Tag Archives: Afghanistan

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Tuesday President Joe Biden should be impeached for his handling of the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. “I think he should be impeached,” Graham said during a segment on Newsmax. “I think Joe Biden deserves to be impeached because he’s abandoned thousands of Afghans who fought with us and he’s …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Erik Prince, the American defense contractor, said he is offering people seats on a chartered plane out of Kabul for $6,500 per person. U.S. and NATO forces are sending special rescue teams into Taliban-controlled areas of the city to spirit their citizens into the airport. And countless Afghans who thought the U.S. would protect them …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden, who held a virtual meeting with G-7 leaders Tuesday morning, has faced pressure from allies to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid scenes of chaos around the Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee the country. But as evacuations of Americans and others ramp up, the president …

The Washington Post reports: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the activation of a program that will use 18 commercial airplanes to aid the U.S. military evacuation of American nationals and refugees in Afghanistan. The activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet will provide the Defense Department with “access to commercial air mobility resources” in the evacuation efforts, Pentagon press …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Biden administration is planning a dramatic ramp-up of its airlift from Kabul by making preparations to compel major U.S. airlines to help with the transportation of tens of thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan, while expanding the number of U.S. military bases that could house Afghans. The White House is expected to consider activating the …

The Verge reports: Facebook’s head of security policy said the company is putting into place security measures for users in Afghanistan, including hiding “friends” lists and adding a tool to quickly lock down accounts. Nathaniel Gleicher said in a thread on Twitter that Facebook made the changes based on feedback from activists, journalists, and civil society groups. As the Taliban …

CNN reports: President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on Friday about the ongoing US military evacuations of American citizens and vulnerable Afghans as chaos ensues at and around Kabul’s international airport. Prior to his remarks, the President and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with their national security team in the Situation Room to hear intelligence, security and diplomatic updates …

Fox News reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Friday that President Biden “deserves to be impeached” if the United States leaves any Americans or Afghan allies behind when evacuating Afghanistan. “If we leave any Americans behind—if we leave thousands of those Afghans who fought along our side behind bravely—Joe Biden deserves to be impeached for a higher crime and misdemeanor …

The Hill reports: “If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out,” Biden told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview. Biden’s commitment comes as government officials have estimated there are more than 10,000 Americans still in Afghanistan as the U.S. drawdown nears its completion. The president vowed that the government will do …

“I have previously said from this podium, and in sworn testimony before Congress, that the intelligence clearly indicated multiple scenarios were possible. One of those was an outright Taliban takeover following a rapid collapse of the Afghan Security Forces and the government. “Another was a civil war, and a third was a negotiated settlement. However, the time frame of a …

The New York Times reports: In his first statement since he fled the country, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan said he had left the country to avoid a lynching by the Taliban and vowed to return. In a videotaped statement posted on his Facebook page from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday evening, Mr. Ghani said that, despite an agreement …

From a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Mike Pence: When Mr. Biden became president, he quickly announced that U.S. forces would remain in Afghanistan for an additional four months without a clear reason for doing so. Once Mr. Biden broke the deal, the Taliban launched a major offensive against the Afghan government and seized Kabul. They knew there was no …

Mediaite reports: Last February, months after canceling a planned meeting with the Taliban that would have placed the group’s leaders inside the White House on Septembr 11th, Trump gloried in the idea of a Taliban-led Afghanistan that would become a bane to terrorists. “I’ll be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future. And we’ll be very much hoping …

The Washington Post reports: On his Monday evening show, Tucker Carlson went so far as to compare Afghan refugees, who aided U.S. military troops and now face grave risk from the Taliban, to an invading force. “If history is any guide, and it’s always a guide, we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country, and over the …

“Thanks to American-imposed gender quotas, dozens of women ultimately were installed as representatives in Afghan’s parliament. How did that work? “Well, the whole thing was a sham, as always. In fact, many of these new female legislators had never been to the provinces they claim to represent. “It caused revolts, but officials kept doing it, they kept pushing radical gender …

A statement from George W. Bush: Laura and I have been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness. Our hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much. The Afghans now at the greatest risk are the same ones who have …

The New York Times reports: President Biden offered a defiant defense on Monday of his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, returning to the White House from a weekend at Camp David amid chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport following the collapse of the Afghanistan government to the Taliban. Speaking to the American people from the ornate East Room, Mr. …

USA Today reports: Facing intense criticism for his handling of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden will address the nation from the White House on Monday, the administration announced. Biden has not yet spoken publicly about the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country. Taliban fighters completed their stunning sweep by seizing control of Afghanistan’s capital Sunday as American troops scrambled to evacuate …

Axios reports: China will “respect the wishes and choices of the Afghan people” after the Taliban seized Kabul and toppled Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said Monday, according to the Financial Times. Beijing’s first official comments since the Taliban installed themselves in the presidential palace in Kabul signifies a willingness to work with a Taliban-led government …

The Hill reports: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is calling for investigations into President Biden’s handling of the crisis in Afghanistan, where the democratic government was toppled over the weekend by Taliban forces following a pullout of U.S. troops from the war-torn nation. McCarthy told Punchbowl News late Sunday that Biden’s decision this year to remove thousands of U.S. …