Get Them Out Now

Afghanistan is experiencing a horrible humanitarian crisis. The Taliban for all their claims of moderation are already showing their true colors. Whatever commitment they might have to preventing Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorism will vanish in a year or two as the West sanctions them for how they treat women, children, interpreters, and minority ethnic groups. Likely, the best-case scenario right now is that the nascent resistance forming in Panjshir turns into the real thing, which would result in a bona-fide civil war. Especially since I’m sure someone, possible even a different US administration come 2024 will provide aid.

I think most people would be fleeing their country if their best option was trying to avoid being killed by an oppressive regime who will provide zero opportunity for your family. People are risking their lives to get to the airport because there is nothing left for them in their country. Families are so desperate that they are passing children over the fence to US troops.

Also, in case people don’t understand: many of the people trying to desperately escape have death sentences over their head from the Taliban. If they were interpreters for coalition forces, provided support to Americans, or are Christians they are already being targeted and executed. Worse, it can lead to some truly horrific outcomes for their families. Outcomes that make you want to puke, or personally pull the trigger on the people who participate.

Now, I understand the idea that if they don’t want the Taliban they should fight. But let’s just say your basically guaranteed to be dead either way. You can stay and do nothing and die or you can fight and maybe take a few with you. However, if you fight then what happens to your family could be one of the horrific outcomes. Rape, torture, being sold or given as a sex slave. Your third and only option at that point is to flee for the airport; while running the gauntlet of Taliban checkpoints where you may be harassed, beaten, shot, tear gassed, or turned back.

Once you get to the airport, which as I said is the only viable option for a great many of them, your going to have to deal with the shit-show that is American bureaucracy at it’s finest. People are being denied due to formatting errors in Visa applications, for lack of documents (which the Taliban take at the checkpoints or were burned as sensitive documents at the US Embassy, or for whatever other brain-dead reason some state department flunky can conjure.) Apparently, the state department was even asking these desperate people for money.

Oh, and part of the process is showing documentation that you worked for the US Government. That same documentation will get you branded a traitor by the Taliban and executed.

The US has a choice. Continue to let bureaucracy slow down the life-saving evacuation of Afghans or cut all the red tape and sort it out when they are here. Or even at any one of our many secure military bases throughout the world. Almost everyone knows what the moral choice is. The few who don’t are ‘shockingly’ political commentators who by and large never served (seriously, contrast their rhetoric with the veterans who deployed to Afghanistan – especially those who deployed like 2002-2014). Those political commentators are repeating the same things they said about Syrian refugees without understanding that the US has been in Afghanistan for 20 years. For many of these people it was their decision to help us. They risked their lives to try and make their country a better place with our assistance. We shouldn’t leave our friends at the mercy of terrorists. We have a moral responsibility to help them.

The moral choice is clear. Get every person possible on a plane headed out of there. The Taliban won’t guarantee safe passage, so target other facilities throughout the country and establish alternate evacuation sites. Possibly over 10 thousand American citizens are still in the country. If the Taliban won’t let them through, we need to go to them. We have the capabilities. If you hear somebody say we don’t then they had better be justifying the massive defense budget we have. The Brits and the French are leaving the Airport to get their people. We certainly can. Will the Taliban want to stop that happening? Of course. Every American citizen represents a potential hostage, a potential leverage point. And every traitor they can kill is another feather in their cap, although they would never say that out loud.

So, the threat needs to be clear. “If you won’t let us get our people out – ALL OF THEM – we will turn every new piece of military hardware you acquired to a smoking husk. We will support any efforts against you from Panjshir and provide air support.”

That threat must be delivered with backbone and a basic understanding of history. The Taliban were an effective insurgency but all it took was a few special force’s teams providing air support to the Afghan militias they embedded with to throw the Taliban out of power 20 years ago.

I don’t think anyone looks back at Saigon and thinks that we should’ve saved a few less thousand people. No, its always that we wish we could’ve got more out before the massacres started. Afghanistan is already a failure of leadership in countless ways spread over 20 years. But right now, in the moment there are lives to be saved. That should be the only focus of the US government and NATO partners.

*If you want your heart to ache, go on twitter and follow a bunch of national security related accounts and veterans. Twitter is full of heartbreaking stories and videos of what is happening. It is also a premier source of what is know as open-source intelligence or OSINT. If you want to hear the stories of what it is like on the ground that is where to go.

*Also, pray for the Soldiers and Marines deployed over there. Watching countless families be turned away from their only chance at survival must be gut-wrenching. Especially when the people responsible for killing US service members and committing atrocities are right there, within striking range.