Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has the capability to make the military study critical race theory and use transgender pronouns. But don’t ask him to rescue Americans held behind enemy lines.
Austin, at a press conference that would easily earn him the title of the worst SOD in American history, claimed that, “I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul.”
With 2,500 men, the United States held not only Kabul, but much of Afghanistan. Some 600 troops were left behind to protect the U.S. Embassy. Since there weren’t enough people to hold both Bagram Air Base and the Embassy, Bagram, the only reliable and secure exit strategy out of the country, was abandoned. And you now have 5,000 U.S. military personnel doing little more than securing the airport.
Except that it doesn’t take 5,000 troops to secure the airport. So why are they even there?
Austin couldn’t answer that or much of anything else.
The conduit to the airport is controlled by the Taliban which means they get approval over who gets evacuated or not.
Milley responded by spouting jargon-ridden gibberish and admitted that rescuing Americans outside the airport would be a policy decision. Biden would have to approve it.
Austin had suggested at the press conference that Americans might be left behind. Biden tried to correct that impression. But either way there’s no process except allowing the Taliban to pick and choose who gets to the airport.
Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reminded everyone why even Obama advisers want him fired.
“We are taking that up in a channel with the Taliban to try to resolve those issues,” Sullivan said. “And we are concerned about whether that will continue to unfold in the coming days.”
No doubt.
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