Helicopter Taxi

 If Americans and others are having trouble getting to the planes on time have helicopters pick them up and taxi them to the airports.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=f_11w_e-3Go&feature=share

I think the cooperation with the Taliban is remarkable.

I find it remarkable the USA military is peacefully in contact with the Taliban to facilitate the evacuation of Americans and others. That has never occurred with a recognized enemy of the USA.

I don’t know the beginnings of the cooperation other than top level leaders of the USA agencies, but, I do remember General McChrystal was adamant about communing with the townspeople. I can’t help but believe that expression of unarmed friendliness changed the way the Afghan people, including the Taliban, saw American soldiers. I think General McChrystal did impressive groundwork to the cooperation we are seeing today.

I also find it impressive The American Soldier is viewed with humanitarian interests and not simply a killing machine. It is a very strong position the USA military has developed in this model at a critical time on Earth. I congratulate every one of the military leaders and our soldiers for bringing compassion, integrity and honor to our country’s purpose.

Taliban Coup

One of the reasons the evacuation from Afghanistan had gotten bizarre was because of the Taliban coup. Previous to the coup there was a predictable elected government of the people. Then the Taliban removed predictable with chaos and all hell broke out at the Kabul airport.

The USA had intelligence about such a possibility but until it actually happens there is no absolute daily routine at the airport with our troops that could be put I place. There weren’t enough troops, President Biden had to send more.

So, considering the impressive airlift now since additional soldiers arrived, order has been restored. To complicate things there is now a credible threat from ISIS-K since the execution of its jailed leader. Do our troops ever have an easy day in Afghanistan?

A good estimate is that there will be an effort by the Taliban to end any ISIS presence in Afghanistan. That will probably be met with an effort by Pakistan to secure its borders while escalation takes place between ISIS and the Taliban. I am sure the intelligence base of the Taliban regarding ISIS in Afghanistan was a topic of conversation with our CIA Director when he met with the Taliban leader.

The Afghan people should prepare for chaos and Taliban war with arrests and executions of ISIS. There will probably be false arrests and executions because there is no democracy or due process.

The circumstances regarding the withdrawal of troops became emergency evacuation due to the coup. Whatever economic growth Afghanistan achieved during the past 20 years will be lost dependent on the bloodiness of the burgeoning war between ISIS and the Taliban.

Actions have consequences and when it comes to Afghanistan the coup has caused massive upheaval of the people’s belief of their safety and security.

I wish our troops and their evacuation efforts the best. Come home safe, anything otherwise is not acceptable. There will be casualties of one kind or another and it need not be one more soldier’s life.

Afghanistan will become very upsetting. As greater chaos of this civil war grows death squads will be organized locally to protect citizens. Death squads have no rules, circulating and patternless leadership and frequently racist based in religious and ethnic divisions.

The USA needs to leave Afghanistan rather than trying to figure out what side our soldiers are on.  This two decades of USA involvement was a dedicated effort to bring a better quality of life; it has failed and today the reasons are obvious. 

Vietnam is today a friend that has grown out of a unified population and consistent leadership that saw The West as a potential friend. That effort with Vietnam was assisted by the Late US Senator John McCain. That effort was a historical model after a failed war. 

May God, regardless of religious preference, walk with all of us today.