Us Acceding To The Taliban S Request Could Have Stopped The Troop Withdrawal Chaos

After the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government on August 15, 2021, Taliban representatives told senior US military officials that they would stay out of Kabul if the US agreed to secure the city, “saying to the Americans, ‘we want you to understand it. . ,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in the 115-page report. Instead, the U.S. declined, opting to let Taliban fighters secure the city — something former senior defense officials told McCaul’s team “would allow the U.S. military to avoid relying on the Taliban to secure the outer perimeter” of the international Hamid Karzai Airport. the center of evacuation efforts. Security forces investigate the aftermath of a bomb blast that killed 3 outside a bakery on Nawi Sarak Street in Kandahar, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “[That was] a task the Taliban proved unable to carry out, leading to the ISIS-K attack that killed 13 US service members, wounded 45 additional US soldiers and killed 160 Afghans,” the report said, referring to the August 26 suicide bombing just outside from the airport. Allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented bottlenecks and the crowding of hopeful evacuees outside the airport, McCaul argued, adding that processing centers could have been set up away from the airport gates. and avoid frequent closures caused by crowds. This overcrowding ultimately made the airport an ideal target for the Abbey Gate terror attack, according to the report. “The chaos at the gates and the Taliban’s inability to control the perimeter meant that US military personnel were tightly packed as they tried to control their evacuation, placing them in a more vulnerable position that the bomber took advantage of, contributing to the high casualty rate.” , the report said. Even if the bombing could not have been prevented, McCall said the death toll could have been significantly reduced if the US had not relied on the Taliban to provide security outside the airport perimeter. “The lack of planning by the Biden administration and their refusal to accept the Taliban’s offer to secure Kabul during [mission] directly led to the bombing being so deadly,” McCaul said in the report. General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, told Congress in September last year that he rejected the Taliban’s offer to allow US troops to secure the city because it “did not have the resources to undertake that mission”. Congressman Michael McCaul said allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented the crowding of evacuees, which ultimately made the airport an ideal target for attack. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images “That wasn’t why I was there. that was not my directive,” McKenzie said. While McKenzie told Fox News on September 4, 2021, that securing Kabul would require an estimated 15,000-20,000 additional US troops on the ground, the report argued that those numbers were “calculated to the need to fight the Taliban for control of the city.” . “This probably wouldn’t be necessary given that it was the Taliban leadership that asked the US to secure the city,” McCall wrote. Fewer US troops would be needed if the US asked its NATO allies to contribute to the effort, according to the report. But President Biden’s administration did not inform allies of the offer, British officials told investigators “despite the fact that the UK has reportedly explored creating an international stabilization force for Kabul without the US”. An unnamed senior defense official also told Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the military did not make plans for the U.S. to take charge in Kabul because it believed the White House would have been “disallowed [them] from considering such an offer,” according to the report. This point was supported by consistent statements from management both before and after the evacuation ended on August 30, 2021. Relatives of a victim killed in the bombings at the entrance to Kabul airport attend a burial on the outskirts of Kabul. MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesA plane takes off as Taliban fighters secure the outer perimeter alongside the US-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “Our goal has never been — and the president has been very clear about this — to have a military presence to control Kabul,” then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Aug. 31. Despite the violence and chaos of the evacuation, Biden has repeatedly defended his decision to lean on the Taliban to secure Kabul. Asked if he believed it was a mistake to assign responsibility for the outer perimeter security at the airport to the Taliban, President Biden [on Aug. 26] says, ‘No, I don’t,’ while continuing to emphasize that it is in the Taliban’s ‘interest’ to cooperate on the evacuation,” McCaul wrote, “even though the U.S. government knew at the time that such cooperation was no longer reality. .”

title: “Us Acceding To The Taliban S Request Could Have Stopped The Troop Withdrawal Chaos Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “Linda Moller”

After the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government on August 15, 2021, Taliban representatives told senior US military officials that they would stay out of Kabul if the US agreed to secure the city, “saying to the Americans, ‘we want you to understand it. . ,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in the 115-page report. Instead, the U.S. declined, opting to let Taliban fighters secure the city — something former senior defense officials told McCaul’s team “would allow the U.S. military to avoid relying on the Taliban to secure the outer perimeter” of the international Hamid Karzai Airport. the center of evacuation efforts. Security forces investigate the aftermath of a bomb blast that killed 3 outside a bakery on Nawi Sarak Street in Kandahar, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “[That was] a task the Taliban proved unable to carry out, leading to the ISIS-K attack that killed 13 US service members, wounded 45 additional US soldiers and killed 160 Afghans,” the report said, referring to the August 26 suicide bombing just outside from the airport. Allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented bottlenecks and the crowding of hopeful evacuees outside the airport, McCaul argued, adding that processing centers could have been set up away from the airport gates. and avoid frequent closures caused by crowds. This overcrowding ultimately made the airport an ideal target for the Abbey Gate terror attack, according to the report. “The chaos at the gates and the Taliban’s inability to control the perimeter meant that US military personnel were tightly packed as they tried to control their evacuation, placing them in a more vulnerable position that the bomber took advantage of, contributing to the high casualty rate.” , the report said. Even if the bombing could not have been prevented, McCall said the death toll could have been significantly reduced if the US had not relied on the Taliban to provide security outside the airport perimeter. “The lack of planning by the Biden administration and their refusal to accept the Taliban’s offer to secure Kabul during [mission] directly led to the bombing being so deadly,” McCaul said in the report. General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, told Congress in September last year that he rejected the Taliban’s offer to allow US troops to secure the city because it “did not have the resources to undertake that mission”. Congressman Michael McCaul said allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented the crowding of evacuees, which ultimately made the airport an ideal target for attack. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images “That wasn’t why I was there. that was not my directive,” McKenzie said. While McKenzie told Fox News on September 4, 2021, that securing Kabul would require an estimated 15,000-20,000 additional US troops on the ground, the report argued that those numbers were “calculated to the need to fight the Taliban for control of the city.” . “This probably wouldn’t be necessary given that it was the Taliban leadership that asked the US to secure the city,” McCall wrote. Fewer US troops would be needed if the US asked its NATO allies to contribute to the effort, according to the report. But President Biden’s administration did not inform allies of the offer, British officials told investigators “despite the fact that the UK has reportedly explored creating an international stabilization force for Kabul without the US”. An unnamed senior defense official also told Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the military did not make plans for the U.S. to take charge in Kabul because it believed the White House would have been “disallowed [them] from considering such an offer,” according to the report. This point was supported by consistent statements from management both before and after the evacuation ended on August 30, 2021. Relatives of a victim killed in the bombings at the entrance to Kabul airport attend a burial on the outskirts of Kabul. MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesA plane takes off as Taliban fighters secure the outer perimeter alongside the US-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “Our goal has never been — and the president has been very clear about this — to have a military presence to control Kabul,” then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Aug. 31. Despite the violence and chaos of the evacuation, Biden has repeatedly defended his decision to lean on the Taliban to secure Kabul. Asked if he believed it was a mistake to assign responsibility for the outer perimeter security at the airport to the Taliban, President Biden [on Aug. 26] says, ‘No, I don’t,’ while continuing to emphasize that it is in the Taliban’s ‘interest’ to cooperate on the evacuation,” McCaul wrote, “even though the U.S. government knew at the time that such cooperation was no longer reality. .”

title: “Us Acceding To The Taliban S Request Could Have Stopped The Troop Withdrawal Chaos Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “Stephanie Smith”

After the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government on August 15, 2021, Taliban representatives told senior US military officials that they would stay out of Kabul if the US agreed to secure the city, “saying to the Americans, ‘we want you to understand it. . ,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in the 115-page report. Instead, the U.S. declined, opting to let Taliban fighters secure the city — something former senior defense officials told McCaul’s team “would allow the U.S. military to avoid relying on the Taliban to secure the outer perimeter” of the international Hamid Karzai Airport. the center of evacuation efforts. Security forces investigate the aftermath of a bomb blast that killed 3 outside a bakery on Nawi Sarak Street in Kandahar, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “[That was] a task the Taliban proved unable to carry out, leading to the ISIS-K attack that killed 13 US service members, wounded 45 additional US soldiers and killed 160 Afghans,” the report said, referring to the August 26 suicide bombing just outside from the airport. Allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented bottlenecks and the crowding of hopeful evacuees outside the airport, McCaul argued, adding that processing centers could have been set up away from the airport gates. and avoid frequent closures caused by crowds. This overcrowding ultimately made the airport an ideal target for the Abbey Gate terror attack, according to the report. “The chaos at the gates and the Taliban’s inability to control the perimeter meant that US military personnel were tightly packed as they tried to control their evacuation, placing them in a more vulnerable position that the bomber took advantage of, contributing to the high casualty rate.” , the report said. Even if the bombing could not have been prevented, McCall said the death toll could have been significantly reduced if the US had not relied on the Taliban to provide security outside the airport perimeter. “The lack of planning by the Biden administration and their refusal to accept the Taliban’s offer to secure Kabul during [mission] directly led to the bombing being so deadly,” McCaul said in the report. General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, told Congress in September last year that he rejected the Taliban’s offer to allow US troops to secure the city because it “did not have the resources to undertake that mission”. Congressman Michael McCaul said allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented the crowding of evacuees, which ultimately made the airport an ideal target for attack. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images “That wasn’t why I was there. that was not my directive,” McKenzie said. While McKenzie told Fox News on September 4, 2021, that securing Kabul would require an estimated 15,000-20,000 additional US troops on the ground, the report argued that those numbers were “calculated to the need to fight the Taliban for control of the city.” . “This probably wouldn’t be necessary given that it was the Taliban leadership that asked the US to secure the city,” McCall wrote. Fewer US troops would be needed if the US asked its NATO allies to contribute to the effort, according to the report. But President Biden’s administration did not inform allies of the offer, British officials told investigators “despite the fact that the UK has reportedly explored creating an international stabilization force for Kabul without the US”. An unnamed senior defense official also told Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the military did not make plans for the U.S. to take charge in Kabul because it believed the White House would have been “disallowed [them] from considering such an offer,” according to the report. This point was supported by consistent statements from management both before and after the evacuation ended on August 30, 2021. Relatives of a victim killed in the bombings at the entrance to Kabul airport attend a burial on the outskirts of Kabul. MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesA plane takes off as Taliban fighters secure the outer perimeter alongside the US-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “Our goal has never been — and the president has been very clear about this — to have a military presence to control Kabul,” then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Aug. 31. Despite the violence and chaos of the evacuation, Biden has repeatedly defended his decision to lean on the Taliban to secure Kabul. Asked if he believed it was a mistake to assign responsibility for the outer perimeter security at the airport to the Taliban, President Biden [on Aug. 26] says, ‘No, I don’t,’ while continuing to emphasize that it is in the Taliban’s ‘interest’ to cooperate on the evacuation,” McCaul wrote, “even though the U.S. government knew at the time that such cooperation was no longer reality. .”

title: “Us Acceding To The Taliban S Request Could Have Stopped The Troop Withdrawal Chaos Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-23” author: “Marjorie Gibson”

After the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government on August 15, 2021, Taliban representatives told senior US military officials that they would stay out of Kabul if the US agreed to secure the city, “saying to the Americans, ‘we want you to understand it. . ,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in the 115-page report. Instead, the U.S. declined, opting to let Taliban fighters secure the city — something former senior defense officials told McCaul’s team “would allow the U.S. military to avoid relying on the Taliban to secure the outer perimeter” of the international Hamid Karzai Airport. the center of evacuation efforts. Security forces investigate the aftermath of a bomb blast that killed 3 outside a bakery on Nawi Sarak Street in Kandahar, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “[That was] a task the Taliban proved unable to carry out, leading to the ISIS-K attack that killed 13 US service members, wounded 45 additional US soldiers and killed 160 Afghans,” the report said, referring to the August 26 suicide bombing just outside from the airport. Allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented bottlenecks and the crowding of hopeful evacuees outside the airport, McCaul argued, adding that processing centers could have been set up away from the airport gates. and avoid frequent closures caused by crowds. This overcrowding ultimately made the airport an ideal target for the Abbey Gate terror attack, according to the report. “The chaos at the gates and the Taliban’s inability to control the perimeter meant that US military personnel were tightly packed as they tried to control their evacuation, placing them in a more vulnerable position that the bomber took advantage of, contributing to the high casualty rate.” , the report said. Even if the bombing could not have been prevented, McCall said the death toll could have been significantly reduced if the US had not relied on the Taliban to provide security outside the airport perimeter. “The lack of planning by the Biden administration and their refusal to accept the Taliban’s offer to secure Kabul during [mission] directly led to the bombing being so deadly,” McCaul said in the report. General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, told Congress in September last year that he rejected the Taliban’s offer to allow US troops to secure the city because it “did not have the resources to undertake that mission”. Congressman Michael McCaul said allowing the US and allies to secure Kabul could have prevented the crowding of evacuees, which ultimately made the airport an ideal target for attack. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images “That wasn’t why I was there. that was not my directive,” McKenzie said. While McKenzie told Fox News on September 4, 2021, that securing Kabul would require an estimated 15,000-20,000 additional US troops on the ground, the report argued that those numbers were “calculated to the need to fight the Taliban for control of the city.” . “This probably wouldn’t be necessary given that it was the Taliban leadership that asked the US to secure the city,” McCall wrote. Fewer US troops would be needed if the US asked its NATO allies to contribute to the effort, according to the report. But President Biden’s administration did not inform allies of the offer, British officials told investigators “despite the fact that the UK has reportedly explored creating an international stabilization force for Kabul without the US”. An unnamed senior defense official also told Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the military did not make plans for the U.S. to take charge in Kabul because it believed the White House would have been “disallowed [them] from considering such an offer,” according to the report. This point was supported by consistent statements from management both before and after the evacuation ended on August 30, 2021. Relatives of a victim killed in the bombings at the entrance to Kabul airport attend a burial on the outskirts of Kabul. MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesA plane takes off as Taliban fighters secure the outer perimeter alongside the US-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images “Our goal has never been — and the president has been very clear about this — to have a military presence to control Kabul,” then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Aug. 31. Despite the violence and chaos of the evacuation, Biden has repeatedly defended his decision to lean on the Taliban to secure Kabul. Asked if he believed it was a mistake to assign responsibility for the outer perimeter security at the airport to the Taliban, President Biden [on Aug. 26] says, ‘No, I don’t,’ while continuing to emphasize that it is in the Taliban’s ‘interest’ to cooperate on the evacuation,” McCaul wrote, “even though the U.S. government knew at the time that such cooperation was no longer reality. .”