Changes

==Rape of Afghanistan==

==Rape of Afghanistan==

 

Milley testified on June 23, 2021 that the Taliban controlled about 81 districts in Afghanistan. Less than a month later, on July 21, 2021 he told reporters the Taliban controlled half of Afghanistan’s 419 districts, or more than twice as many as before. According to media reporting, the Taliban also controlled large stretches of multiple major highways, and at least six international border crossings.  Civilian casualties hit a record high in May and June, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.<ref>https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2021-07-30qr.pdf</ref>

Milley testified before Congress on June 23, 2021 that the Taliban controlled about 81 districts in Afghanistan. Less than a month later, on July 21, 2021 he told reporters the Taliban controlled half of Afghanistan’s 419 districts, or more than twice as many as before. According to media reporting, the Taliban also controlled large stretches of multiple major highways, and at least six international border crossings.  Civilian casualties hit a record high in May and June, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.<ref>https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2021-07-30qr.pdf</ref>

The U.S. military left the strategic Bagram Airfield in [[Afghanistan]] in the dead of night in early July 2021, leaving behind “thousands of civilian vehicles, including many that no longer had keys, and hundreds of armored military vehicles, such as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs…”<ref>https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-left-behind-millions-of-things-at-key-base-2021-7</ref>  There are reports of the seizure by the Taliban of a “massive boon” of U.S. weapons supplied to and now abandoned by U.S.-trained Afghani soldiers.  “The Taliban now find themselves flush with American-supplied tools, without having to raise a single penny.”<ref>https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210814-weapon-seizures-massive-boon-for-taliban-as-cities-fall</ref>

The U.S. military left the strategic Bagram Airfield in [[Afghanistan]] in the dead of night in early July 2021, leaving behind “thousands of civilian vehicles, including many that no longer had keys, and hundreds of armored military vehicles, such as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs…”<ref>https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-left-behind-millions-of-things-at-key-base-2021-7</ref>  There are reports of the seizure by the Taliban of a “massive boon” of U.S. weapons supplied to and now abandoned by U.S.-trained Afghani soldiers.  “The Taliban now find themselves flush with American-supplied tools, without having to raise a single penny.”<ref>https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210814-weapon-seizures-massive-boon-for-taliban-as-cities-fall</ref>

“The future of Afghanistan is squarely in the hands of the Afghan people, and there are a range of possible outcome[s] in Afghanistan. And I want to emphasize repeatedly, and I’ve said this before, a negative outcome, a Taliban automatic military takeover, is not a foregone conclusion. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make adjustments as necessary.”<ref>https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2702966/secretary-of-defense-austin-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-gen-mille/</ref>}}

“The future of Afghanistan is squarely in the hands of the Afghan people, and there are a range of possible outcome[s] in Afghanistan. And I want to emphasize repeatedly, and I’ve said this before, a negative outcome, a Taliban automatic military takeover, is not a foregone conclusion. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make adjustments as necessary.”<ref>https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2702966/secretary-of-defense-austin-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-gen-mille/</ref>}}

''[[Breitbart]]'' reported on August 16, 2021 that Milley told [[senator]]s on a briefing call that U.S. officials are expected to alter their earlier assessments about the pace of terrorist groups reconstituting in Afghanistan.<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/08/16/gen-milley-warns-senators-terror-groups-will-come-back-faster/</ref>

''[[Breitbart]]'' reported on August 16, 2021 that Milley told [[senator]]s on a briefing call that U.S. officials are expected to alter their earlier assessments about the pace of terrorist groups reconstituting in Afghanistan.<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/08/16/gen-milley-warns-senators-terror-groups-will-come-back-faster/</ref>

{{quotebox-float|“Based on the evolving situation, officials now believe terror groups like [[al-Qaeda]] and others may be able to grow much faster than expected, according to the person, who had direct knowledge of the briefing but was not authorized to discuss the details of the call publicly and spoke to the [[AP]] on condition of anonymity.”

{{quotebox-float|“Based on the evolving situation, officials now believe terror groups like [[al-Qaeda]] and others may be able to grow much faster than expected, according to the person, who had direct knowledge of the briefing but was not authorized to discuss the details of the call publicly and spoke to the [[AP]] on condition of anonymity.”