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America’s embarrassment – Afghanistan’s horror
Editorial, RINewsToday
Photo: Kabul, left, 2021 – Saigon, right, 1975
It was a beautiful day in Rhode Island, yesterday, a perfect day, coming at the end of some oppressive, hot weather. Yes, COVID issues were omnipresent, but there was music and boats and beaches. Hot dogs on the grill. Families and couples getting together, just trying to live a more normal life, follow the COVID rules, get on with life.
Over 6,600 miles away all chaos was breaking out – overnight the Taliban had systematically taken control of one city/village after the other, and as the sun rose they were at the border of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It would be a day unlike any other in history. A day unfamiliar to the United States of America as international and local leaders, in bipartisan fashion, witnessed an American failure of epic proportions. The world watched as there was no doubt America got it wrong. Withdrawing troops and leaving the country is one thing. Doing it in a way that leaves tens of thousands of Americans and allied personnel at risk is another. The world watched on India TV or Al Jazeera, in real time, with reporters doing what they do best – providing witness. Words were secondary to the visual.
Reporters said they could sense a difference in the Afghan people – they looked at them differently – with anger in their eyes. They held America to the promise to continue to help them live a free life – to help their women live without terror of rape, murder, and the evils of Sharia law. To live without fear that their life would be one of forced servitude, forced marriage, or worse.
One reporter asked why the Taliban would want to limit half their population this way – another reporter replied, “they are afraid of the women”.
Children will be confused and older ones will grow angry. Their education would be summarily replaced by learning about religion – almost exclusively – rote recitation of “scripture” and allegiance oaths.
Later in the day, helicopters would begin to make their sorties from the US Embassy to the airport. More would come. Then more again. We were spared – for now – the sight of US citizens and allied workers running, ducking and climbing on board their evacuation choppers landing on the rooftop – but we somehow know those photos will come.
We heard that our initial influx of 3,000 troops to aid in the evacuation would be increased to 5,000 – then another 1,000. The helicopters came faster and faster. As more troops were announced, the Taliban released 5,000 prisoners – sympathetic to their cause.
The airport has two sides – public and military. By mid-day, the public side was closed to all commercial flights. US military flights would still be allowed in on the one airstrip to help with evacuations. Photos of thousands of people running onto tarmacs began to surface. This morning there are thousands climbing up on planes that will probably never take off. Some have no “papers” and had nothing to do with US support – they are just desperate. One woman stood crying with her son, who looked about 8 years old. She looked up at reporter Richard Engel and said, “please, take my son”.
President Biden’s whereabouts
President Biden was first said to be spending the weekend at his home in Delaware – his people called a “lid” at around 11am on Friday. By Saturday he would be moving to Camp David. On Sunday, a photo would emerge of the president sitting at a large conference table, looking at a ZOOM screen, said to be conducting a high security meeting on the happenings in Afghanistan.
Later on Sunday we heard that President Biden would be speaking “in a few days” – not today – not breaking into the news tonight to speak to the American people. But, “in a few days”.
By the end of Sunday it was a bipartisan cacophony of outrage as to why the president was not speaking.
What next? When the journalists leave will a cone of silence come over Afghanistan? Will we be spared the photos of atrocities?
The Taliban gathered for a group photo – one taken at the Presidential Palace – akin to the Oval Office at the White House.
US embassy officials have been evacuated to the airport. Scenes the American government wanted to avoid. Comparisons to Vietnam, to Saigon and helicopters rushing citizens out of the country.
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A national embarrassment of epic proportions. This is not a draw down – this is a disaster of which America has never seen displayed before the international community.
A very dark day for Americans – for those in their 20s they were just little children when the atrocities of the Taliban regime brought us to our senses – when we reeled at the horror of September 11th. When we felt compelled to enter a war to protect our people on our own land.
Next time we get involved in a country, with a declared or undeclared “war”, we should do so with strength. If we may have to re-enter Afghanistan, it has to be done with clear goals, and support.
To see the USA as weak, vulnerable, and looking utterly stupid makes me think, could it have been intentional that the powers that be let this happen? Did they think it would go a differently than it did? Could our intelligence have been that wrong?
The Taliban ideology is not just another government – it is an extremist ideology of which the world has never seen up close in contemporary times. And now they are armed with US Black Hawk helicopters, drones and sophisticated battlefield equipment. They’ll sell some of this stash to other countries – they’ll use some of it. Maybe even against us. This won’t be the end of hearing about Afghanistan. It may be a few years, but terrorism that could have been snuffed out will rise again.
Was this ending, still playing out, a choice “we” made. But who is “we”? It is not the American people who gaped at television sets on a beautiful Sunday, watching women put on blue burkas and running onto airstrips. It is not the thousands of young men and women who went in to the military to fight for justice on behalf of the attack on our country. How could we have been so wrong? How is that possible? Who will stand to account for this? Will there be calls for investigative committees and inquiries – as if that could make any difference at all.
It was a beautiful Sunday. Scarred and tattered is our flag, our American position in the world. We are vulnerable. It is time to change the narrative.
To read “Afghanistan Past and Present” go here: https://rinewstoday.com/afghanistan-past-and-present-tim-ham/
Who is the author of this opinion piece?
Hello. the RI NewsToday Team –