“Make no mistake, this evacuation mission is dangerous. It involves risks to our armed forces and its being conducted under difficult circumstances,” Biden said. https://t.co/luINTNeExg
— The Hill (@thehill) August 20, 2021
NEW: Biden assured key allies in June that US security enablers would remain in place in Afghanistan as NATO troops withdrew, so much so that U.K. thought it could maintain its Kabul embassy https://t.co/PItW36GmVB
— Alberto Nardelli (@AlbertoNardelli) August 20, 2021
The US's departure from Afghanistan challenges Biden's competence in three ways:
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) August 20, 2021
👉A lot of US military equipment has been left behind for the Taliban
👉Whether he ignored intelligence about the fall of Kabul
👉The failure to consult Nato allieshttps://t.co/LfeZlAkGoE
From @WSJopinion: One of the more serious consequences of the misbegotten Afghanistan withdrawal is the way it has damaged America’s relationships with its allies, especially in Europe, writes The Editorial Board https://t.co/RTl6ZF1ix3
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 20, 2021
Europe left exposed as Biden walks America away from the world stage – https://t.co/5j2Otp0cbK
— Luke McGee (@lukemcgee) August 20, 2021
Some members of Parliament, including those with sinecures in a vestigial tribute to feudalism, say that permanent occupation is an effective use of American (although, funnily enough, not British) lives and resources they are obligated to continue https://t.co/tCXe00tlze
— Scott Lemieux (@LemieuxLGM) August 19, 2021
White House, State Dept. and Pentagon "did not have much faith" that the Afghan security forces would be able to hold out against the Taliban for long without U.S. help, Craig Whitlock says. https://t.co/1dOB7w6HV5
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 20, 2021
A reminder, from our briefing this week, that the casualties that the Afghan forces were suffering were only continuing to mount: https://t.co/R83noCtNQa pic.twitter.com/RpScTLyYKg
— Daniel Knowles (@dlknowles) August 20, 2021
G7 calls for international shared mission to limit Afghan crisis https://t.co/mdAYURNNee pic.twitter.com/srwJ3a9QHc
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 20, 2021
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that Britain would work with the Taliban if necessary, and defended Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been criticized for his handling of the situation in Afghanistan https://t.co/d4KOoyuy7k
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 20, 2021
NEW POLL: Despite implementation problems, 60% of Americans continue to support withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a poll conducted Aug 17-19. Only 22% oppose Biden's decision.
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 20, 2021
67% want to prioritize domestic policy issues over foreign policy.https://t.co/zhU0nMG47J
— Joe McGinniss Jr (@joemcginnissjr) August 20, 2021
.@mehdirhasan on Bush:
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) August 18, 2021
"The guy who bombed and invaded Afghanistan, who ran a torture regime at Bagram Air Base, who sent a number of Afghans to Guantanamo Bay prison without charging them—that guy is now sad and lecturing the rest of us about human rights and saving lives?" pic.twitter.com/n4WlR077cL
Meanwhile, the Taliban is tightening its grip…
Taliban seizing Afghan-American's US passports outside Kabul airport https://t.co/pnLC0IqIIc pic.twitter.com/MfYoOOcQ68
— New York Post (@nypost) August 20, 2021
Heart-wrenching interview. @JaneFerguson5 speaks with a brave doctor from #Herat at the airport. Tears. https://t.co/LEqYiQYebp
— Molly Hunter (@mollymhunter) August 19, 2021
🇦🇫British paratroopers in Afghanistan have found themselves effectively on “joint patrol” with the Taliban who killed their friends, soldiers have said
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 20, 2021
This is the story of their week 👇 https://t.co/7hvQiAHNTn
More than 240,000 Afghans have been internally displaced since the U.S. withdrawal began in May.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 20, 2021
Tens of thousands more have fled their home provinces in the past two weeks. https://t.co/7oP0Umedj6
The Taliban is flaunting up to billions of dollars worth of captured U.S. weapons. Can it use them? https://t.co/18ouQD6b8Q
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 20, 2021
Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE, the UK and Uzbekistan will host transit flights of evacuated Americans, Afghans and other citizens, State Department spokesperson Ned Price says. https://t.co/HkW1m0qloI
— ABC News (@ABC) August 20, 2021
The Overnight Note 