FEARING THE WORST: The crowds of desperate Afghans remain outside the gate at the Kabul airport, even as the United States and European allies warn their citizens to stay away in the face of a credible threat of an imminent terrorist attack from the Afghanistan branch of ISIS.
The ominous security threat is reportedly forcing the U.S. to end its military airlift days early with hundreds of Americans still in Kabul, and according to CNN, while 150 Americans are trying to get to the airport today, where all gates are closed.
CNN reported that 13,000 people got out on this next to last day of U.S. flights, bringing the total to 93,000 evacuated in the past 12 days.
But later the Pentagon denied the mission was ending early, “Evacuation operations in Kabul will not be wrapping up in 36 hours,” tweeted Pentagon press secretary John Kirby. “We will continue to evacuate as many people as we can until the end of the mission.”
Last night, a security alert from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul advised U.S. citizens who were at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate to “leave immediately.”
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC there were “very credible” reports of a “severe” threat in the capital. The British Foreign Office also warned its citizens to avoid the airport citing the “high threat of terrorist attack.”
STATE DEPARTMENT WARNS US CITIZENS TO LEAVE GATES OF KABUL AIRPORT ‘IMMEDIATELY’ DUE TO THREATS
HOPING FOR THE BEST: President Joe Biden was briefed yesterday on the options he requested for continuing to evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans after the U.S. military leaves in five days.
At a State Department briefing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out a hopeful scenario in which the Taliban would agree to allow evacuations to continue using civilian and charter flights out of Kabul after Aug. 31.
“Let me be crystal clear about this, there is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to do so along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years and want to leave and have been unable to do so,” Blinken said. “The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals, and Afghans at-risk going forward past August 31.”
The Biden administration believes the Taliban will be motivated to continue cooperation after the departure of U.S. and foreign troops from the airport, in an effort to avoid becoming a pariah state with an eye toward getting foreign aid and other assistance, such as operating the international airport.
“We’re developing detailed plans for how we can continue to provide consular support and facilitate departures for those who wish to leave after August 31,” Blinken said. “Our expectation, the expectation of the international community, is that people who want to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. military departs should be able to do so.”
HOPE IS NOT A PLAN: “This is their horrific nightmare taking place. It will take days for the military to retrograde 6,000 troops to get out of the country,” said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on CNN. “So you’re really only talking about a couple of days left to process, get the SIVs out, and the American citizens … I don’t think it’s humanly possible.”
McCaul said any plan based on trusting the Taliban is destined to fail. “This is all based on the hope that once we pull out on August 31st that the Taliban will keep that airport open to air flights to the United States and our allies to get the remaining people out of there, maybe with American citizens possibly. I doubt it,” McCaul said. “With respect to the Afghan interpreters, I think we just shut the door on them.”
“We’re already getting reports of Afghan interpreters trying to get to the airport, being turned away by the Taliban, taken back to their home where they’ve witnessed their own family being executed, and then they are beheaded themselves,” McCaul said, dismissing promises from the Taliban as “propaganda.”
“I don’t trust them. I think they’re going to go back to their ways once we leave,” he said. “When it comes to Afghan partners or interpreters, that’s where the rub is. They view them as the infidel. They worked with the infidel. They are the enemy. They will smash their cellphones, they will rip up their SIV applications, and in several cases, they return into their homes and execute them.“
BEHEADINGS AND BEATINGS: LAWMAKERS ELEVATE HORRORS AFGHAN ALLIES FACE
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Joe Biden meets with his national security team to receive intelligence, security, and diplomatic updates on Afghanistan, and then he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House.
Later, Biden meets virtually with a bipartisan group of governors who the White House say “have raised their hands to temporarily house or help resettle vulnerable Afghans and welcome them to their new communities.”
VACCINE MANDATE ORDERED: Now that the Pfizer vaccine has won full FDA approval, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has issued orders for all uniformed military personnel to get the shots.
“Mandatory vaccinations are familiar to all of our Service members, and mission-critical inoculation is almost as old as the U.S. military itself,” Austin said in a memo to senior leaders and commanders. “Our administration of safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines has produced admirable results to date, and I know the Department of Defense will come together to finish the job, with urgency, professionalism, and compassion.”
Spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon is not expecting much resistance from troops who have been hesitant to get the vaccine up to now. “It’s a lawful order. And we fully anticipate that our troops are going to follow lawful orders. And when you raise your right hand, and you take that oath, that’s what you agree to do. And it hasn’t been a problem in the past with other vaccines.”
But the Pentagon is bending over backward not to court-martial troops who resist the shots. “Commanders will have plenty of other tools available to them to get their vaccination rates up and to get these individuals to make the right decision short of having to use disciplinary action.”
COVID DEATHS: Currently, the Pentagon says more than a million troops are fully vaccinated, and another quarter of a million are partially vaccinated, with just over 70% having received at least one shot.
The Navy reported three civilian deaths from complications associated with COVID-19 over the past five days, at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command in Hawaii, the Military Sealift Command in Norfolk, Virginia, and Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 2, Mayport, Florida.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 34 members of the military have succumbed to the virus, along with 274 DOD civilians.
BLOWBACK: That covert trip to Kabul by Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan didn’t sit well with the Pentagon, which was blindsided by the unauthorized inspection tour.
“We were not aware of this visit. And we are, obviously, not encouraging VIP visits to a very tense, dangerous, and dynamic situation at that airport and inside Kabul generally,” said spokesman John Kirby. “The secretary, I think, would have appreciated the opportunity to have had a conversation before the visit took place.”
When pressed, Kirby was less diplomatic, describing the need to accommodate the congressmen as a distraction from other urgent tasks. “There was certainly a pull-off of the kinds of missions we were trying to do to be able to accommodate that visit,” Kirby said. “They certainly took time away from what we had been planning to do that day.”
‘NOT A GOOD IDEA’: PELOSI CONDEMNS BIPARTISAN AFGHANISTAN TRIP
‘WE’RE NOT COMPETING WITH HISTORY’: Having evacuated more than 82,000 people from Afghanistan in less than two weeks, the Kabul airlift ranks as the biggest airlift in U.S. history.
The April 1975 airlift of Americans and Vietnamese from Saigon helicoptered about 7,000 people to ships offshore over two days in a mission dubbed “Operation Frequent Wind.” But the Vietnam evacuation began two months earlier with planes flying people out of Saigon. A considerable number of South Vietnamese “self-evacuated” by boat. The total number evacuated in March and April of 1975 was approximately 138,000.
Asked at yesterday’s briefing if the U.S. Operation Allies Refuge would eclipse the Vietnam effort, Kirby responded, “We’re not competing with history … we’re trying to get as many people out as we can, as fast as we can, and — and when it’s all said and done, we’ll — we’ll — we’ll take a look at what we were able to accomplish. But this isn’t about trying to beat some sort of historical record.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: State Department warns US citizens to leave gates of Kabul airport ‘immediately’ due to threats
Washington Examiner: White House says US gave up nothing to secure post-Aug. 31 commitments from Taliban
Washington Examiner: Top House Oversight Committee Republican demands briefing on Afghan vetting
Washington Examiner: US and allies maintain Kabul evacuations as withdrawal deadline nears
Washington Examiner: The Taliban are ‘in control’: Blinken gives update on American evacuations from Afghanistan as deadline looms
Washington Examiner: US and allies maintain Kabul evacuations as withdrawal deadline nears
Washington Examiner: Afghan New York Times journalists evacuated from Kabul with help from Mexico
Washington Examiner: Interpreter fleeing Afghanistan receives menacing call from Taliban mocking Biden withdrawal
Washington Examiner: White House: No information on reports Afghan president fled country with $169M
Washington Examiner: Lloyd Austin mandates COVID-19 vaccine with about one-fourth of troops unvaccinated
USNI News: HASC Chairman’s Mark Adds 12 Navy Super Hornets, Preserves Navy Nuclear Cruise Missile Funds
New York Times: At Least 250,000 Afghans Who Worked With U.S. Haven’t Been Evacuated, Estimates Say
Washington Post: Taliban Uses U.S. Weapons Trove To Project Authority
Air Force Magazine: European Bases Increase Support for Fleeing Afghans as Airlift Continues
Washington Post: In quest for legitimacy and to keep money flowing, Taliban pushes for political deal with rivals
Washington Post: While Abroad, Harris Is Undercut By Beijing
New York Times: Beijing Sows Covid Conspiracy Theory: U.S. Is Villain
CNN: In The Turbulent South China Sea, The U.S. Navy Bets On A Troubled Warship
Air Force Magazine: Kendall Moves Forward Reorganizing Space Acquisition
AP: Possible ‘Havana Syndrome’ incidents probed in Harris delay
AP: Migrant children spend weeks at US shelters as more arrive
19fortyfive.com: Ford: The Navy’s Most Powerful Aircraft Carrier Is Almost Ready for Duty
19fortyfive.com: U.S. Military To Build News Bases in the Pacific to Counter China
19fortyfive.com: Taiwan Has A Master Plan to Destroy China’s Missiles In a War
19fortyfive.com: A Threat to the U.S. Military: China Missile Forces Keep Getting Deadlier
Washington Examiner: Opinion: How China is taking advantage of Biden’s Afghanistan debacle
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Pax Americana is not dead yet
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: What If America Had Never Invaded Afghanistan?
Calendar
THURSDAY | AUGUST 26
9 a.m. — Woodrow Wilson Center Asia Program virtual discussion: “Hindsight Up Front: Implications of Afghanistan Withdrawal for South Asia,” with Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the WWC Asia Program. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/hindsight
9:30 a.m. — The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission virtual briefing: “The Status of Humanitarian and Protection Efforts in Afghanistan,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission; Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission; Vicki Aken, country director for Afghanistan with the International Rescue Committee; Astrid Slatten, country director for Afghanistan with the Norwegian Refugee Council; Jared Rowell, country director for Afghanistan with the Danish Refugee Council; and Rhoda Margesson, specialist in international humanitarian policy at the Congressional Research Service. https://ushr.zoomgov.com/webinar/register
10 a.m. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies media briefing: “Al Qaeda in Afghanistan: Leadership, Capabilities, and the Threat to the United States and the West, Considerations on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks,” with FDD experts Thomas Joscelyn, Bill Roggio, and Bradley Bowman. Media can RSVP via email [email protected]
11:45 a.m. EDT — Day four of the Space Foundation 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo, with Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command. Full agenda at https://www.spacesymposium.org/agenda
12 p.m. — Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy virtual discussion: “Between Democracy and Taliban — Implications for the Future of the Muslim World,” with Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity; Peter Bechtold, retired diplomat and director of the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University; Abdulkader Sinno, associate professor of political science and Middle Eastern studies at Indiana University; and Sahar Aziz, professor of law and director of the Center for Security, Race, and Rights at Rutgers University Law School. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion on China’s nuclear program with Navy Adm. Charles Richard, commander of U.S. Strategic Command; and Rebeccah Heinrichs, Hudson senior fellow. https://www.hudson.org/events/2001-virtual-event’
1 p.m. — Jewish Democratic Council of America virtual discussion: “Escaping the Taliban: Evacuating Americans, Afghan Refugees, and our Partners,” with Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J.; and Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. https://www.mobilize.us/jewishdems/event
4 p.m. — George Washington University Sigur Center for Asian Studies virtual discussion: “Afghanistan: What Comes Next?” with former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald Neumann, president of the American academy of Diplomacy; Nilofar Sakhi, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center; Benjamin Hopkins, professor of history and international affairs at GWU; and Marlene Laruelle, director of the GWU Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afghanistan-what-comes-next
FRIDAY | AUGUST 27
9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Humanitarian Agenda webcast: “Safeguarding Humanitarian Action in Afghanistan,” with Aurvasi Patel, head of protection service, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, UNHCR; Kathryn Striffolino, senior manager of humanitarian practice, InterAction; Zuhra Bahman, Afghanistan country director, Search for Common Ground; and Jacob Kurtzer, director and senior fellow, Humanitarian Agenda, CSIS. https://www.csis.org/events/safeguarding-humanitarian-action-afghanistan
11:30 a.m. — Air Force Association virtual Nuclear Deterrence Forum on “the threat of Chinese and Russian nuclear stockpiles, the U.S. nuclear modernization effort, and the future of U.S. nuclear deterrence,” with Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command. https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/nuclear-deterrence
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual event: “Implementing Mosaic Warfare and Decision-Centric Operations,” with David Spirk, ODO Chief Data Officer; Tim Grayson, director, DARPA Strategic Technology Office; Bryan Clark, Hudson senior fellow; and Dan Patt, Hudson adjunct fellow. https://www.hudson.org/events
MONDAY | AUGUST 30
TBA — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the White House.
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 1
10 a.m. — House Armed Services Committee markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
11:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies and the U.S. Naval Institute Maritime Security Dialogue: “An Update on the Marine Corps,” with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger; Seth Jones, senior vice president and director, CSIS International Security Program. https://www.csis.org/events/maritime-security-dialogue
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Let me be crystal clear about this, there is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to do so along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years and want to leave and have been unable to do so. That effort will continue every day past August 31.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
