President Biden is taking a long weekend at the beach, which must be nice for him. But in Afghanistan, the ramifications of his disastrously executed US withdrawal remain a terrifying daily reality for the tens of thousands of people he promised then failed to evacuate. The administration is clearly hoping that voters will turn the page on this issue; the sooner they forget about the ongoing national humiliation, and the thousands of Americans stranded in a terrorist-controlled country, the better. But even if much of the media moves on, that doesn't change the reality of what's happening on the ground. For instance:
The Taliban ‘Cut Off the Heads of Two Boys Who Were Nine and Ten’ https://t.co/wP6ETARkjC
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) September 16, 2021
Just a few stray child executions, from the group that the Biden administration won't call an enemy. Another account:
The Taliban are methodically collecting as much information about the Afghan population as possible, looking for anyone who has, in their eyes, been tainted or corrupted by Western influences or values. Hiding Afghan allies of the U.S. are now wondering if it is worth it to try making the dangerous journey to sneak into Pakistan — although that option offers a separate plethora of deadly risks. Americans who are trying to get Afghan allies out of the country continue to hear horrific stories from those they’re trying to rescue. These stories are difficult to verify, but bit by bit, similar accounts from different sources start to align...“The Taliban have sent notices out to houses, saying the residents must fill out all the questions on the form correctly or suffer the consequences. The Taliban is calling this a ‘house passport.’ People living in the house must fill in the information of past positions and work, location of where the work was done, the organization they worked for, etc. They are asking these questions in an effort to implicate people who worked in democracy building, human rights advocacy, or basically any U.S.-financed project that runs counter to the Taliban philosophy.” My reader who’s been telling me about his efforts for the past month or so offers a similar account. “Two of my guys reported separately that Taliban outside Kabul are ordering adults to provide their work histories, so the Taliban may determine if they were involved in any ‘anti-Taliban’ efforts in the last twenty years,” he said.
This man's tone is calm and matter-of-fact, but his words are chilling:
Those who helped the United States during the war are most at risk.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) September 16, 2021
Part of our story tonight on @SpecialReport with @BretBaier. pic.twitter.com/zRuNvpAjxq
"Definitely, there will be slaughter." Meanwhile, remember the standoff at Mazar-i-Sharif airstrip, where the Taliban was refusing to allow evacuation flights (including for Americans) to take off? It's still unresolved. A handful of people have been evacuated elsewhere, but these chartered flights haven't budged. Why not? The State Department -- which also will not say if President Biden even attempted to extend the withdrawal deadline, in order to facilitate the sort of evacuation project that could have conceivably salvaged sacred pledges he made to imperiled Americans and allies -- claims they've done everything within their power, which hasn't been enough:
Biden Spokesman Ned Price: We have “pulled every lever available,” but the Taliban is still blocking flights with Americans from leaving Mazar-i-Sharif airport.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 15, 2021
This is a hostage crisis. pic.twitter.com/lHT3HUW1eq
Recall that the Biden Brain Trust has asserted repeatedly that the Taliban made many "assurances" that they would live up to "expectations" on such things, and that the US maintains great "leverage" over the situation. In reality, the Taliban have been refusing to allow Americans and allies to board planes and leave this airstrip for weeks now. And the State Department is throwing up its hands and effectively saying, "hey, don't blame us." The Biden administration is reportedly encouraging people seeking to escape Afghanistan to go to US embassies in another country. If only they'd thought of that:
U.S. State Department: For a Visa to Leave Afghanistan, Please Go to a U.S. Embassy in a Neighboring Country https://t.co/kcAsMXNcAg by @jimgeraghty @NRO
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) September 15, 2021
And because the president continues to laughably and incoherently claim that human rights is the centerpiece of his foreign policy philosophy, here's an entirely predictable and heart-wrenching consequence of the US retreat from Afghanistan:
“Girls are afraid to go to school…and women are worried about going to work.” @Malala says women and girls in Afghanistan fear their every move is being watched under Taliban rule. pic.twitter.com/haFOvWTN2s
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 15, 2021
One can absolutely argue that US national interests supersede these concerns, no matter how sad, so the withdrawal was justified. One cannot credibly make that argument while also pretending that one's foreign affairs 'centerpiece is human rights, which is what Biden is trying to do. Separately, here's someone else dealing with a crisis who's begging for Biden's attention while the president is cooling his heels at the beach:
Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano (D) desperately trying to get the president's attention on the accelerating crisis at the Del Rio bridge pic.twitter.com/MjzUxbkM7E
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) September 17, 2021
The FAA just issued a temporary flight restriction over a troubled area of the border, which would ground Fox's drone that has been documenting the extent of the crisis. What a coincidence. I'll leave you with a few suggestions about how those affected by any of the Biden crises might attempt to reach POTUS as he hangs out at the beach:
People famously tried to get Trump’s attention by appearing/advertising on Fox.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 17, 2021
Others might try a similar approach with Biden on [insert crisis here] by hiring banner planes at the beach and paying guys with those swirler signs outside of ice cream stands. Worth a shot.
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