time in Bagram Air Base, 67  kilometers north of Kabul.
>     “Young soldiers just tend to relate to things like that. That’s just  the nature of people who join the army and do this for a living,”  Cordell said.
>     “As a leader, you try to hone out those things that different  soldiers are attracted to. For me, it has always worked to be skulls.”
> 
>     All the motivation, firepower, human lives, cash, diplomacy, torture  and slogans which the US expended during its 20-year-long war in  Afghanistan are now gone with the departure of US forces from Bagram Air  Base.
> ...

----------


## enhanced_deficit

*Grim end to Afghanistan war: No 'mission accomplished' or 'moment of celebration,' White House says*

 Biden doesn't think war can be won militiarily

  July 8, 2021
By         Marisa Schultz   | Fox News 


   Taliban advance, seize more territory as US troops withdraw from Afghanistan

 Senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reports on US soldiers being pulled out of Afghanistan on 'America Reports.'

President Biden won't be taking any victory lap on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and instead the White House offered a sober reality that America's longest war just can't be won militarily. 
"We're  not going to have a mission accomplished moment in this regard," White  House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday referring to the premature  "Mission Accomplished" banner that served as the backdrop of former  President George W. Bush's 2003 speech on an aircraft carrier.  "It's a  20-year war that has not been won militarily."
Biden addressed the  nation Thursday about his decision to remove U.S. troops from  Afghanistan despite the growing threat from the Taliban. During a White  House news briefing prior to his remarks, Psaki said while there may be  drawbacks to the decision, Biden didn't want to sacrifice more lives and  treasure on a war that has gone on for too long. 

"He  is not going to ask another generation of kids to go and serve in  Afghanistan in a war that he does not feel can be won militarily," Psaki  said. "That is the core driver of his decision here."
foxnews.com/politics/grim-end-afghanistan-war-no-mission-accomplished-white-house

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## devil21

Taliban hangin' out in China, meeting with top PRC officials
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitic...ban-go-tianjin






> Chinese Foreign Minister Wang explicitly said, “The Taliban in Afghanistan is a pivotal military and political force in the country, and will play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction there.”
> 
> ......................................
> Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem stressed that the Tianjin meeting focused on political, economic and security issues, with the Taliban assuring Beijing that Afghan territory would not be exploited by third parties against the security interests of neighboring nations.


Mission accomplished.

----------


## Anti Federalist

> Taliban hangin' out in China, meeting with top PRC officials
> 
> Mission accomplished.


Good.

Let the heathen Chinee bleed out in Afghanistan for the next 20 or 30 years.

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## devil21

> Good.
> 
> Let the heathen Chinee bleed out in Afghanistan for the next 20 or 30 years.


Seems unlikely to happen, since the gist of it is that the region useful to the Belt and Road has been thoroughly cleared by US/NATO over the last 20 years and the Taliban is firmly under Chinese influence now.  Taliban is essentially telling top PRC officials that any interference from native Afghanis will be thoroughly stamped out before it causes any disruptions.  Whether they can make good on that pledge is unknown but today's Afghanistan sure isn't the same one as during the Soviet days or even 2001.  Tech and weaponry advances, plus the general extermination of non-cooperating Afghan factions (The "new Taliban" since installed) says a replay is unlikely imo.

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## enhanced_deficit

Monday, Aug 02, 2021



> Taliban hangin' out in China, meeting with top PRC officials
> https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitic...ban-go-tianjin
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mission accomplished.


That significant meeting took place two weeks after 9 Chinese nationals working  on Belt n Road project were killed and  28 Chinese wounded in bus  blast being blamed on Afghan agency NDS per CNN and SCMP reports. And just two weeks after that meeting, Taliban have swept through much of Afghanistan taking over city after city at lightening fast speed and are entering Kabul today amidst reports of Afghan Prez Ghani fleeing the country.  Timing might be just coincidence but stunning pace of developments as China and Taliban appear to be coming closer under "enemy of my enemy is my friend' doctrine:

*
Crusade against July 14 terrorists to punish whoever attacks Chinese nationals
*globaltimes.cn Aug 13, 2021 — The Dasu terrorist attack that killed nine Chinese nationals... *The NDS is the largest intelligence agency in Afghanistan*.
Nine Chinese nationals were killed in a shuttle bus explosion in ... that India's RAW and Afghan NDS have been involved in the Dasu attack, ...
 there was a "nexus of Indian RAW and Afghan NDS" in the attack, ...


*Taliban militants kill dozens at Afghan intelligence base* 
BBC News
Jan 22, 2019 — The attack on the *National Directorate for Security (NDS)* base in central Wardak province came hours before the Taliban held another round ...

*China denounces use of terrorism for geopolitical gains and calls for a united front to uphold regional security interests*
Sarah Zheng                       
 13 Aug, 2021
Pakistan’s  deputy inspector general of counterterrorism police, said  video  footage, mobile phone data analysis, investigation of local  handlers  and facilitators, and forensic examination of the car used in  the  bombing all revealed that the *TTP in Afghanistan* had planned this  attack. “Senior officers of the RAW and NDS were directing them in Afghanistan,” Iqbal added.
scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3144956/pakistan-blames-indian-and-afghan-spy-agencies-bus-blast


*Taliban setup base in Syria to assess needs of Jihad*
Sat Jul 13, 2013
According to reports a group of *Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP*)  representatives have recently visited Syria in a bid to assess the needs  of Jihad and set up a base.
A TTP official quoted by BBC said the base was set up with the  assistance of ex-Afghan fighters of Middle Eastern origin who have moved  to Syria in recent years.The official further added at least 12 experts  in the field of warfare and information technology have moved to Syria  in the last two decades.Taliban group has reportedly opened the base in  Syria with a sectarian motive, and to support Sunni Muslims who are  believed to be oppressed by Sryia’s predominantly Shia rulers. Senior  Pakistani Taliban leader, Mohammad Amin in an interview with the BBC  confirmed that the cell to monitor “the jihad” in Syria was set up six  months ago. 
khaama.com/taliban-setup-...-of-jihad-1653

*Ron Paul blasts Obama for funding al-Qaeda in Syria
*Jun 16, 2013 - 
Ron Paul blasts Obama for funding al-Qaeda in Syria *...* U.S. officials said that the decision to arm the militants in Syria had been made weeks *...*


*It never was just about Afghanistan. The US, China and India have a lot to lose
*14 Aug 2021   
Bloomberg 
As   the Taliban take over the country, other jihadist groups are already   carrying out attacks in the region. Chinese interests are the first in   line.
The spillover has already begun, before the Taliban have even reached   Kabul. City after city is falling as the Islamist insurgents draw closer   to the capital.
“*Central Asian jihadists have been flexing their muscle, anti-China  jihadists have attacked Chinese personal* in  Pakistan, more regional  violence is extremely plausible — the threat  is ongoing, and we are just  talking about an escalation from this point  onwards".
Chinese interests in Pakistan have already taken a hit. *In April, a  car bomb exploded at a luxury hotel hosting Beijing’s ambassador in  Quetta*,  not far from Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan. The  attack  was claimed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or the Pakistani  Taliban,  a loosely organized terrorist group with ties to al-Qaeda,  based along  the vast Afghan-Pakistan border.         

      Last month, a bomb blast on a bus traveling to a dam and  hydro-electric  project in Dasu, near the Pakistan border with China,  killed 12 people,  including nine Chinese citizens. No one has claimed  responsibility, but  Beijing was so concerned that it hosted Taliban  representatives for a  meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At stake  is $60 billion in  projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a  crucial part of  President Xi Jinping’s wider Belt and Road Initiative,  along with  significant Chinese mining interests inside Afghanistan.
While this wasn’t the Taliban’s first visit to China, the seniority of   the Chinese representatives was unprecedented, as was the very  public  message that Beijing recognizes the group as a legitimate  political  force, Yun Sun, the Stimson Center think tank’s China program  director,  noted this week in an essay on the national security platform,  War on  the Rocks.  *After posing for photographs with the group’s   co-founder and deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Wang described   the Taliban as “a crucial military and political force in Afghanistan   that is expected to play an important role in the peace, reconciliation,   and reconstruction process of the country."* 


*Afghan president flees the country as Taliban move on Kabul

*Aug 15, 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan  (AP) — Afghanistan’s embattled president left the   country Sunday,  joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a   stampede fleeing the  advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a   20-year Western experiment  aimed at remaking Afghanistan.
The  Taliban, which for hours had been in the outskirts of Kabul,   announced  soon after they would move further into a city gripped by   panic  throughout the day as helicopters raced overhead to evacuate   personnel  from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff   destroyed  important documents. Several other Western missions also   prepared to  pull their people out.
apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram

----------


## enhanced_deficit

*Israeli Experts Say US Pullout from Afghanistan Sending Wrong Message to Middle East and Beyond*

                                08-13-2021
Julie Stahl, CBNNews.com

                   JERUSALEM, Israel - After nearly 20 years, the US is pulling its  troops out of Afghanistan, leaving a power vacuum that is quickly  filling up with the radical Taliban group. 
 And some Israeli experts are concerned that the US pullout is sending  the wrong message to the Middle East and others like China, Russia,  Iran and Turkey.
“The fact that the United States is leaving will empower groups like  the Taliban and other extremists,” said Seth Frantzman, author of ‘Drone  Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the  Battle for the Future’.


Related

*The Immorality of Leaving Iraq and Afghanistan*
By Dennis Prager

 

*How American Politics Got Troops Stuck—and Killed—in Afghanistan*

----------


## enhanced_deficit

Historians will be asking, why this story broke in 2020:

*03-05-2020
And so it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan                * 


but not in 2017 following America First revolt in Nov 2016?

*03-05-2017
And so it begins, U.S. troops start to withdraw from Afghanistan        * 


During first couple of years in the White House,  why America First revolution's leadership thought ending the longest war and bringing US troops home was less important than prioritizing  moving of Israel embassy, organizing numerous global social justice campaigns as important as they were?   
On whose pressure (unrelated factoid, Jeffrey Epstein was no longer free then) Afghan/mideast troops surges and war escalation took place during first 2-3 years of MAGA First Presidency?

----------


## devil21

Unconfirmed but Chinese planes taking over Bagram.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitic...fghan-alliance

----------


## Swordsmyth

> Unconfirmed but Chinese planes taking over Bagram.
> 
> https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitic...fghan-alliance


https://biznewspost.com/automobile/s...gram-air-base/
 Satellite Imagery Contradicts Reports Of Foreign Aircraft At Bagram Air Base

----------


## Pauls' Revere

Maybe they landed. Emptied cargo and took off again?

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## Occam's Banana

https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/...24535572971520

----------

