Remaining Americans in Afghanistan are still trying to leave the country. The Biden administration admitted it is at the mercy of the Taliban.
Summary
The Taliban will allow up to 150 Westerners safe passage out of Afghanistan via a Qatar Airways flight.
- It will be “among the first international flights” out of Kabul since the American withdrawal was completed on Aug. 31.
- Those the Taliban are allowing to leave have dual citizenship with Afghanistan and another Western nation.
- It is unknown if any of the American civilians stranded in Mazar-i-Sharif are among those allowed to leave.
- Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the Taliban, saying those blocked at Mazar-i-Shariff were only denied as a result of invalid documents.
- CNN highlighted Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office dispute of Blinken’s claim, saying they have been working directly with some on the plane and their documentation “goes above and beyond what was required.”
- The Washington Post reported 30 Americans among those cleared to leave, meaning there are at least 70 Americans still stranded according to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain’s estimates.
- Newsweek reported exclusively on the detention of armed Americans attempting to enter Afghanistan at the end of August in an effort to “assist Afghanistan evacuation efforts.”
- OANN reported on a group of American special forces veterans who have begun planning a rescue mission for Americans stranded in Afghanistan.
- The Wall Street Journal provided much-needed color commentary on the Qatari evacuation flight. It reported the Americans are mostly of Afghan origin and were “mostly too traumatized by the ordeal of recent weeks to speak to a reporter.”
- Fox News exclusively reported on the State Department intentionally blocking private charter flights out of Afghanistan, citing “possible security threats from landing charter planes at military bases.”
Author’s Take
The State Department and the White House continue to obfuscate their responsibility to Americans stranded in Afghanistan. Their numbers and excuses change every day, depending on who they can blame. Secretary Blinken finally admitted that they’re at the mercy of the Taliban to complete the evacuation of remaining Americans.
Blinken has proven to be irresponsible, feckless, and lacking in dignity since he has become Secretary of State. Earlier this year, Blinken was caught completely off-guard during a summit with Communist China, resulting in the Chinese delegation utterly embarrassing him in front of the whole world.
The calls for Blinken to resign are likely to grow in the near future. As they should.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2021
