GOING DARK IN 30: If you’re reading this newsletter at 8 a.m. Washington time, it’s 4:30 p.m. In Kabul. Just under 30 hours until midnight Aug. 31 in Afghanistan. By this time tomorrow morning, there will be less than eight hours before the deadline, and the last of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan may already be gone.
Today, a steady stream U.S. C-17 cargo planes could be seen landing and taking off from the Kabul airport, but the numbers were smaller than in recent days. As of Sunday, there were several hundred American citizens waiting to be evacuated, and U.S. officials were working feverishly to get them out before tomorrow.
“We have about 300 American citizens left who have indicated to us that they want to leave,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC. “We are very actively working to help them get to the airport, get on a plane, and get out of Afghanistan.”
US DRONE STRIKE AGAINST ‘CREDIBLE’ THREAT IN KABUL KILLS TWO ISLAMIC STATE TARGETS
FINAL JEOPARDY: “This is an exceedingly dangerous moment, and an exceedingly dangerous mission,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN. “We are in a period of serious danger, given what we are seeing in the intelligence,” he said. “All we can do is mitigate risk. We cannot eliminate it.”
The U.S. military said it shot down five rockets aimed at the Kabul airport, employing a counter-rocket system. The Associated Press reported some of the rockets missed their mark and fell in a nearby neighborhood.
No one has claimed responsibility, but ISIS-K is suspected, the same group behind the Aug. 26 suicide bomb attack that killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.
Yesterday, the U.S. military conducted what it called “a self-defense unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike” on a vehicle in Kabul, which was said to have resulted in “significant secondary explosions,” indicating the “presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.”
The strike eliminated “an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamid Karzai International airport,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. A later statement acknowledged the strike may have resulted in a number of unintended civilian casualties. “It is unclear what may have happened, and we are investigating further. We would be deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life.”
TALIBAN SAY TWO ISIS BOMBING SUSPECTS CAPTURED
‘THIS STRIKE WAS NOT THE LAST’: Sunday’s preemptive strike came after a U.S. drone attack Friday night in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, which was said to have killed two ISIS-K planners, and it followed a warning Saturday from President Joe Biden that another ISIS-K attack was imminent.
“Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours,” Biden said in a statement. “I said we would go after the group responsible for the attack on our troops and innocent civilians in Kabul, and we have.”
“This strike was not the last,” Biden said. “We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay.”
US MILITARY LAUNCHES DRONE STRIKE AGAINST ISIS-K ‘PLANNER’ AFTER KABUL ATTACK
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HAPPENING TODAY: Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts a “virtual ministerial meeting” with key U.S. allies about what to do about the thousands of Afghans who will be left behind when the U.S. led airlift operation ends tomorrow. The virtual session will include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Qatar, the European Union, and NATO.
At 2:30 p.m., Blinken is scheduled to deliver remarks from the State Department on the way forward.
‘WE DON’T TAKE THE TALIBAN AT THEIR WORD’: Blinken appeared yesterday on NBC and ABC and said the U.S. would continue to pressure the Taliban to allow America’s Afghan partners to leave the country in the coming days and weeks.
“We have more than 100 countries, 114 countries who signed on to a statement we initiated making clear the international community expects the Taliban to make good on a commitment to let people continue to leave the country after August 31st,” Blinken said on NBC.
“You may have seen that just yesterday, a very senior Taliban official went on television and radio across the country and repeatedly assured people in Afghanistan that they would have the freedom to travel after August 31st,” Blinken told NBC’s Chuck Todd. “He even specifically said those who work for the Americans and those who want to leave for whatever reason will have that freedom. Now, of course, we don’t take the Taliban at their word. We take them by their deed. And that’s what we’re going to be looking to.”
DAILY MEETINGS: President Joe Biden’s schedule, as released by the White House, shows that he will be starting every day this week with his regular intelligence briefing followed by a meeting with his national security team. Today, he’ll also be briefed by his homeland security team on the effects of Hurricane Ida.
PAYING RESPECTS: Yesterday, under gray skies, Biden, along with the first lady and members of his national security team, attended what the U.S. military calls a “dignified transfer” ceremony, as the cases carrying the remains of the 13 troops killed in the Kabul suicide bombing were carefully carried from a C-17 by a military honor guard.
“The 13 service members that we lost were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our highest American ideals and while saving the lives of others,” Biden said in a statement. “Their bravery and selflessness has enabled more than 117,000 people at risk to reach safety thus far.”
Also at the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base was Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who in a statement said it was “a solemn honor to attend.”
“These men and women made the ultimate sacrifice so that others could live. They were and will be forever remembered as heroes,” Austin said. “My heart and my thoughts are with their families, especially today. They, too, have made the ultimate sacrifice.”
NAMES OF THE FALLEN: Over the weekend, the Pentagon released the names of the 13 fallen Americans — 11 Marines, one Navy sailor, and one Army soldier. It was striking how many were just babies in 2001, when the U.S. war in Afghanistan began.
Twelve of them were in their 20s. The oldest was 31. Here are their names:
From the Marines:
- Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
- Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California.
- Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California.
- Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska.
- Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana.
- Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas.
- Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri.
- Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming.
- Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California.
- Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California.
From the Navy:
- Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio.
From the Army:
- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.
WE SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER: The 13 Americans killed last week were the first to die in Afghanistan since the Trump administration’s February 2020 withdrawal deal with the Taliban in which in return for the U.S. agreement to leave by May of this year, the Taliban agreed not to attack U.S. or foreign troops.
In 2019, the year before the agreement, 19 troops died in combat in Afghanistan. When 13 service members die in a single attack, it is seared into our consciousness. But when 19 die over the course of a year, many Americans hardly notice. Yet the loss is as great, and the heroism the same.
If the U.S. leaves Afghanistan in 2021 with a total of 13 combat deaths, it will still be fewer than the 19 suffered in 2019 or the 23 in 2018.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Pentagon identifies 13 service members killed in Kabul suicide bombing
Washington Examiner: State Department announces joint arrangement with 97 countries to evacuate Afghan allies after deadline
Washington Examiner: US drone strike against ‘credible’ threat in Kabul kills two Islamic State targets
Washington Examiner: US military launches drone strike against ISIS-K ‘planner’ after Kabul attack
Washington Examiner: Taliban say two ISIS bombing suspects captured
Washington Examiner: Hellish living conditions are the new Kabul reality
Washington Examiner: Two veterans team up to fight military suicides amid Afghanistan withdrawal
Washington Examiner: ISIS-K commander told CNN the group was waiting to ‘strike’ two weeks before Kabul airport attack
Washington Examiner: Lindsey Graham says military can retake Bagram Airfield ‘tonight’
AP: Qatar emerges as key player in Afghanistan after US pullout
Washington Post: Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war
Washington Post: In Evacuation Mission’s 11th Hour, Hope Dims For Afghans Seeking To Escape
AP: IAEA: N Korea appears to have resumed nuke reactor operation
Reuters: Pentagon Holds Talks With Chinese Military For First Time Under Biden, Official Says
Reuters: U.S. Warship Transits Taiwan Strait After Chinese Assault Drills
AP: U.S. Airlifts Aid To Haiti To Reach Areas Hardest Hit By Quake
Air Force Magazine: Cotton Relieves Ray at Top of Global Strike Command
Air Force Magazine: Strategic Command Needs New Three-Way Deterrence Model, Deputy Commander Says
The Hill: Marine Relieved Of Duty After Posting Video Questioning Leaders’ Decisions On Afghanistan
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Afghanistan debacle fuels general officer crisis
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: An Afghan View Through the Eyes of an American
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: The Real China Threat: A Massive Nuclear Weapons Arsenal?
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Will America Learn from Its “Good War” In Afghanistan?
The Cipher Brief: An Afghan View Through the Eyes of an American
Calendar
MONDAY | AUGUST 30
11:30 a.m. — Defense Innovation Days 2021 virtual event: “A National Conversation on Defense,” with Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro; Joseph Bryan, Pentagon senior climate adviser; and Richard Kidd, deputy assistant secretary of defense for environment and energy resilience. https://www.senedia.org/defense-innovation-days/
TUESDAY | AUGUST 31
9 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual 2021 iFest conference, with Dustin Brown, deputy assistant director for management at the Office of Management and Budget; Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va; Air Force Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos, deputy commander of the Air Education and Training Command; Army Brig. Gen. Charles Lombardo, deputy commander of the Combined Arms Center-Training; and Alan Shaffer, regent at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and former deputy Defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment. https://www.trainingsystems.org/events/2021/8/31/ifest
10 a.m. — Heritage Foundation virtual discussion: “Glimmer of Hope: How to Help the Women and Girls of Afghanistan,” with former Afghanistan Ambassador to the United States Roya Rahmani; Lisa Curtis, director of the Center for a New American Security’s Indo-Pacific Security Program; Heela Najibullah, author of “Reconciliation and Social Healing in Afghanistan”; and Nicole Robinson, research assistant at the Heritage Center for Foreign Policy. https://www.heritage.org/middle-east/event/glimmer-hope
10 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “How the National Defense Authorization Act Invests in America’s Defense,” with House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. https://www.brookings.edu/events/how-the-ndaa-invests
12 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual book discussion on “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,” with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker; retired Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute; and author Craig Whitlock, Washington Post reporter. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
1 p.m. — Potomac Officers Club virtual discussion: “Building the Future Battle: The Keys to Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2,” with Preston Dunlap, chief architect at the Department of the Air Force and Space Force. https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/building-the-future-battle
2 p.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual discussion with Farooq Mitha, director of the Defense Department’s Office of Small Business Programs. RSVP: [email protected]
3 p.m. — U.S. Naval Academy virtual discussion with Vice Adm. Sean Buck, Naval Academy superintendent. https://navymemorial.swoogo.com/sitrep9
WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 1
TBA — President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
8 a.m. — Henry L. Stimson Center virtual discussion “Changing the Discourse on Taiwan: Japan-Taiwan Ties in 2021,” with Madoka Fukuda, professor at Hosei University; and Hung-jen Wang, associate professor at National Cheng Kung University https://www.stimson.org/event/changing-the-discourse
9 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual 2021 iFest conference, with Maj. Gen. Donn Hill; Fred Engle, acting deputy assistant Defense secretary for force education and training; Latvian Brig. Gen. Ilmars Lejins, assistant chief of staff for joint force development at NATO Allied Command Transformation; and Zoran Sajinovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina assistant defense minister; and Amy Parker, chief learning officer at the Veterans Affairs Department. https://www.trainingsystems.org/events/2021/8/31/ifest
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
2 p.m. — Washington Post Live virtual discussion: “The Future for Afghan Women,” with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; and former Afghan judge Najla Ayoubi, chief of global programs at Every Woman Treaty. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 2
9:30 a.m. — Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies virtual discussion: “ The Taliban Takeover and Central Asian Security: New Reality on the Ground,” with Omid Marzban, senior multimedia editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Salimjon Aioubov, director of the RFE/RL Tajik Service; Stephen Blank, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute; Muhammad Tahir, media relations manager at RFE-RL; Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Governance and Markets; and Nargis Kassenova, senior fellow at the Davis Center https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/taliban-takeover
11 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “Syria Today: How Assad ‘Won’ Beyond the Military,” with Rahaf Aldoughli, lecturer on Middle East and North African studies at Lancaster University; Guy Barton, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ Middle East Center; Eric Lob, associate professor at Florida International University; and Emma Beals, nonresident scholar at MEI https://www.mei.edu/events/syria-today-how-assad-won-beyond-military
11 a.m. 1750 Independence Avenue S.W.— Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service ceremony to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Allied Forces’ victory in the Pacific and the end of World War II. https://wwiimemorialfriends.networkforgood.com/events Livestream at https://www.facebook.com/WWIIMemorialFriends
12 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “ The Future of the Navy and Marine Corps,” with Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; and Seth Cropsey, director of the Hudson Center for American Seapower. https://www.hudson.org/events/2005-virtual-event
4:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The U.S.-ROK alliance, the North Korea situation and the Korean-American community,” with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii https://www.csis.org/events/capital-cable-33-senator-brian-schatz
6 p.m. — Politics and Prose Bookstore book discussion on “The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War,” with author Craig Whitlock, investigative reporter at the Washington Post; and James LaPorta, investigative reporter at the Associated Press.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“There are no words that I can say that, I think, anyone can say to assuage the grief that a parent is feeling at the loss of their child. Nothing. And if I were in his shoes, probably I’d feel exactly the same way. If I were in his shoes, probably I’d feel exactly the same way … That’s my responsibility. But as a parent myself, I feel deeply what he expressed. And all I can say is, I’m deeply, deeply sorry.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked to respond to the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, who said he blamed military leaders and President Joe Biden for his son’s death.
