Biden struggles to address the most acute crisis of his presidency https://t.co/8f6ZisyP0Y
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 27, 2021
A bomb was detonated at a Kabul airport gate while U.S. troops were patting an evacuee down for screening. Another bomb exploded a few hundred yards from the first as ISIS fighters sprayed gunfire.@RichardEngel reports the latest on the deadly attack. https://t.co/ji9jrpAtyC
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 27, 2021
Twin blasts near Kabul airport targeted people desperate to flee the country after the Taliban takeover, leave many dead https://t.co/Il94xpGMsP pic.twitter.com/1okNRr3pQy
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 26, 2021
ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Kabul airport that killed at least 13 U.S. service members and Afghan civilians, @ckubeNBC reports.https://t.co/nlCubvKxVT
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 27, 2021
The ISIS statement accused the Taliban of being "in a partnership" with the U.S. military to evacuate "spies" and boasted that its bomber "managed to penetrate all the security measures imposed by the American forces and the Taliban militia in the capital Kabul."
— Evan Kohlmann (@IntelTweet) August 26, 2021
"We will not forgive, we will not forget"
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 26, 2021
President Joe Biden vows to "defend our interest and our people with every measure at my command"
Follow live updates: https://t.co/ZI80JrPeQM pic.twitter.com/aovduRIZ5B
Kabul airport attack: Biden vows revenge for Afghanistan explosion that killed dozens as US forces brace for further attacks – live https://t.co/R0TEDUEP6n
— The Guardian (@guardian) August 27, 2021
This was painful to watch. Biden is all over the place—and continues to seem deeply disconnected from understanding why so many are furious with him right now. Trump made the agreement with the Taliban. Yes. But he could have broken it. He should have. He didn’t. That’s on him. https://t.co/0X4RHYU26W
— Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) August 27, 2021
I disagree on this one. Doocy's deliberately misleading question–suggesting things were fine in the year before Biden– needed a response. He was right to say that it was the horribleTrump/Pompeo deal that kept American troops alive, & more would have died if Biden had reneged.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) August 27, 2021
So far the US military has lifted nearly 100,000 people over the mountains and out. Possibly saving many lives. It's a miracle they went this far with no attack. When it came, US intel was good enough to warn people away from the gate that was hit. https://t.co/ov1DegDjCs
— Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) August 26, 2021
The attacks made it clear that no one, including the Taliban, can guarantee the security of those trying to flee the country, or those who may be left behind https://t.co/CFvSs7GZO0
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 27, 2021
LATEST: Asked about the ongoing threat of ISIS following attack outside Kabul airport, CENTCOM commander says it's one that is "extremely real."
— ABC News (@ABC) August 26, 2021
"We expect those attacks to continue." https://t.co/7gcf6MDNxS pic.twitter.com/mIkhcpsMxg
“The attacks also throw into sharp relief the reality that we can’t depend on the Taliban to bring stability and security to Afghanistan or help us keep a lid on other terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.” https://t.co/E0uO8xkTCx
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) August 26, 2021
Facing security risks and shaky legitimacy, the group will struggle to govern and consolidate power.https://t.co/9SOEcJ2wJa
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) August 26, 2021
We invaded Afghanistan to fight a terrorist group, Al Qaeda, that attacked us.
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) August 26, 2021
As we leave, we're attacked by another terrorist group, ISIS, worse than Al Qaeda, & which didn't exist when we invaded.
I've said it before: all the war on terror gave us was more war & more terror.
They had a chance last year to prove they were serious about imposing conditions on the withdraw. https://t.co/8xtZ520H4Z
— Slate (@Slate) August 27, 2021
Remember when Democrats in the House led by Tip O’Neil called on Reagan to resign after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings where 241 Marines died?
— Tahar (@laseptiemewilay) August 27, 2021
And remember how Reagan sent 50,000 troops to avenge the death of those Marines, occupy & rid Lebanon of terrorism?
Me neither. https://t.co/iM5RF6Px6u
Nothing can be said to make today’s brand new Gold Star families less wrecked. I cannot imagine.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 27, 2021
But those servicemembers were in harm’s way — willingly — to help Americans, Afghans, and others escape death and violence. That selflessness is their legacy.
It has to be said: US forces on the ground in Kabul knew an attack like today’s was likely. They knew there was no good way to protect against it if they kept on evacuating civilians through the gates. They kept on evacuating civilians anyway.
— Mike Breen (@M_Breen) August 27, 2021
That is honor.
Opinion | What’s happening in Afghanistan is horrible. But how else was U.S. involvement going to end? https://t.co/ysM6vbYh6U
— Eugene Robinson (@Eugene_Robinson) August 26, 2021
Meanwhile…
Britain said it had credible intelligence of a likely terrorist attack in Afghanistan, urging people to stay away from the Kabul airport even as it acknowledged that the window was closing for its evacuation operation.https://t.co/Zqtdy3t6N9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 26, 2021
How @FCDOGovUK handled this crisis will be the subject of a coming @CommonsForeign inquiry. The evidence is already coming in.https://t.co/3edJLkIZGe
— Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) August 26, 2021
This is an obscene distinction to have made. https://t.co/6vuuKEZxa2
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) August 26, 2021
Fleeing Afghans should try to get to border, says UK defence secretary https://t.co/Ht17Tte4G1
— The Guardian (@guardian) August 25, 2021
Priti Patel urges Afghans not to flee to UK and instead wait for safe routes https://t.co/OI8qhGlnuS
— The Independent (@Independent) August 26, 2021
The mess in Afghanistan exposes Britain’s foolish security policy https://t.co/rIGfrr0298
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 26, 2021
My piece for @NewStatesman on what the Afghan crisis tells us about Biden’s foreign policy and how it has exposed the delusions at the heart of Global Britain. https://t.co/CfRJVUiQ2D
— Peter Ricketts (@LordRickettsP) August 24, 2021
"Johnson, deeply mistrusted in Berlin, Paris, Rome and Brussels and visibly disregarded in Washington, now finds himself standing, arms flailing, on a bridge to nowhere."https://t.co/pS7lfl6Yvr
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) August 26, 2021
👀Quote of the Afghan crisis from a senior UK military officer. “This government has put all its eggs — and the whisk and bowl — into the US basket,” he said. “The only “forever war” Britain has is with the EU. It’s ridiculous.” https://t.co/eKlkPhqT7H
— Lionel Barber (@lionelbarber) August 22, 2021
The Overnight Note 