Opinion: Taliban 3rd Year Anniversary the Aftermath of Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal

Social Media · August 16, 2024

US Army Humvees rolled down the tarmac at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, a chilling scene that marked the third anniversary of President Biden’s withdrawal from the country. But this was not a parade celebrating American resilience; instead, it was a grim procession led by Taliban fighters, the very extremists who once provided safe haven to Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

The saying goes that democracy dies in darkness, and for Afghanistan, that darkness descended on July 1, 2021, when US military forces quietly evacuated Bagram Air Base under the cover of night. The Biden-Harris administration justified the hasty withdrawal with the mantra “Speed equals safety,” yet the events of the past three years have painted a starkly different picture. The world is not safer; instead, it has become a battleground where democracy is under siege, with emboldened authoritarian regimes challenging the global order.

In the years following the withdrawal, democracy has been relentlessly assaulted. Russian President Vladimir Putin has aggressively pursued his expansionist ambitions, while Chinese President Xi Jinping has increasingly threatened regional stability. It is no coincidence that Russian and Chinese officials were present at Bagram to witness Biden’s ignominious retreat. Their attendance underscored the emerging dominance of an “Axis of Evil” in the region, as democracy’s hold weakened.

The tragic events at Abbey Gate stand as a harrowing precursor to the global instability that followed the withdrawal. On that dark day, a suicide bomber claimed the lives of thirteen US soldiers and 170 Afghan civilians at Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. This atrocity was more than just a tragic loss of life; it was a symbolic representation of what happens when democracy retreats in the face of tyranny.

As the Biden administration oversaw the chaotic exit from Afghanistan, world leaders took notice, particularly Vladimir Putin. The US’s rapid and disorganized withdrawal was seen as a signal, a green light for Putin’s aggressive designs on Ukraine and other vulnerable regions across the Sahel, North Africa, Sudan, and increasingly in Central and South America. It wasn’t just the optics of the evacuation that were damaging; it was the messaging from Washington that reverberated across the globe.

President Biden proudly declared that he had ended America’s involvement in “forever wars,” a statement that resonated far beyond the US. For Putin, it was an invitation to proceed with his military campaigns without fear of US intervention. Xi Jinping heard the same message, leading to increased harassment of Taiwan and US allies in the Indo-Pacific. The implications of this messaging have been profound, with the most devastating impacts felt in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Putin, emboldened by the perceived weakness of the US, launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Meanwhile, Iran, sensing an opportunity, intensified its efforts to encircle Israel with its IRGC-backed militias and continued its pursuit of nuclear capabilities. These developments were not isolated incidents but rather a direct consequence of Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The dangers posed by Biden’s foreign policy extend beyond his reluctance to engage in “forever wars.” His repeated fears of escalation have been interpreted by authoritarian leaders like Putin, Xi, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as tacit permission to escalate their own military actions. The invasion of Ukraine was merely the beginning.

The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the presence of Russian paramilitary forces in Libya, Niger, Venezuela, and elsewhere, and the repeated Chinese naval and air encirclements of Taiwan are all part of a broader pattern that traces its origins back to the abandonment of Bagram. The consequences of this decision have been far-reaching, leading to a global conflagration that threatens to spiral into World War III.

It is important to acknowledge that Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was not the sole cause of this global unrest. However, it was the catalyst that set democracy on a dangerous trajectory. The world now finds itself at a crossroads, with Ukraine and Israel standing as beacons of hope in an increasingly dark landscape. Both nations are offering Washington and Brussels a lifeline, a chance to reverse the course set in motion by the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is presenting Biden with an opportunity to redeem himself. By taking the fight directly to Putin and occupying areas of the Russian Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts, Zelensky and his military leaders are demonstrating that Biden’s fears of escalation are unfounded. Israel, too, is showing that strength and decisive action can check the ambitions of democracy’s enemies. The killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, in Tehran is a stark reminder that foes of democracy understand and respect force.

In contrast, Biden’s hesitant and cautious approach is being ignored by these adversaries, who see nothing substantial behind his words. While the mistakes in Afghanistan cannot be undone, there is still a chance to mitigate the damage. Ukraine and Israel are leading the charge; the question now is whether Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will follow their example or whether they will allow Putin and Khamenei’s soldiers to one day parade in their own victory marches, much like the Taliban did at Bagram.

The world stands on the brink, and the actions taken in the coming months will determine whether democracy can be salvaged or if it will continue to recede in the face of rising authoritarianism.

Credit: NYP 2024-08-17

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Foxx · August 16, 2024

The headline labels this as "Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal" and totally ignores the facts that:

The Trump administration negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government
That agreement led to the freeing 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers
That agreement also set the date (May 1, 2021), for the final withdrawal.
The Trump administration reduced U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 - that was despite the Taliban continuing to attack Afghan government forces and taking al Qaeda terrorists into their leadership.

This wasn't "Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal", but Trump's, and Trump was responsible for what resulted.

thaibeachlovers · August 16, 2024

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

It is important to acknowledge that Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was not the sole cause of this global unrest. However, it was the catalyst that set democracy on a dangerous trajectory.

Well done Joe, way to go!

What a guy- they should put up statues to remember his genius.

This is the guy that was supposed to be better than Trump. LOL.

thaibeachlovers · August 16, 2024

28 minutes ago, Foxx said:

The headline labels this as "Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal" and totally ignores the facts that:

The Trump administration negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government

That agreement led to the freeing 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers

That agreement also set the date (May 1, 2021), for the final withdrawal.

The Trump administration reduced U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 - that was despite the Taliban continuing to attack Afghan government forces and taking al Qaeda terrorists into their leadership.

This wasn't "Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal", but Trump's, and Trump was responsible for what resulted.

The withdrawal didn't happen the day after Biden was inaugurated. He had plenty of time to renegotiate the terms if he wished to do so. He had no problem cancelling Trump's agreements with Mexico.

Sooo, don't give us the IMO craven excuse that it was all Trump's fault.

The fiasco is due to Biden's incompetence, IMO.

thaibeachlovers · August 16, 2024

36 minutes ago, Foxx said:

That agreement also set the date (May 1, 2021), for the final withdrawal.

and yet that wasn't the date of the actual withdrawal as your hero delayed it, but still couldn't get it right.

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

The saying goes that democracy dies in darkness, and for Afghanistan, that darkness descended on July 1, 2021, when US military forces quietly evacuated Bagram Air Base under the cover of night.

Oliver Holzerfilled · August 16, 2024

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

The headline labels this as "Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal" and totally ignores the facts that:

The Trump administration negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government

That agreement led to the freeing 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers

That agreement also set the date (May 1, 2021), for the final withdrawal.

The Trump administration reduced U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 - that was despite the Taliban continuing to attack Afghan government forces and taking al Qaeda terrorists into their leadership.

This wasn't "Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal", but Trump's, and Trump was responsible for what resulted.

Milley testified that he advised the president to accept Gen. Austin Miller's recommendation to keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and described Biden's withdrawal plan as a "strategic failure."

Tug · August 17, 2024

A N.Y.T. Hit piece trump and the afghans unwillingness to fight for their freedom is the reason for this debacle.the afghans had the tools to fix their country they chose not to use them and trump releasing the terrorists before the withdrawal was a poisoning of the well .inexcusable derelict and traitorous to American ideals and our dead.

Presnock · August 17, 2024

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

The headline labels this as "Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal" and totally ignores the facts that:

The Trump administration negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government

That agreement led to the freeing 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers

That agreement also set the date (May 1, 2021), for the final withdrawal.

The Trump administration reduced U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 - that was despite the Taliban continuing to attack Afghan government forces and taking al Qaeda terrorists into their leadership.

This wasn't "Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal", but Trump's, and Trump was responsible for what resulted.

totally agree, the self proclaimed greatest negotiator gave the Taliban exactly what they wanted. But Biden wouldn't have been able to change anything anyway. The Brits couldn't do it, nor the Russians even with all their brutality. We gave the Afghani's a touch of freedom (education and working for females) for 20 years but couldn't stop the Rebels. The surrounding countries are the same home grounds of those mountain folks with western drawn boundaries which those rebels totally ignore and many of the govt of those countries too ignore those boundaries.

Thingamabob · August 17, 2024

2 hours ago, Presnock said:

totally agree, the self proclaimed greatest negotiator gave the Taliban exactly what they wanted. But Biden wouldn't have been able to change anything anyway. The Brits couldn't do it, nor the Russians even with all their brutality. We gave the Afghani's a touch of freedom (education and working for females) for 20 years but couldn't stop the Rebels. The surrounding countries are the same home grounds of those mountain folks with western drawn boundaries which those rebels totally ignore and many of the govt of those countries too ignore those boundaries.

The blame game goes on. Either way, the implementation of the withdrawal was an utter shambles.

Presnock · August 17, 2024

5 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

The blame game goes on. Either way, the implementation of the withdrawal was an utter shambles.

No question about it! I watched it from beginning to end and got more and more pissed at how stupid and unprepared the American military and government were so inept! I also feel so sorry for the females of that country - going back to the stone age! I have lived among the fundamentalist Muslims and the Talibans/ISIS are even worse!

Emdog · August 17, 2024

Trump made the rotten agreement and Biden implemented it. A "bi-partisan" screw up. None of the big cheese leadership thought the afghan army would collapse overnight... but considering we backed the wrong horses (typical), corrupt elections, etc.... there just wasn't enough pluses to make it worthwhile to risk your life defending warlords who were roughly equal to the Taliban thugs.

Also, orderly safe retreats are extremely hard to pull off... if US had done air strikes, defensive retreat battles... just how many evacuation flights do you think would have made it out of the country?

A total cock up with blame enough for everyone

Walker88 · August 17, 2024

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The withdrawal didn't happen the day after Biden was inaugurated. He had plenty of time to renegotiate the terms if he wished to do so. He had no problem cancelling Trump's agreements with Mexico.

Sooo, don't give us the IMO craven excuse that it was all Trump's fault.

The fiasco is due to Biden's incompetence, IMO.

And you would have done what differently, warrior boy?

The last guy released 5000 Taliban jihadi prisoners from jail. They both fought for the final takeover as well as the top ones now run the country.

How many more soldiers were you willing to lose trying to remove 20 years of weapons and equipment, because the Taliban would have taken pot shots at anyone still in country.

The entire Afghanistan War was unnecessary. Bush II committed the US to it, while the agency produced a white paper in 2001 arguing that doing anything other than taking out the al Qaeda training bases and then leaving, would end up EXACTLY as it did. I can't remember who wrote the paper, but I believe it might have been Greg Vogle or Cofer Black. They were spot on. Of course, they knew the region's history and had read books like The Great Game, so they knew Afghanistan was a sink hole and money pit.

So Mr Warrior and Global Strategist, how would you have handled the withdrawal?

billd766 · August 17, 2024

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Well done Joe, way to go!

What a guy- they should put up statues to remember his genius.

This is the guy that was supposed to be better than Trump. LOL.

But President Biden was NOT involved in ANY negotiations with the Taliban or in ANY negotiations re the US withdraw from Afghanistan, That was all down to ex president Trump, who when he lost the election (NO, the election was not stolen from him) dumped the whole problem in President Biden's lap, and scuttled away like the coward that he is.

The sole responsibility for that fiasco belongs to Trump and nobody else,

That is a prime example of Trump's version of how to end a war.

billd766 · August 17, 2024

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The withdrawal didn't happen the day after Biden was inaugurated. He had plenty of time to renegotiate the terms if he wished to do so. He had no problem cancelling Trump's agreements with Mexico.

Sooo, don't give us the IMO craven excuse that it was all Trump's fault.

The fiasco is due to Biden's incompetence, IMO.

Really?

More BS from you.

IMO.

Presnock · August 17, 2024

3 hours ago, Emdog said:

Trump made the rotten agreement and Biden implemented it. A "bi-partisan" screw up. None of the big cheese leadership thought the afghan army would collapse overnight... but considering we backed the wrong horses (typical), corrupt elections, etc.... there just wasn't enough pluses to make it worthwhile to risk your life defending warlords who were roughly equal to the Taliban thugs.

Also, orderly safe retreats are extremely hard to pull off... if US had done air strikes, defensive retreat battles... just how many evacuation flights do you think would have made it out of the country?

A total cock up with blame enough for everyone

Orif we had not approved the leader who was more corrupt than the bad guys. Out selection of leaders in many places where we do or have a say leaves a lot to be desired. Guess those in charge just selected a person much like themselves and that is why an entire planeload of cash just disappears.

placnx · August 17, 2024

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The withdrawal didn't happen the day after Biden was inaugurated. He had plenty of time to renegotiate the terms if he wished to do so. He had no problem cancelling Trump's agreements with Mexico.

Sooo, don't give us the IMO craven excuse that it was all Trump's fault.

The fiasco is due to Biden's incompetence, IMO.

People in the Middle East really date the decline of America's credibility to Obama's red line in Syria (2013) concerning what would happen if chemical weapons were used again. When it happened, Obama did nothing. The next year, Putin took over Crimea, etc. Obama did not much.

thaibeachlovers · August 17, 2024

18 hours ago, Emdog said:

Trump made the rotten agreement and Biden implemented it. A "bi-partisan" screw up. None of the big cheese leadership thought the afghan army would collapse overnight... but considering we backed the wrong horses (typical), corrupt elections, etc.... there just wasn't enough pluses to make it worthwhile to risk your life defending warlords who were roughly equal to the Taliban thugs.

Also, orderly safe retreats are extremely hard to pull off... if US had done air strikes, defensive retreat battles... just how many evacuation flights do you think would have made it out of the country?

A total cock up with blame enough for everyone

Seems Biden is so incompetent that he doesn't know that it's normal practice when retreating to destroy any equipment that the enemy can use, and didn't order it destroyed. Perhaps that is because he never served in the military.

Unless someone can point to Trump having an agreement with the Taliban to hand over all that lovely military equipment intact, it's on Biden that it wasn't destroyed.

thaibeachlovers · August 17, 2024

16 hours ago, billd766 said:

But President Biden was NOT involved in ANY negotiations with the Taliban or in ANY negotiations re the US withdraw from Afghanistan, That was all down to ex president Trump, who when he lost the election (NO, the election was not stolen from him) dumped the whole problem in President Biden's lap, and scuttled away like the coward that he is.

The sole responsibility for that fiasco belongs to Trump and nobody else,

That is a prime example of Trump's version of how to end a war.

I thought you used to be in the military, and would know that the person responsible for any military action is the commander at the time, not the one that used to be in charge months ago. Seems I was mistaken about that and you are just a civilian not to know that simple thing.

stoner · August 17, 2024

16 hours ago, Walker88 said:

And you would have done what differently, warrior boy?

The last guy released 5000 Taliban jihadi prisoners from jail. They both fought for the final takeover as well as the top ones now run the country.

How many more soldiers were you willing to lose trying to remove 20 years of weapons and equipment, because the Taliban would have taken pot shots at anyone still in country.

The entire Afghanistan War was unnecessary. Bush II committed the US to it, while the agency produced a white paper in 2001 arguing that doing anything other than taking out the al Qaeda training bases and then leaving, would end up EXACTLY as it did. I can't remember who wrote the paper, but I believe it might have been Greg Vogle or Cofer Black. They were spot on. Of course, they knew the region's history and had read books like The Great Game, so they knew Afghanistan was a sink hole and money pit.

So Mr Warrior and Global Strategist, how would you have handled the withdrawal?

Guantanamo remained open throughout both democrat and republican terms.

thaibeachlovers · August 17, 2024

16 hours ago, billd766 said:

Really?

More BS from you.

IMO.

Date Biden took over the W H January 20, 2021

Date the US left Afghanistan 30 Aug 2021

Who is talking BS?

thaibeachlovers · August 17, 2024

16 hours ago, Walker88 said:

How many more soldiers were you willing to lose trying to remove 20 years of weapons and equipment, because the Taliban would have taken pot shots at anyone still in country.

Seems you don't know much about military practice, so should you even be commenting? soldiers have been destroying equipment left behind since wars happened. That it didn't happen in this case is in the hands of the CIC, which was Biden.

because the Taliban would have taken pot shots at anyone still in country.

Tell us all about your extensive military experience to be scared of "pot shots".

Apparently you are unaware that it's a soldiers "job" to go in harm's way.

:coffee1:

Patong2021 · August 17, 2024

The Russian supporter is going full tilt now. As usual, he won't let the facts get in the way of attacking President Biden.

The reality is that the Biden administration inherited the withdrawal, and there was no way it could reasonably be expected to amend or to delay the withdrawal. Consider the uproar had it done so. The US military was responsible for the withdrawal and as they had warned Trump, they expected that the Afghanis would run away. That was the failure of the Afghanistan mission in a nutshell: The belief that the Afghanis were capable of responsible government and loyalty as known on the western world. Westerners tried to apply western concepts to a culture neither interested nor willing to consider that culture.

billd766 · August 18, 2024

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I thought you used to be in the military, and would know that the person responsible for any military action is the commander at the time, not the one that used to be in charge months ago. Seems I was mistaken about that and you are just a civilian not to know that simple thing.

Absolutely incorrect about knowing me or the fact that I spent 25 years in the RAF service. You don't know me at all. We have never met and neither are we likely to.

Firstly the plan was negotiated by Trump without the knowledge or consent of the Afghan government.

Secondly the logistics of removing large land based equipment, such as tanks and armoured vehicles from somewhere such as Afghanistan through another nations territory (in this case Pakistan) around 1,000 km to a port (also in Pakistan) involves a large amount of planning including security for the equipment and crews, rations, water, fuel etc. What was sent to Afghanistan went during a 20 year time period and cannot be removed overnight.

Their also needs to be ships waiting at the port to load the equipment onto.

How much equipment remained was determined by what was to be donated to the Afghan military, what was to be to be sent back to the USA and what was to be scrapped locally.

Helicopters and short range aircraft could have been flown out, via Pakistan also but only with permission from the Pakistan government, which as far as I know was never consulted.

If you had any idea you would have know that that it never was a simple thing, When the Russians left Afghanistan, and indeed when the British left decades before, they were having to fight their way out with countless deaths.

Trump simply believed the Taliban, ignored his own military advisors and abandoned Afghanistan and its people, leaving them behind, including many Afghans who had helped and worked with the US for many years.

What a sad defender who supports Trump who is a poor imitation of a man you are.

thaibeachlovers · August 18, 2024

2 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Secondly the logistics of removing large land based equipment, such as tanks and armoured vehicles from somewhere such as Afghanistan through another nations territory (in this case Pakistan) around 1,000 km to a port (also in Pakistan) involves a large amount of planning including security for the equipment and crews, rations, water, fuel etc. What was sent to Afghanistan went during a 20 year time period and cannot be removed overnight.

You apparently didn't read my post very well. I never said anything about removing anything. I said destroy.

Even I have the knowledge to use explosives to render equipment useless, having done a demolition course. It's not hard.

I'm surprised you ignored the demolition option- covering for Biden perhaps.

thaibeachlovers · August 18, 2024

6 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Firstly the plan was negotiated by Trump without the knowledge or consent of the Afghan government.

Yes, we all know the excuses, but the facts are that Biden had months to fix the problems with Trump's plan, but chose not to and just complains that it's all Trump's fault. Biden was CIC, and the buck stopped at his desk, not at Mar a Lago. Pathetic that he blames Trump for his own failings as CIC. Seems all he is good for is sending lots of big bombs for killing defenseless women and children and throwing US taxpayer money at Ukraine.

thaibeachlovers · August 18, 2024

12 minutes ago, billd766 said:

What a sad defender who supports Trump who is a poor imitation of a man you are.

Personal insult noted. What a sad man that insults someone that you don't even know, because he doesn't support your hero Biden.

I thought you were better than that.

billd766 · August 18, 2024

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I thought you used to be in the military, and would know that the person responsible for any military action is the commander at the time, not the one that used to be in charge months ago. Seems I was mistaken about that and you are just a civilian not to know that simple thing.