![]() The threat ISIS poses to the Kabul airport has come sharply into view over the last 24 hours. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Quint With help from Lee Hudson, Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman Welcome to National Security Daily, your guide to the global events roiling Washington and keeping the administration up at night. "But I will say that I'm proud that both my son and I have been a part of it.Evacuees wait to board a plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. "No words from me could possibly capture the full measure of sacrifices and accomplishments of those who serve, nor the emotions they're feeling at this moment," McKenzie said. President Joe Biden quickly mobilized 6,000 troops, including the 10th Mountain and 82nd Airborne Division, to secure the airport and aid in the evacuation that followed. troops had remained in Afghanistan when the Trump administration left office, a number the Biden administration reduced to about 650 before the Taliban easily conquered Afghanistan. The sudden collapse of Afghanistan's American-backed government, and the emergency evacuation triggered by the deteriorating security situation, have drawn both political attacks for opponents of the Biden administration, and finger-pointing within. Some equipment was brought out on the final flights, but other equipment - such as the counter rocket artillery and mortar, or C-RAM, system and various aircraft and vehicles - was left behind permanently disabled. McKenzie said the civilian evacuation ended about 12 hours before the final withdrawal. ![]() The military estimated that only a few hundred wishing to leave remain. military evacuated more than 6,000 American civilians, which the Pentagon said represented the majority of those who wanted to leave. On average, the military evacuated more than 7,500 civilians per day, McKenzie said. airpower overhead, should there have been any challenge to our departure."Īt the peak of the airlift last week, C-17s were taking off roughly every 45 minutes, and more than 19,000 people were flown out on a single day. They departed on the final C-17 flight, covered by what McKenzie described as "overwhelming U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson were among the last U.S. Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, and U.S. Afghans ran alongside the plane and clung to its sides, some falling to their deaths, and the body of one Afghan was later found in the aircraft's landing gear. The C-17's crew, concerned about the crowd of people approaching the aircraft, opted to take off again. 16, many desperate Afghans ran onto the airport's grounds and surrounded a C-17 that had just landed to unload equipment. ![]() Just as the evacuation began, the desperation of some Afghans hoping to escape impending Taliban rule caused an accident that pushed the White House to send in more troops to secure the airfield. citizens and eligible Afghans who want to leave will continue, though the military's role in the evacuation process is done. He added that diplomatic efforts to help remaining U.S. leaving quickly, thus motivating it to try and facilitate a smooth withdrawal by securing areas outside of the airport. McKenzie described the Taliban as "pragmatic," saying the terror group had a vested interest in the U.S. and the Taliban, who have been killing one another for 20 years. ISIS-K and the Taliban are in the midst of their own war, prompting a pseudo-alliance between the U.S. ![]() The latter airstrike may have resulted in up to 10 civilian casualties, according to reporting by The New York Times that was not immediately disputed by the Pentagon. responded with two drone strikes: one on Friday that killed two people the military claimed were ISIS organizers, and one on Sunday it said targeted a car in Kabul carrying explosive material intended for another attack. The Islamic State's Afghanistan branch, ISIS-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the attack. "My heart is broken over the losses we sustained three days ago," McKenzie said. There were also more than 20,000 troops wounded in Afghanistan. It marked one of the deadliest days of the war for the U.S., with less than a week to go, and brought the final toll of service members killed there to 2,461. The bomber killed 13 troops - 11 Marines, a sailor and a soldier, wounded more than 20 other troops, and killed or wounded hundreds of Afghans. troops and many Afghans trying to get through. 26, when a suicide bomber struck at the airport's Abbey Gate, packed with U.S. The evacuation effort saw the last flag-draped coffins from the war arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. A U.S military aircraft takes off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |