FLEA

Inability to extend the deadline means lots of people getting left. Not sure about American Citizens but Visa holders for sure.

Found out most ANSOF are staying to fight even though many have been offered visas. Panjshir isnt far from Bagram. I'm wondering if any consideration is given to helping ANSOF retake Bagram before we say final peace if the Aug 31 deadline isn't extended. This would give the US a usable airfield to continue evacuation from as long as people can get out of Kabul. Would also seriously threaten the Taliban's long term capability to control Kabul. They may need to withdrawal to Kandahar.

CAO - 22 AUG 21 // 1620 EST Lots of reports of ISIS and other bad actors buying the data from Facebook and WhatsApp to track assistance to Afghans and locations of Afghans affiliated with US/Coalition efforts. Continue to connect here and pass OSINT info to keep members informed. TTPs, locations, names, and other data that would put our friends at risk should be shared over Signal or other more secure means. If anyone is looking for movement TTPs one of my buddies sent me tips that he has been using to prep folks for movement. FYI of you are communicating with folks in country.

Sort of makes me regret getting the vaccine.....

I found the FB group Angry Planet and it has some really high level geopolitical discussion on it but it leans slightly left. More journalist than former military but still a decent crowd.

Will send you a PM.

This makes me literally sick inside. https://www.foxnews.com/world/taliban-unit-wearing-us-gear-mock-iconic-american-wwii-photo

Afghan SOF is still fighting. They are also maintaining a portion of the allied parameter at the airport.

I have a friend/former pilot trapped in country now. Taliban have raided his home several times. He is hiding in a friend's basement with his family. He said they already executed his cousin. Unfortunately none of the state department programs for evacuation covers former Afghan government officers or former Afghan military personnel. They are on their own right now.

The Brits and Canadians are as well. We are the only country that is not so far as I hear.

If you have a DOS approved before a boards record end date but after it convenes do you still have to meet the board? For example, do I have to do a PRF if my DOS is after my board date but it is approved before PRFs are do?

Well yeah he wasn't doing as she instructed him to do.

Rumors on the twitter sphere that Milley will resign once evacuations are complete. Not sure how accurate they are given the source though. Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec · 22h Milley is considering falling on his sword for Austin and retiring post-evacuation, per Pentagon official Milley also privately telling officers he wishes 45 was back despite the bad blood

Yeah, smuckless to write youre a GO and then go anonymous. If you wanted to be great this should have been your fall on your sword moment. This post will do nothing. A GO resigning to his boss because he's "lost trust and confidence" in his bosses ability to lead, that's newsworthy.

I've been thinking a lot about my friends on Independence 08 the last few days.

The US needs to retake the narrative here. We didn't let Afghanistan down. Afghanistan let us down by taking 20 years of commitment and throwing it down the toilet. Repaint this. Taiwan knows they can get our support for 20 years even if they half ass their job as a partner. That's a pretty solid commitment.

Biden got handed a hot sack of shit. He did contribute to that sack though in his tenure as VP, but that sack is filled with shit from the last 3 administrations. Politicians, generals, IC leaders, state department leaders. The media needs to play this out because this is our countrys failure and if we don't take it and own it and spend the next 20 years reflecting on it, all of those lives would have really been given for nothing.

Afghan president just fled the country. Taliban have entered Kabul city limits. It's over guys. I hope what dudes we have left there can get get out safely. I also hope this conflict leaves a stain on the political careers of every politician and general that's served in the last 20 years. This was disgraceful.

Trump actually set and approved a May withdrawal date he intended to see through in his second term. When Biden took office he was uncomfortable with a upholding a decision that quickly. So he requested the JCS replan for a later withdrawal but one that absolutely did not prolong the war past 20 years. That's how you go the official end of operations date for OEF on 9/11 this year.

Dude I understand this experience makes you jaded and bitter, but I have good friends who are Afghan officers, still fighting, and they will likely be executed in the next 2-3 months. Don't generalize them. Noone went to Afghanistan for 3-4 months and suddenly understands their culture and politics.

Yes but they werent waiting in the mountains. They were waiting in Pakistan. Pakistan was providing them haven, training, money and weapons for the last 20 years. We willingly allowed it because Pakistan was also providing us Intel on the where abouts of mid level Al Queda operatives (but not senior leadership). Look I'm not advocating we stay or go back. Far from it. But let's not pretend this is a fight Afghanistan can win right now. They are a fledgling state with few resources essentially up against a regional military power (Pakistan). Pakistan does not want the current government of Afghanistan in power. They do want the Taliban in power.

We only half assed it though. I don't think the Taliban can be defeated if we don't snuff the root which is the materiel support they're getting from Pakistan.

Yeah thats bit fucked up.

I would like to see a meta-analysis of multiple fact checkers too. Like, "our liberal fact checker says its mostly true but our conservative fact checker says its false, and here is a link to their their assessments." Even fact checkers are subject to confirmation bias.

Regardless of the validity, this is going to be a real problem for the USMC with the lowest rate of vaccination among the 4 services.