Changes

''According to local media reports, the Taliban have murdered more than 40 civilians in Malistan in the past one week. Most of these civilians were Hazaras.''</ref> It has become a great humiliation<ref>[https://news.walla.co.il/item/3454321 Biden let Afghanistan manage on its own against the Taliban. It ended in great humiliation than Vietnam]

''According to local media reports, the Taliban have murdered more than 40 civilians in Malistan in the past one week. Most of these civilians were Hazaras.''</ref> It has become a great humiliation<ref>[https://news.walla.co.il/item/3454321 Biden let Afghanistan manage on its own against the Taliban. It ended in great humiliation than Vietnam]

''The US president wanted to end the long war in American history on the symbolic date of September 11. Instead, al-Qaeda allies will celebrate the occupation of the country, which fell faster than Saigon in 1975.''

''The US president wanted to end the long war in American history on the symbolic date of September 11. Instead, al-Qaeda allies will celebrate the occupation of the country, which fell faster than Saigon in 1975.''

Guy Elster, Walla, 16 August 2021.</ref> in the way Biden handled it. Total failure.<ref>Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) Tweeted:

Guy Elster, Walla, 16 August 2021.</ref> in the way Biden handled it. Total failure.<ref name="Aug 15, 2021">Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) Tweeted:

Thinking about the last time I left the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. It was dangerous then. I can only imagine what is happening now. Biden totally screwed this up. https://t.co/R4PSQnEvhM [https://twitter.com/ScottWalker/status/1426948442471944204?s=20 Aug 15, 2021]</ref>  

Thinking about the last time I left the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. It was dangerous then. I can only imagine what is happening now. Biden totally screwed this up. https://t.co/R4PSQnEvhM [https://twitter.com/ScottWalker/status/1426948442471944204?s=20 Aug 15, 2021]</ref>  

A tenth of Biden’s Afghanistan aid goes to the Taliban.<ref> D Greenfield, "[https://www.jns.org/opinion/a-tenth-of-bidens-afghanistan-aid-will-go-to-the-taliban/ A tenth of Biden’s Afghanistan aid will go to the Taliban]",  JNS, September 23, 2021.<br><i>

A tenth of Biden's Afghanistan aid goes to the Taliban.<ref>D Greenfield, "[https://www.jns.org/opinion/a-tenth-of-bidens-afghanistan-aid-will-go-to-the-taliban/ A tenth of Biden’s Afghanistan aid will go to the Taliban]",  JNS, September 23, 2021.<br><i>

Why are American taxpayers funding the Taliban?

Why are American taxpayers funding the Taliban?

Deborah Lyons, the head of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, a wanted terrorist with the Haqqani Network, a Taliban component with close ties to Al-Qaeda.

Deborah Lyons, the head of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, a wanted terrorist with the Haqqani Network, a Taliban component with close ties to Al-Qaeda.

[[File:Brzezinski Taliban.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Zbigniew Brzezinski meets with the Mujahideen Taliban, 1979.<ref>https://youtu.be/kYvO3qAlyTg</ref>]]

[[File:Brzezinski Taliban.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Zbigniew Brzezinski meets with the Mujahideen Taliban, 1979.<ref>https://youtu.be/kYvO3qAlyTg</ref>]]

{{See also|History of Afghanistan}}

{{See also|History of Afghanistan}}

The word Afghanistan originates from the Sanskrit word "Upa-Gana-stan" which translates in English to "the place inhabited by allied tribes". <ref>https://resonantnews.com/2021/08/25/a-story-of-betrayal-of-upa-gana-stan-afghanistan/</ref> Modern day Afghanistan was part of Ancient India and was ruled by Hindu Kings up until 980 A.D. The Afghans have a 2500-year tradition of strongly distrusting—and fighting—armed outsiders.

The word Afghanistan originates from the Sanskrit word "Upa-Gana-stan" which translates in English to "the place inhabited by allied tribes".<ref>https://resonantnews.com/2021/08/25/a-story-of-betrayal-of-upa-gana-stan-afghanistan/</ref> Modern day Afghanistan was part of Ancient India and was ruled by Hindu Kings up until 980 A.D. The Afghans have a 2500-year tradition of strongly distrusting—and fighting—armed outsiders.

Afghanistan, often called the crossroads of Central Asia, has had a turbulent history. In 328 BC, Alexander the Great entered the territory of present-day Afghanistan, then part of the Persian Empire, to capture Bactria (present-day Balkh). Invasions by the Scythians, White Huns, and Turks followed in succeeding centuries. In AD 642, Arabs invaded the entire region and introduced Islam.  

Afghanistan, often called the crossroads of Central Asia, has had a turbulent history. In 328 BC, Alexander the Great entered the territory of present-day Afghanistan, then part of the Persian Empire, to capture Bactria (present-day Balkh). Invasions by the Scythians, White Huns, and Turks followed in succeeding centuries. In AD 642, Arabs invaded the entire region and introduced Islam.  

Following the Taliban's repeated refusal to expel bin Laden and his group and end its support for international terrorism, the U.S. and its partners in the anti-terrorist coalition began a military campaign on October 7, 2001, targeting terrorist facilities and various Taliban military and political assets within Afghanistan.  On October 22, 2001, Sen. [[Joseph Biden]] of Delaware gave a speech insisting that U.S. goals—rooting out al-Qaeda and helping establish a friendly successor government to the Taliban—would require U.S. ground troops far beyond the small number of Special Forces already in place.<ref>Sen. Biden: "I think the American public and the Islamic world is fully prepared for us to take as long as we need to take. If it is action that is a mano-a-mano. If it's us on the ground going against other forces on the ground. The part that I think flies in the face of, and plays into every stereotypical criticism of us, is where this high tech bully that thinks from the air we can do whatever you want to do. And it builds the case, for those who want to make the case against us, that all we're doing is indiscriminately bombing innocents. Which is not the truth. Some innocents are indiscriminately bombed. But that is not the truth. I think the American public is prepared for a long siege. I think the American public has prepared for American losses. I think the American public is prepared, and the president must continue to remind them to be prepared, for American body bags coming home. There is no way that you can, in fact, go after and root out al Qaeda and or Bin Ladin without folks on the ground, in caves, risking and losing their lives. And I believe that the tolerance for that in the Islamic world is significant, exponentially higher, than it is for us bombing."  [https://www.c-span.org/video/?166841-1/us-response-terrorist-attacks @59:43]</ref>  Under pressure from U.S. military and anti-Taliban forces, the Taliban disintegrated rapidly, and Kabul fell on November 13, 2001.  

Following the Taliban's repeated refusal to expel bin Laden and his group and end its support for international terrorism, the U.S. and its partners in the anti-terrorist coalition began a military campaign on October 7, 2001, targeting terrorist facilities and various Taliban military and political assets within Afghanistan.  On October 22, 2001, Sen. [[Joseph Biden]] of Delaware gave a speech insisting that U.S. goals—rooting out al-Qaeda and helping establish a friendly successor government to the Taliban—would require U.S. ground troops far beyond the small number of Special Forces already in place.<ref>Sen. Biden: "I think the American public and the Islamic world is fully prepared for us to take as long as we need to take. If it is action that is a mano-a-mano. If it's us on the ground going against other forces on the ground. The part that I think flies in the face of, and plays into every stereotypical criticism of us, is where this high tech bully that thinks from the air we can do whatever you want to do. And it builds the case, for those who want to make the case against us, that all we're doing is indiscriminately bombing innocents. Which is not the truth. Some innocents are indiscriminately bombed. But that is not the truth. I think the American public is prepared for a long siege. I think the American public has prepared for American losses. I think the American public is prepared, and the president must continue to remind them to be prepared, for American body bags coming home. There is no way that you can, in fact, go after and root out al Qaeda and or Bin Ladin without folks on the ground, in caves, risking and losing their lives. And I believe that the tolerance for that in the Islamic world is significant, exponentially higher, than it is for us bombing."  [https://www.c-span.org/video/?166841-1/us-response-terrorist-attacks @59:43]</ref>  Under pressure from U.S. military and anti-Taliban forces, the Taliban disintegrated rapidly, and Kabul fell on November 13, 2001.  

Afghan factions opposed to the Taliban met at a United Nations-sponsored conference in Bonn, Germany in December 2001 and agreed to restore stability and governance to Afghanistan—creating an interim government and establishing a process to move toward a permanent government. Under the "Bonn Agreement," an Afghan Interim Authority was formed and took office in Kabul on December 22, 2001 with Hamid Karzai as Chairman. The Interim Authority held power for approximately 6 months while preparing for a nationwide "Loya Jirga" (Grand Council) in mid-June 2002 that decided on the structure of a Transitional Authority. The Transitional Authority, headed by President Hamid Karzai, renamed the government as the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA). One of the TISA's primary achievements was the drafting of a constitution that was ratified by a Constitutional Loya Jirga on January 4, 2004.

Afghan factions opposed to the Taliban met at a United Nations-sponsored conference in Bonn, Germany in December 2001 and agreed to restore stability and governance to Afghanistan—creating an interim government and establishing a process to move toward a permanent government. Under the "Bonn Agreement," an Afghan Interim Authority was formed and took office in Kabul on December 22, 2001, with Hamid Karzai as chairman. The Interim Authority held power for approximately 6 months while preparing for a nationwide "Loya Jirga" (Grand Council) in mid-June 2002 that decided on the structure of a Transitional Authority. The Transitional Authority, headed by President Hamid Karzai, renamed the government as the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA). One of the TISA's primary achievements was the drafting of a constitution that was ratified by a Constitutional Loya Jirga on January 4, 2004.

===US-Afghan war 2001-2021===

===US-Afghan war 2001-2021===

====Afghan Republic 2001-2021====

====Afghan Republic 2001-2021====

Three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, on October 3, 2001, Sen. Joseph Biden, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, proposed a billion dollars in aid to a yet to be formed Afghan interim government. The amount was almost twice as much as U.N. General Secretary [[Kofi Annan]] proposed and more than triple what the Bush administration asked for.<ref>Sen. Biden: "U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan has issued an appeal for $584 million to meet the needs of the Afghan refugees and displaced people, within Afghanistan and in neighboring countries. This is the amount deemed necessary to stave off disaster for the winter, which will start in Afghanistan in just a few weeks. We must back up our rhetoric with action, with something big and bold and meaningful. We can offer to foot the entire bill for keeping the Afghan people safely fed, clothed, and sheltered this winter, and that should be the beginning....We can kick the effort off in a way that would silence our critics in the rest of the world: a check for $1 billion, and a promise for more to come as long as the rest of the world joins us. This initial amount would be more than enough to meet all the refugees’ short-term needs, and would be a credible downpayment for the long-term effort. Eventually the world community will have to pony up more billions, but there is no avoiding that now, not if we expect our words ever to carry any weight.<br>If anyone thinks this amount of money is too high, let me note one stark, simple and very sad statistic. The damage inflicted by the September 11 attack in economic terms alone was a minimum of several hundred billion dollars and a maximum of over $1 trillion. The cost in human life, of course, as the Presiding Officer knows, is far beyond any calculation. [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2001-pt13/pdf/CRECB-2001-pt13-issue-2001-10-03.pdf Pg. 18464]</ref>  Harmid Karzai formed an interim government on 22 December 2001 until elections could be held after the removal of Taliban rule by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces.  On January 10, 2002 Joe Biden arrived in Afghanistan on a four-day fact-finding visit and met with Karzai.<ref>https://www.army.mil/article/50258/biden_meets_karzai_visits_troops_in_afghanistan</ref>  In 2002 and 2003, when Afghan tribal councils gathered to write a new constitution, the U.S. government gave “nice packages” to delegates who supported Washington’s preferred stance. “The perception that was started in that period: If you were going to vote for a position that Washington favored, you’d be stupid to not get a package for doing it,” according to a U.S. official who served in Kabul at the time.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-corruption-government/</ref>

Three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, on October 3, 2001, Sen. Joseph Biden, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, proposed a billion dollars in aid to a yet to be formed Afghan interim government. The amount was almost twice as much as U.N. General Secretary [[Kofi Annan]] proposed and more than triple what the Bush administration asked for.<ref>Sen. Biden: "U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan has issued an appeal for $584 million to meet the needs of the Afghan refugees and displaced people, within Afghanistan and in neighboring countries. This is the amount deemed necessary to stave off disaster for the winter, which will start in Afghanistan in just a few weeks. We must back up our rhetoric with action, with something big and bold and meaningful. We can offer to foot the entire bill for keeping the Afghan people safely fed, clothed, and sheltered this winter, and that should be the beginning....We can kick the effort off in a way that would silence our critics in the rest of the world: a check for $1 billion, and a promise for more to come as long as the rest of the world joins us. This initial amount would be more than enough to meet all the refugees’ short-term needs, and would be a credible downpayment for the long-term effort. Eventually the world community will have to pony up more billions, but there is no avoiding that now, not if we expect our words ever to carry any weight.<br>If anyone thinks this amount of money is too high, let me note one stark, simple and very sad statistic. The damage inflicted by the September 11 attack in economic terms alone was a minimum of several hundred billion dollars and a maximum of over $1 trillion. The cost in human life, of course, as the Presiding Officer knows, is far beyond any calculation. [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRECB-2001-pt13/pdf/CRECB-2001-pt13-issue-2001-10-03.pdf Pg. 18464]</ref>  Harmid Karzai formed an interim government on 22 December 2001 until elections could be held after the removal of Taliban rule by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces.  On January 10, 2002, Joe Biden arrived in Afghanistan on a four-day fact-finding visit and met with Karzai.<ref>https://www.army.mil/article/50258/biden_meets_karzai_visits_troops_in_afghanistan</ref>  In 2002 and 2003, when Afghan tribal councils gathered to write a new constitution, the U.S. government gave “nice packages” to delegates who supported Washington's preferred stance. “The perception that was started in that period: If you were going to vote for a position that Washington favored, you’d be stupid to not get a package for doing it,” according to a U.S. official who served in Kabul at the time.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-corruption-government/</ref>

On October 9, 2004, Afghanistan held its first national democratic presidential election. More than 8 million Afghans voted, 41% of whom were women. [[Hamid Karzai]] was the winner and was inaugurated on December 7 for a five-year term as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president.  In 2014 [[Ashraf Ghani]] was elected as new president of Afghanistan and held office until the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

On October 9, 2004, Afghanistan held its first national democratic presidential election. More than 8 million Afghans voted, 41% of whom were women. [[Hamid Karzai]] was the winner and was inaugurated on December 7 for a five-year term as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president.  In 2014 [[Ashraf Ghani]] was elected as new president of Afghanistan and held office until the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

On October 22, 2001, Sen. Biden, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, gave a speech at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] insisting that U.S. goals—rooting out al-Qaeda and helping establish a friendly successor government to the Taliban—would require U.S. boots on the ground far beyond the small number of Special Forces that the [[Pentagon]] had recommended.  Biden said, "There is no way that you can, in fact, go after and root out al Qaeda and or Bin Ladin without folks on the ground, in caves, risking and losing their lives. And I believe that the tolerance for that in the Islamic world is significant, exponentially higher, than it is for us bombing."<ref>Sen. Biden: "I think the American public and the Islamic world is fully prepared for us to take as long as we need to take. If it is action that is a mano-a-mano. If it's us on the ground going against other forces on the ground. The part that I think flies in the face of, and plays into every stereotypical criticism of us, is where this high tech bully that thinks from the air we can do whatever you want to do. And it builds the case, for those who want to make the case against us, that all we're doing is indiscriminately bombing innocents. Which is not the truth. Some innocents are indiscriminately bombed. But that is not the truth. I think the American public is prepared for a long siege. I think the American public has prepared for American losses. I think the American public is prepared, and the president must continue to remind them to be prepared, for American body bags coming home. There is no way that you can, in fact, go after and root out al Qaeda and or Bin Ladin without folks on the ground, in caves, risking and losing their lives. And I believe that the tolerance for that in the Islamic world is significant, exponentially higher, than it is for us bombing. That's the generic point I wish to make. I am not qualified enough to tell you. Although I can tell you what the military guys have said to me. This is not 1948. This is 2001.  I'm not at all sure they're correct."  [https://www.c-span.org/video/?166841-1/us-response-terrorist-attacks @59:43]</ref>  Under pressure from U.S. military and anti-Taliban forces however, the Taliban disintegrated rapidly, and [[Kabul]] fell on November 13, 2001.

On October 22, 2001, Sen. Biden, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, gave a speech at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] insisting that U.S. goals—rooting out al-Qaeda and helping establish a friendly successor government to the Taliban—would require U.S. boots on the ground far beyond the small number of Special Forces that the [[Pentagon]] had recommended.  Biden said, "There is no way that you can, in fact, go after and root out al Qaeda and or Bin Ladin without folks on the ground, in caves, risking and losing their lives. And I believe that the tolerance for that in the Islamic world is significant, exponentially higher, than it is for us bombing."<ref>Sen. Biden: "I think the American public and the Islamic world is fully prepared for us to take as long as we need to take. If it is action that is a mano-a-mano. If it's us on the ground going against other forces on the ground. The part that I think flies in the face of, and plays into every stereotypical criticism of us, is where this high tech bully that thinks from the air we can do whatever you want to do. And it builds the case, for those who want to make the case against us, that all we're doing is indiscriminately bombing innocents. Which is not the truth. Some innocents are indiscriminately bombed. But that is not the truth. I think the American public is prepared for a long siege. I think the American public has prepared for American losses. I think the American public is prepared, and the president must continue to remind them to be prepared, for American body bags coming home. There is no way that you can, in fact, go after and root out al Qaeda and or Bin Ladin without folks on the ground, in caves, risking and losing their lives. And I believe that the tolerance for that in the Islamic world is significant, exponentially higher, than it is for us bombing. That's the generic point I wish to make. I am not qualified enough to tell you. Although I can tell you what the military guys have said to me. This is not 1948. This is 2001.  I'm not at all sure they're correct."  [https://www.c-span.org/video/?166841-1/us-response-terrorist-attacks @59:43]</ref>  Under pressure from U.S. military and anti-Taliban forces however, the Taliban disintegrated rapidly, and [[Kabul]] fell on November 13, 2001.

Hamid Karzai formed an interim government on 22 December 2001 until elections could be held after the removal of Taliban rule by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces.  On January 10, 2002 Biden arrived in Afghanistan on a four-day fact-finding visit and at Bagram Airforce Base.  The [[Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility]] had been prepared to receive jihadis.  Bagram was a major collection point for preliminary interrogation. Sen. Biden said, "These are some real hard, hard, hard cases. But unless we gather the list of leaders which we -- I have in my pocket here...the possibility of them being able to do [[guerrilla]] kind of attacks on military here are real."<ref>http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/13/se.01.html</ref>

Hamid Karzai formed an interim government on 22 December 2001 until elections could be held after the removal of Taliban rule by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces.  On January 10, 2002, Biden arrived in Afghanistan on a four-day fact-finding visit and at Bagram Airforce Base.  The [[Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility]] had been prepared to receive jihadis.  Bagram was a major collection point for preliminary interrogation. Sen. Biden said, "These are some real hard, hard, hard cases. But unless we gather the list of leaders which we -- I have in my pocket here...the possibility of them being able to do [[guerrilla]] kind of attacks on military here are real."<ref>http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0201/13/se.01.html</ref>

In 2002 and 2003, when Afghan tribal councils gathered to write a new constitution, the U.S. government gave “nice packages” to delegates who supported Washington’s preferred stance. “The perception that was started in that period: If you were going to vote for a position that Washington favored, you’d be stupid to not get a package for doing it,” according to a U.S. official interviewed by the ''[[Washington Post]]'' who served in Kabul at the time.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-corruption-government/</ref>

In 2002 and 2003, when Afghan tribal councils gathered to write a new constitution, the U.S. government gave “nice packages” to delegates who supported Washington's preferred stance. “The perception that was started in that period: If you were going to vote for a position that Washington favored, you’d be stupid to not get a package for doing it,” according to a U.S. official interviewed by the ''[[Washington Post]]'' who served in Kabul at the time.<ref name="washingtonpost.com"/>

According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', beginning in December 2002 throughout Karzai's terms of office, Karzai's office was funded with "tens of millions of dollars" of black cash from the [[CIA]] in order to buy influence within the Afghan government. The ''NYT'' stated that "the cash that does not appear to be subject to the oversight and restrictions." An unnamed American official was quoted by ''The New York Times'' as stating that "The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan was the United States."<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/world/asia/cia-delivers-cash-to-afghan-leaders-office.html|title=With Bags of Cash, C.I.A. Seeks Influence in Afghanistan|author=Matthew Rosenberg|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 April 2013|access-date=29 April 2013|archive-date=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428232309/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/world/asia/cia-delivers-cash-to-afghan-leaders-office.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', beginning in December 2002 throughout Karzai's terms of office, Karzai's office was funded with "tens of millions of dollars" of black cash from the [[CIA]] in order to buy influence within the Afghan government. The ''NYT'' stated that "the cash that does not appear to be subject to the oversight and restrictions." An unnamed American official was quoted by ''The New York Times'' as stating that "The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan was the United States."<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/world/asia/cia-delivers-cash-to-afghan-leaders-office.html|title=With Bags of Cash, C.I.A. Seeks Influence in Afghanistan|author=Matthew Rosenberg|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 April 2013|access-date=29 April 2013|archive-date=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428232309/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/world/asia/cia-delivers-cash-to-afghan-leaders-office.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Obama escalation====

====Obama escalation====

:{{See also|Obama war crimes}}

:{{See also|Obama war crimes}}

[[File:Af-UStroops.jpg|thumb|350px|thumb|]]

[[File:Af-UStroops.jpg|thumb|350px|thumb]]

Despite campaigning against "dumb wars," [[Barack Obama]] made escalating the troop level a high priority.<ref>https://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2010/09/24/obama-knows-the-war-is-dumb-but-prefers-power-over-peace/</ref>  In September 2009, the Pentagon pushed back against liberal Democrats who oppose sending additional combat troops to Afghanistan, telling Congress that success would probably require more fighting forces, and certainly much more time. Washington is debating the new report by Gen. McChrystal, the senior American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, who believes a properly resourced counterinsurgency war means more forces, more time and more commitment to the development of a strong Afghan government capable of defending its own country.<ref>Thom Shanker, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/world/asia/16mullen.html?_r=1&th&emc=th "Military Chief Suggests Need to Enlarge U.S. Afghan Force," ''New York Times'' Sept. 16, 2009]</ref>  Some  4,000 more American trainers will arrive by November, bringing the American troop level to 68,000.

Despite campaigning against "dumb wars," [[Barack Obama]] made escalating the troop level a high priority.<ref>https://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2010/09/24/obama-knows-the-war-is-dumb-but-prefers-power-over-peace/</ref>  In September 2009, the Pentagon pushed back against liberal Democrats who oppose sending additional combat troops to Afghanistan, telling Congress that success would probably require more fighting forces, and certainly much more time. Washington is debating the new report by Gen. McChrystal, the senior American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, who believes a properly resourced counterinsurgency war means more forces, more time and more commitment to the development of a strong Afghan government capable of defending its own country.<ref>Thom Shanker, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/world/asia/16mullen.html?_r=1&th&emc=th "Military Chief Suggests Need to Enlarge U.S. Afghan Force," ''New York Times'' Sept. 16, 2009]</ref>  Some  4,000 more American trainers will arrive by November, bringing the American troop level to 68,000.

====Bowe Bergdahl swap====

====Bowe Bergdahl swap====

When [[Barack Obama]] released five Taliban commanders from the [[Guantanamo Bay]] prison in exchange for American deserter Bowe Bergdahl in 2014, he assured Americans that the enemy combatants would not be allowed to return to Afghanistan.  6 American soldiers lives were lost searching for the American deserter.<ref>https://nypost.com/2014/06/02/six-soldiers-died-searching-for-deserter-pow-fueling-backlash/</ref>  Upon Bergdahl's return, Obama celebrated Bergdahl as a heroic “POW,” a designation the Pentagon never gave him.  Khairullah Khairkhwa, one of the five released from Guantanamo, sat across the table from Joe Biden’s personal representative in [[Moscow]] in the spring of 2021, where Mullah Khairkhwa was part of the Taliban delegation that negotiated the terms of the US withdrawal.  Mullah Khairkhwa is the mastermind of the Taliban takeover, even though the Pentagon classified Khairkhwa as too dangerous to release.

When [[Barack Obama]] released five Taliban commanders from the [[Guantanamo Bay]] prison in exchange for American deserter Bowe Bergdahl in 2014, he assured Americans that the enemy combatants would not be allowed to return to Afghanistan.  6 American soldiers lives were lost searching for the American deserter.<ref>https://nypost.com/2014/06/02/six-soldiers-died-searching-for-deserter-pow-fueling-backlash/</ref>  Upon Bergdahl's return, Obama celebrated Bergdahl as a heroic “POW,” a designation the Pentagon never gave him.  Khairullah Khairkhwa, one of the five released from Guantanamo, sat across the table from Joe Biden's personal representative in [[Moscow]] in the spring of 2021, where Mullah Khairkhwa was part of the Taliban delegation that negotiated the terms of the US withdrawal.  Mullah Khairkhwa is the mastermind of the Taliban takeover, even though the Pentagon classified Khairkhwa as too dangerous to release.

Khairkhwa assured the Biden junta that the Taliban would not retaliate against Afghans who worked with the US military or the US-backed government in Kabul.  However, reports out of Kandahar and Kabul soon after the fall of Afghanistan indicate the Taliban was going door to door with a kill list to wipe out their enemies.  Mullah Khairkhwa previously served as the Taliban’s interior minister prior to 2002, where he oversaw Islamist punishments, including beheadings and stonings.<ref> https://nypost.com/2021/08/16/taliban-leader-was-freed-from-guantanamo-in-2014-swap-by-obama/</ref>

Khairkhwa assured the Biden junta that the Taliban would not retaliate against Afghans who worked with the US military or the US-backed government in Kabul.  However, reports out of Kandahar and Kabul soon after the fall of Afghanistan indicate the Taliban was going door to door with a kill list to wipe out their enemies.  Mullah Khairkhwa previously served as the Taliban's interior minister prior to 2002, where he oversaw Islamist punishments, including beheadings and stonings.<ref>https://nypost.com/2021/08/16/taliban-leader-was-freed-from-guantanamo-in-2014-swap-by-obama/</ref>

All five of the terrorists in the Bowe Bergdahl swap assumed prominent positions in the Taliban interim government announced on September 11, 2021:<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2021/09/07/four-gitmo-detainees-released-in-berghdahl-swap-are-now-taliban-ministers-for-afghan-government-interim-government-will-be-officially-introduced-on-sept-11th/</ref>

All five of the terrorists in the Bowe Bergdahl swap assumed prominent positions in the Taliban interim government announced on September 11, 2021:<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2021/09/07/four-gitmo-detainees-released-in-berghdahl-swap-are-now-taliban-ministers-for-afghan-government-interim-government-will-be-officially-introduced-on-sept-11th/</ref>

====Total collapse under Biden====

====Total collapse under Biden====

[[File:Biden's gift to Taliban terrortists.PNG|right|400px|thumb|Democrat socialist leader Joe Biden's gift to Taliban terrorists.<ref>https://therightscoop.com/bidens-gift-to-terror-stunning-infographic-shows-the-massive-new-arsenal-the-taliban-now-possesses/</ref>]]

[[File:Biden's gift to Taliban terrortists.PNG|right|400px|thumb|Democrat socialist leader Joe Biden's gift to Taliban terrorists.<ref>https://therightscoop.com/bidens-gift-to-terror-stunning-infographic-shows-the-massive-new-arsenal-the-taliban-now-possesses/</ref>]]

When the Biden regime abandoned Bagram Airbase on July 2, 2021 without giving notice to the Afghan government and Afghan National Army,<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57682290</ref> it sent a signal to the highest levels in the Afghan government that the United States would not provide the aircover and support for the Afghan army in its war with the Taliban - a mission they had prepared for 20 years.<ref>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/us-military-leave-bagram-air-base-afghanistan-equipment-handover/100277452</ref>  It was no surprise when the Afghan Army abandoned the field and refused to fight, and the Afghan government fell, as scripted by the Biden regime.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9900069/This-not-surprise-Afghan-experts-condemn-Biden-shock-Taliban-advance.html</ref>

When the Biden regime abandoned Bagram Airbase on July 2, 2021, without giving notice to the Afghan government and Afghan National Army,<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57682290</ref> it sent a signal to the highest levels in the Afghan government that the United States would not provide the aircover and support for the Afghan army in its war with the Taliban - a mission they had prepared for 20 years.<ref>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/us-military-leave-bagram-air-base-afghanistan-equipment-handover/100277452</ref>  It was no surprise when the Afghan Army abandoned the field and refused to fight, and the Afghan government fell, as scripted by the Biden regime.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9900069/This-not-surprise-Afghan-experts-condemn-Biden-shock-Taliban-advance.html</ref>

With the August 2021 Taliban takeover of major cities, it was clear that it was Biden who failed the Afghan war.<ref>[https://thefederalist.com/2021/08/16/no-biden-cant-blame-trump-for-the-afghanistan-withdrawal-disaster/ No, Biden Can’t Blame Trump For The Afghanistan Withdrawal Disaster] Margot Cleveland, The Federalist, Aug 16, 2021.</ref><ref>[http://www.boblonsberry.com/writings.cfm?go=4 Biden Lost the Afghan War], Bob Lonsberry, Aug 16, 2021</ref><ref>Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) Tweeted:

With the August 2021 Taliban takeover of major cities, it was clear that it was Biden who failed the Afghan war.<ref name="Aug 15, 2021"/><ref>[https://thefederalist.com/2021/08/16/no-biden-cant-blame-trump-for-the-afghanistan-withdrawal-disaster/ No, Biden Can’t Blame Trump For The Afghanistan Withdrawal Disaster] Margot Cleveland, The Federalist, Aug 16, 2021.</ref><ref>[http://www.boblonsberry.com/writings.cfm?go=4 Biden Lost the Afghan War], Bob Lonsberry, Aug 16, 2021</ref>

Thinking about the last time I left the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. It was dangerous then. I can only imagine what is happening now. Biden totally screwed this up. https://t.co/R4PSQnEvhM [https://twitter.com/ScottWalker/status/1426948442471944204?s=20 Aug 15, 2021]</ref>

And Billions spent by US in Afghanistan on Afghan army, at the end, rather benefited the Taliban.<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-08-17/billions-spent-on-afghan-army-ultimately-benefited-taliban Billions Spent on Afghan Army Ultimately Benefited Taliban] Associated Press, US News, Aug 17, 2021.

And Billions spent by US in Afghanistan on Afghan army, at the end, rather benefited the Taliban.<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-08-17/billions-spent-on-afghan-army-ultimately-benefited-taliban Billions Spent on Afghan Army Ultimately Benefited Taliban] Associated Press, US News, Aug 17, 2021.

''Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turns out to be the Taliban.''</ref>  Planes, guns, night-vision goggles, ended up being the Taliban's new U.S.-made war chest.<ref>"[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-conflict-usa-arms-idUSKBN2FK1L5 Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban's new U.S.-made war chest]"

''Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turns out to be the Taliban.''</ref>  Planes, guns, night-vision goggles, ended up being the Taliban's new U.S.-made war chest.<ref>"[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-conflict-usa-arms-idUSKBN2FK1L5 Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban's new U.S.-made war chest]"

<blockquote>Hamas already congratulated the Taliban on its victory. In recent days, members of the Hamas Politburo have met with those of the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban congratulated Hamas on its “achievements” during the 11-days of fighting with Israel in May.</blockquote></ref><ref>[http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/272709 Paliban Paleban], DP, Aug 17, 2021.

<blockquote>Hamas already congratulated the Taliban on its victory. In recent days, members of the Hamas Politburo have met with those of the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban congratulated Hamas on its “achievements” during the 11-days of fighting with Israel in May.</blockquote></ref><ref>[http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/272709 Paliban Paleban], DP, Aug 17, 2021.

<blockquote>

<blockquote>

1. <b>Mutually congratulatory</b>:

1. '''Mutually congratulatory''':

<br><br>

<br><br>

'What does Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban mean for the Middle East?' Ynet, Aug 16, 2021. [https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byqtdivet]

'What does Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban mean for the Middle East?' Ynet, Aug 16, 2021. [https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byqtdivet]

''Hamas already congratulated the Taliban on its victory. In recent days, members of the Hamas Politburo have met with those of the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban congratulated Hamas on its “achievements” during the 11-days of fighting with Israel in May.''

''Hamas already congratulated the Taliban on its victory. In recent days, members of the Hamas Politburo have met with those of the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban congratulated Hamas on its “achievements” during the 11-days of fighting with Israel in May.''

<br><br>

<br><br>

2. <b>Both wrap their jihadi bigoted butchery in "anti occupation" cloth</b>:

2. '''Both wrap their jihadi bigoted butchery in "anti occupation" cloth''':

<br><br>

<br><br>

'Hamas says Taliban takeover proves Palestinians 'will achieve victory,'' i24NEWS, August 16, 2021. [https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/1629119521-hamas-says-taliban-takeover-proves-palestinians-will-achieve-victory]

'Hamas says Taliban takeover proves Palestinians 'will achieve victory,'' i24NEWS, August 16, 2021. [https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/1629119521-hamas-says-taliban-takeover-proves-palestinians-will-achieve-victory]

<br><br>

<br><br>

3. <b>Both love using human shields</b>.

3. '''Both love using human shields'''.

<br><br>

<br><br>

Orde Kittrie: "Help NATO by Holding Hamas Accountable for Terrorist War Crimes." May 19, 2021. [https://nationalinterest.org/feature/help-nato-holding-hamas-accountable-terrorist-war-crimes-185581]

Orde Kittrie: "Help NATO by Holding Hamas Accountable for Terrorist War Crimes." May 19, 2021. [https://nationalinterest.org/feature/help-nato-holding-hamas-accountable-terrorist-war-crimes-185581]

'Civilians say Taliban use of human shields shows weakness, cruelty.' Dec. 12, 2018. [https://afghanistan.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_st/features/2018/12/12/feature-02]</blockquote></ref>

'Civilians say Taliban use of human shields shows weakness, cruelty.' Dec. 12, 2018. [https://afghanistan.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_st/features/2018/12/12/feature-02]</blockquote></ref>

[[Pakistan]]i Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the Taliban saying they "broke the chains of slavery in the country". <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYoH378Ju_Y</ref>

[[Pakistan]]i Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the Taliban saying they "broke the chains of slavery in the country".<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYoH378Ju_Y</ref>

Just a few days later, the Pakistani Army held a meet and greet with the Taliban at the Torkham border crossing where they took selfies with each other. <ref>https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/pakistan-news/pakistan-army-and-taliban-show-true-colours-hold-meet-and-greet-and-selfie-session-at-border.html</ref>

Just a few days later, the Pakistani Army held a meet and greet with the Taliban at the Torkham border crossing where they took selfies with each other.<ref>https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/pakistan-news/pakistan-army-and-taliban-show-true-colours-hold-meet-and-greet-and-selfie-session-at-border.html</ref>

[[Qatar]]'s Al-Jazzera also celebrated Taliban rise as a win for Islamic "nation."<ref>[https://www.memri.org/reports/al-jazeera-reporters-celebrate-taliban-victory-us-defeat-historic-triumph-islamic-ummah Al-Jazeera Reporters Celebrate 'Taliban Victory', 'U.S. Defeat' As Historic Triumph For Islamic Ummah], Memri, August 18, 2021.

[[Qatar]]'s Al-Jazzera also celebrated Taliban rise as a win for Islamic "nation."<ref>[https://www.memri.org/reports/al-jazeera-reporters-celebrate-taliban-victory-us-defeat-historic-triumph-islamic-ummah Al-Jazeera Reporters Celebrate 'Taliban Victory', 'U.S. Defeat' As Historic Triumph For Islamic Ummah], Memri, August 18, 2021.

====Fall of Kabul 2021====

====Fall of Kabul 2021====

:{{See also|Biden/Harris foreign policy|Rape jihad}}

:{{See also|Biden/Harris foreign policy|Rape jihad}}

[[File:Kabul 2021.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Biden/Harris withdrawl during the [[Rape of Afghanistan]].]]

[[File:Kabul 2021.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Biden/Harris withdrawal during the [[Rape of Afghanistan]].]]

On July 8, 2021, [[Joe Biden]] said from the White House, "I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more competent in terms of conducting war."<ref>https://freebeacon.com/national-security/bidens-afghanistan-predictions-were-all-wrong/</ref> The same month the [[U.S. Defense Department]] said it was providing the Afghan Air Force 35 Black Hawk helicopters and three A-29 Super Tucanos. The United States spent $83 billion equipping and training the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), including $10 billion in aircraft and vehicles.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/us-spent-83-billion-training-afghan-forces-why-did-they-collapse-so-quickly/184529/</ref> Less than a month after Biden's statement, several Black Hawks helicopters and other aircraft were seized by the Taliban.  Many of the aircraft and helicopters are armed.  These A-29 Super Tucanos can fire [[laser]]-guided and other types of bombs. The Afghan government also had 50 American-made MD-530 attack helicopters, which are armed with machine guns and rockets. The Afghan Air Force had UH-60 Black Hawks and Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, as well as C-130 and Cessna transports, and a small fleet of armed Cessnas.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/taliban-captured-helicopters-can-they-capture-air-force/184525/</ref>

On July 8, 2021, [[Joe Biden]] said from the White House, "I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more competent in terms of conducting war."<ref>https://freebeacon.com/national-security/bidens-afghanistan-predictions-were-all-wrong/</ref> The same month the [[U.S. Defense Department]] said it was providing the Afghan Air Force 35 Black Hawk helicopters and three A-29 Super Tucanos. The United States spent $83 billion equipping and training the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), including $10 billion in aircraft and vehicles.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/us-spent-83-billion-training-afghan-forces-why-did-they-collapse-so-quickly/184529/</ref> Less than a month after Biden's statement, several Black Hawks helicopters and other aircraft were seized by the Taliban.  Many of the aircraft and helicopters are armed.  These A-29 Super Tucanos can fire [[laser]]-guided and other types of bombs. The Afghan government also had 50 American-made MD-530 attack helicopters, which are armed with machine guns and rockets. The Afghan Air Force had UH-60 Black Hawks and Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, as well as C-130 and Cessna transports, and a small fleet of armed Cessnas.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/taliban-captured-helicopters-can-they-capture-air-force/184525/</ref>

Once inside the city, the Taliban had all the records with names of everyone who served in the Ktah Khas (KKA) or Afghan Special Forces, and began a house-to-house search for them.<ref>https://therightscoop.com/sheer-terror-in-kabul-taliban-now-going-door-to-door-looking-for-afghans-who-fought-alongside-us-military/</ref>  The KKA counter-terrorism experts who were trained by and fought alongside Americans suffered the same fate others did in the provinces, and were summarily executed.<ref>https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/07/graphic-video-shows-taliban-reportedly-executed-surrendering-afghan-special-forces-troops/</ref>

Once inside the city, the Taliban had all the records with names of everyone who served in the Ktah Khas (KKA) or Afghan Special Forces, and began a house-to-house search for them.<ref>https://therightscoop.com/sheer-terror-in-kabul-taliban-now-going-door-to-door-looking-for-afghans-who-fought-alongside-us-military/</ref>  The KKA counter-terrorism experts who were trained by and fought alongside Americans suffered the same fate others did in the provinces, and were summarily executed.<ref>https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/07/graphic-video-shows-taliban-reportedly-executed-surrendering-afghan-special-forces-troops/</ref>

While the Biden regime did not inform the U.S. Afghan allies it was abandoning Bagram Airbase,<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9758175/US-left-Afghan-airfield-night-didnt-tell-new-commander.html</ref> Army Gen. Chris Donohue, commander of the 82nd Airborne, did inform the Taliban commander whom he had been coordinating with on August 30, 2021 that the Biden regime was abandoning the Kabul airport, according to CENTCOM commander Gen. Frank McKenzie.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/inside-final-hours-kabul-airport/184975/</ref>  Donohue had refused entry to the airport of American citizens with passports to leave Afghanistan.<ref>https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/services/files/84E1CBFE-B7F5-4E89-87E4-0823EDEA28E4</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/newsmax/status/1431018570822062081</ref><ref>https://www.dailywire.com/news/retired-marine-says-hundreds-of-their-rescued-orphans-christians-turned-away-by-u-s-military-ended-up-in-hands-of-the-taliban</ref><ref>https://dailycaller.com/2021/08/30/ron-johnson-american-citizens-blocked-kabul-airport-state-department/</ref>  This was done with the full knowledge of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. [[Mark Milley]].<ref>https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2021-08/YonEmailToMajorRedacted.pdf</ref>

While the Biden regime did not inform the U.S. Afghan allies it was abandoning Bagram Airbase,<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9758175/US-left-Afghan-airfield-night-didnt-tell-new-commander.html</ref> Army Gen. Chris Donohue, commander of the 82nd Airborne, did inform the Taliban commander whom he had been coordinating with on August 30, 2021, that the Biden regime was abandoning the Kabul airport, according to CENTCOM commander Gen. Frank McKenzie.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/inside-final-hours-kabul-airport/184975/</ref>  Donohue had refused entry to the airport of American citizens with passports to leave Afghanistan.<ref>https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/services/files/84E1CBFE-B7F5-4E89-87E4-0823EDEA28E4</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/newsmax/status/1431018570822062081</ref><ref>https://www.dailywire.com/news/retired-marine-says-hundreds-of-their-rescued-orphans-christians-turned-away-by-u-s-military-ended-up-in-hands-of-the-taliban</ref><ref>https://dailycaller.com/2021/08/30/ron-johnson-american-citizens-blocked-kabul-airport-state-department/</ref>  This was done with the full knowledge of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. [[Mark Milley]].<ref>https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2021-08/YonEmailToMajorRedacted.pdf</ref>

Just the week before, Harris broke into a bizarre cackle when reporters asked about the early stages of the Afghan crisis. And that's hardly her only nails-on-chalkboard moment.</blockquote></ref>

Just the week before, Harris broke into a bizarre cackle when reporters asked about the early stages of the Afghan crisis. And that's hardly her only nails-on-chalkboard moment.</blockquote></ref>

A bombshell leaked transcript showed that on July 23, 2021, Biden pressured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to create the “perception” that the Taliban weren’t winning, “whether it’s true or not,” in a phone call just three weeks before the insurgents seized control of the country.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2021/09/01/biden-pressured-ghani-to-create-perception-taliban-wasnt-winning/ Biden pressured Ghani to create ‘perception’ Taliban weren’t winning] Emily Crane, NYPost, September 1, 2021.

A bombshell leaked transcript showed that on July 23, 2021, Biden pressured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to create the “perception” that the Taliban weren't winning, “whether it’s true or not,” in a phone call just three weeks before the insurgents seized control of the country.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2021/09/01/biden-pressured-ghani-to-create-perception-taliban-wasnt-winning/ Biden pressured Ghani to create ‘perception’ Taliban weren’t winning] Emily Crane, NYPost, September 1, 2021.

<blockquote>

<blockquote>

President Biden pressured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to create the “perception” that the Taliban weren’t winning, “whether it’s true or not,” in a phone call just three weeks before the insurgents seized control of the country, a bombshell leaked transcript shows.

President Biden pressured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to create the “perception” that the Taliban weren’t winning, “whether it’s true or not,” in a phone call just three weeks before the insurgents seized control of the country, a bombshell leaked transcript shows.

“I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban,” Biden said.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/01/biden-pushed-afghanistan-president-project-different-picture/5679373001/ Biden pushed Afghanistan president to 'project a different picture' weeks before Taliban takeover] Joey Garrison, AP,  USA Today, Sep 1, 2021.

“I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban,” Biden said.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/01/biden-pushed-afghanistan-president-project-different-picture/5679373001/ Biden pushed Afghanistan president to 'project a different picture' weeks before Taliban takeover] Joey Garrison, AP,  USA Today, Sep 1, 2021.

<i>Less than four weeks before the fall of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden urged Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani to demonstrate a more capable military defense to change the "perception" as the Taliban made significant gains.</i></ref>

''Less than four weeks before the fall of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden urged Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani to demonstrate a more capable military defense to change the "perception" as the Taliban made significant gains.''</ref>

Biden was called 'Feckless, dementia-ridden piece of crap' by mom of slain Marine.<ref>[https://breaking911.com/president-biden-called-feckless-dementia-ridden-piece-of-crap-by-mom-of-slain-marine/ President Biden Called ‘Feckless, Dementia-Ridden Piece Of Crap’ By Mom Of Slain Marine] B911, August 29, 2021.

Biden was called 'Feckless, dementia-ridden piece of crap' by mom of slain Marine.<ref>[https://breaking911.com/president-biden-called-feckless-dementia-ridden-piece-of-crap-by-mom-of-slain-marine/ President Biden Called ‘Feckless, Dementia-Ridden Piece Of Crap’ By Mom Of Slain Marine] B911, August 29, 2021.

“You just killed my son with a dementia-ridden piece of crap who doesn’t even know he’s in the White House. He still thinks he’s a senator.”</blockquote></ref>

“You just killed my son with a dementia-ridden piece of crap who doesn’t even know he’s in the White House. He still thinks he’s a senator.”</blockquote></ref>

During ceremony for dead marines, Biden  appeared to look at his watch.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-slammed-for-appearing-to-look-at-his-watch-during-memorial-service-for-dead-marines Biden slammed for appearing to look at his watch during ceremony for dead Marines]Tyler O'Neil, Fox News, Aug 29, 2021</ref>

During ceremony for dead marines, Biden  appeared to look at his watch.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-slammed-for-appearing-to-look-at-his-watch-during-memorial-service-for-dead-marines Biden slammed for appearing to look at his watch during ceremony for dead Marines] Tyler O'Neil, Fox News, Aug 29, 2021</ref>

Rep. Michael Waltz said that Joe Biden gave all of US bases away in Afghanistan.

Rep. Michael Waltz said that Joe Biden gave all of US bases away in Afghanistan.

Biden told [[George Stephanopoulos]] the same morning that "one of the things we didn't know is what the Taliban would do in terms of trying to keep people from getting out, what they would do. What are they doing now? They're cooperating, letting American citizens get out, American personnel get out, embassies get out, et cetera.<ref>https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/full-transcript-abc-news-george-stephanopoulos-interview-president/story?id=79535643</ref>

Biden told [[George Stephanopoulos]] the same morning that "one of the things we didn't know is what the Taliban would do in terms of trying to keep people from getting out, what they would do. What are they doing now? They're cooperating, letting American citizens get out, American personnel get out, embassies get out, et cetera.<ref>https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/full-transcript-abc-news-george-stephanopoulos-interview-president/story?id=79535643</ref>

On August 19, 2921 [[VOA]] announced Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani had been placed in charge of security around the Kabul airport.<ref>https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/hardline-haqqani-network-put-charge-kabul-security</ref>  On August 22, 2021, Haqqani told ''Al Jazeera'', “all Afghans” should feel safe under their Islamic Emirate, and that a “general amnesty” has been granted across the nation’s 34 provinces.  "If we can defeat superpowers, surely we can provide safety to the Afghan people," said Haqqani, "All of those people who left this country, we will assure them of their safety," Haqqani went on. "You’re all welcome back in Afghanistan."<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/22/all-afghans-should-feel-safe-under-taliban-says-security-chief</ref>  The [[Haqqani network]] was already executing civilians and former members of the Afghan National Army, according to the [[United Nations]].<ref>https://www.euronews.com/2021/08/24/un-has-credible-reports-of-summary-executions-of-civilians-by-taliban</ref>

On August 19, 2921 [[VOA]] announced Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani had been placed in charge of security around the Kabul airport.<ref>https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/hardline-haqqani-network-put-charge-kabul-security</ref>  On August 22, 2021, Haqqani told ''Al Jazeera'', “all Afghans” should feel safe under their Islamic Emirate, and that a “general amnesty” has been granted across the nation's 34 provinces.  "If we can defeat superpowers, surely we can provide safety to the Afghan people," said Haqqani, "All of those people who left this country, we will assure them of their safety," Haqqani went on. "You’re all welcome back in Afghanistan."<ref>https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/22/all-afghans-should-feel-safe-under-taliban-says-security-chief</ref>  The [[Haqqani network]] was already executing civilians and former members of the Afghan National Army, according to the [[United Nations]].<ref>https://www.euronews.com/2021/08/24/un-has-credible-reports-of-summary-executions-of-civilians-by-taliban</ref>

On August 26, 2021, after days of heightened alert from intelligence,<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/afghanistan-again-becomes-a-cradle-for-jihadism-and-al-qaeda Afghanistan, Again, Becomes a Cradle for Jihadism—and Al Qaeda], Robin Wright, New Yorker, Aug 23, 2021.

On August 26, 2021, after days of heightened alert from intelligence,<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/afghanistan-again-becomes-a-cradle-for-jihadism-and-al-qaeda Afghanistan, Again, Becomes a Cradle for Jihadism—and Al Qaeda], Robin Wright, New Yorker, Aug 23, 2021.

AS THE AUGUST 31st deadline to conclude the evacuation of Afghanistan loomed, the drumbeat of warnings grew louder. On August 24th President Joe Biden warned of an “acute and growing risk” of a terrorist attack, by the local branch of Islamic State (IS), against Kabul’s airport, thronged by thousands of Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban’s rule. On August 25th several governments told their nationals to keep away from the airport. On August 26th a British minister warned that intelligence pointed to “a very imminent, highly lethal attack”. Alas, it came later that afternoon.</blockquote></ref> a rival<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58333533 Afghanistan crisis: Who are Isis-K?], Frank Gardner, BBC, Aug 26, 2021</ref><ref>[https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/who-isisk-is-and-why-they-dont-fight-with-the-taliban/news-story/69106828fa3b7e81f9afd5cad6bd0ea8 Who ISIS-K is and why they don't fight with the Taliban], Charles Miranda, Herald Sun, Aug 27, 2021.

AS THE AUGUST 31st deadline to conclude the evacuation of Afghanistan loomed, the drumbeat of warnings grew louder. On August 24th President Joe Biden warned of an “acute and growing risk” of a terrorist attack, by the local branch of Islamic State (IS), against Kabul’s airport, thronged by thousands of Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban’s rule. On August 25th several governments told their nationals to keep away from the airport. On August 26th a British minister warned that intelligence pointed to “a very imminent, highly lethal attack”. Alas, it came later that afternoon.</blockquote></ref> a rival<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58333533 Afghanistan crisis: Who are Isis-K?], Frank Gardner, BBC, Aug 26, 2021</ref><ref>[https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/who-isisk-is-and-why-they-dont-fight-with-the-taliban/news-story/69106828fa3b7e81f9afd5cad6bd0ea8 Who ISIS-K is and why they don't fight with the Taliban], Charles Miranda, Herald Sun, Aug 27, 2021.

<i>ISIS-K, a splinter group of ISIS from Syria, was created in 2015 from disgruntled Afghan Taliban fighters and militants from Pakistan.</i></ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/isisk-afghanistan-bombing/2021/08/26/436a65fc-06a6-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html ISIS-K, the group behind the Kabul airport attack, sees both Taliban and the U.S. as enemies], Hannah Allam and Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, Aug 27, 2021.

''ISIS-K, a splinter group of ISIS from Syria, was created in 2015 from disgruntled Afghan Taliban fighters and militants from Pakistan.''</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/isisk-afghanistan-bombing/2021/08/26/436a65fc-06a6-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html ISIS-K, the group behind the Kabul airport attack, sees both Taliban and the U.S. as enemies], Hannah Allam and Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, Aug 27, 2021.

<i>

<i>

The group’s rivalry with the Taliban is a microcosm of the competition between al-Qaeda and its more radical spinoff, the Islamic State, analysts say. There are generational and doctrinal splits between the groups, with the Islamic State brand more popular with militants in recent years because it managed to capture territory and create a short-lived extremist fiefdom that spanned Iraq and Syria.</i></ref> --to Taliban-- jihadi Islamofascistic<ref>[https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/eurasia-will-pay-afghanistan%E2%80%99s-descent-islamofascism-192346 Eurasia Will Pay for Afghanistan’s Descent into Islamofascism], Angel Jaramillo Torres, National Interest, August 23, 2021.  

The group’s rivalry with the Taliban is a microcosm of the competition between al-Qaeda and its more radical spinoff, the Islamic State, analysts say. There are generational and doctrinal splits between the groups, with the Islamic State brand more popular with militants in recent years because it managed to capture territory and create a short-lived extremist fiefdom that spanned Iraq and Syria.</i></ref>—to Taliban—jihadi Islamofascistic<ref>[https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/eurasia-will-pay-afghanistan%E2%80%99s-descent-islamofascism-192346 Eurasia Will Pay for Afghanistan’s Descent into Islamofascism], Angel Jaramillo Torres, National Interest, August 23, 2021.  

</ref> group, known as ISIS k attacked<ref name=cnn-bombing/><ref name=economist-bombing/> Kabul airport, murdering at least 12, including at least 13 US serviceman and injuring dozens.<ref name=cnn-bombing>[https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-news-taliban-refugees-08-26-21-intl/index.html At least 13 US service members killed in Kabul airport attack], Rob Picheta, Meg Wagner, Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Veronica Rocha and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN, August 26, 2021</ref>

</ref> group, known as ISIS k attacked<ref name=economist-bombing/><ref name=cnn-bombing/> Kabul airport, murdering at least 12, including at least 13 US serviceman and injuring dozens.<ref name=cnn-bombing>[https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-news-taliban-refugees-08-26-21-intl/index.html At least 13 US service members killed in Kabul airport attack], Rob Picheta, Meg Wagner, Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Veronica Rocha and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN, August 26, 2021</ref>

The masacre increased the fears of intensified jihadism.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-19/why-taliban-triumph-revives-fear-of-al-qaeda-revival-quicktake How Bombing in Kabul Stokes Fear of Jihadi Revival] Lisa Beyer and Sylvia Westall,  Bloomberg, Aug 26, 2021.

The masacre increased the fears of intensified jihadism.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-19/why-taliban-triumph-revives-fear-of-al-qaeda-revival-quicktake How Bombing in Kabul Stokes Fear of Jihadi Revival] Lisa Beyer and Sylvia Westall,  Bloomberg, Aug 26, 2021.

== Government and Political Conditions ==

== Government and Political Conditions ==

[[File:UN Sustainable Development.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Taliban fighter holding a group of women and children against a wall with a UN Sustainable Development poster, August 17, 2021.<ref>https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1427625314935615502</ref>]]

[[File:UN Sustainable Development.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Taliban fighter holding a group of women and children against a wall with a UN Sustainable Development poster, August 17, 2021.<ref>https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1427625314935615502</ref>]]

In early September 2021 during talks in the Presidential Palace over forming a new cabinet, Abdul Ghani Baradar was physically attacked by Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani, a leader of the US terrorist-designated Haqqani Network.  Baradar pushed for an “inclusive” cabinet that included non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities, which would be more acceptable to the rest of the world, the people said.  Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani rose from his chair and began punching Baradar.  Their bodyguards entered the opened fire on each other, killing and wounding a number of them. While Baradar was not injured and left Kabul for Kandahar to speak with Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, effectively the Taliban’s spiritual head.<ref>https://indianexpress.com/article/world/taliban-shootout-in-palace-sidelines-abdul-ghani-baradar-7517401/</ref>

In early September 2021 during talks in the Presidential Palace over forming a new cabinet, Abdul Ghani Baradar was physically attacked by Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani, a leader of the US terrorist-designated Haqqani Network.  Baradar pushed for an “inclusive” cabinet that included non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities, which would be more acceptable to the rest of the world, the people said.  Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani rose from his chair and began punching Baradar.  Their bodyguards entered the opened fire on each other, killing and wounding a number of them. While Baradar was not injured and left Kabul for Kandahar to speak with Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, effectively the Taliban's spiritual head.<ref>https://indianexpress.com/article/world/taliban-shootout-in-palace-sidelines-abdul-ghani-baradar-7517401/</ref>

=== Principal Government Officials ===

=== Principal Government Officials ===

==== Pakistan ====

==== Pakistan ====

The 1978 Marxist coup strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan took the lead diplomatically in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in opposing the Soviet occupation. During the war against the Soviet occupation, Pakistan served as the primary logistical conduit for the Afghan resistance. Pakistan initially developed close ties to the Taliban regime, and extended recognition in 1997. Pakistan dramatically altered its policy after September 11, 2001 by closing its border and downgrading its ties. Afghanistan and Pakistan are engaged in dialogue to resolve these bilateral issues.  

The 1978 Marxist coup strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan took the lead diplomatically in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in opposing the Soviet occupation. During the war against the Soviet occupation, Pakistan served as the primary logistical conduit for the Afghan resistance. Pakistan initially developed close ties to the Taliban regime, and extended recognition in 1997. Pakistan dramatically altered its policy after September 11, 2001, by closing its border and downgrading its ties. Afghanistan and Pakistan are engaged in dialogue to resolve these bilateral issues.  

====Iran====

====Iran====

A United Nations Security Council report confirmed that ETIM, apart from basing itself out of Afghanistan, is also pursuing a transnational agenda.

A United Nations Security Council report confirmed that ETIM, apart from basing itself out of Afghanistan, is also pursuing a transnational agenda.

The Taliban has pledged to actively support the CCP's [[Belt and Road Initiative]].  In 2008, a Chinese corporation won a $3-billion tender to develop the Mes Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan, one of the world’s largest.  In 2011, a Chinese company won the right to develop an oil field in Amu Darya.  Afghanistan is also home to some of the world’s largest rare earth deposits.

The Taliban has pledged to actively support the CCP's [[Belt and Road Initiative]].  In 2008, a Chinese corporation won a $3-billion tender to develop the Mes Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan, one of the world's largest.  In 2011, a Chinese company won the right to develop an oil field in Amu Darya.  Afghanistan is also home to some of the world's largest rare earth deposits.

====UN Efforts====

====UN Efforts====

The U.S. supported the emergence of a broad-based government, representative of all Afghans and encouraged a UN role in the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan. <!--Today, the U.S. is assisting the Afghan people as they rebuild their country and establish a representative government that contributes to regional stability, is market friendly, and respects human rights. In May 2005, President Bush and President Karzai concluded a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship.-->

The U.S. supported the emergence of a broad-based government, representative of all Afghans and encouraged a UN role in the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan. <!--Today, the U.S. is assisting the Afghan people as they rebuild their country and establish a representative government that contributes to regional stability, is market friendly, and respects human rights. In May 2005, President Bush and President Karzai concluded a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship.-->

According to Trump-era [[Secretary of Defense]] Christopher Miller as reported by ''Defense One'',<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2021/08/trumps-pledge-exit-afghanistan-was-ruse-his-final-secdef-says/184660/</ref> [[President Trump]] never intended to fully withdraw from Afghanistan, but rather leave behind a counterterrorism force of 800-850 at Bagram Airforce base.

According to Trump-era [[Secretary of Defense]] Christopher Miller as reported by ''Defense One'',<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2021/08/trumps-pledge-exit-afghanistan-was-ruse-his-final-secdef-says/184660/</ref> [[President Trump]] never intended to fully withdraw from Afghanistan, but rather leave behind a counterterrorism force of 800–850 at Bagram Airforce base.

{{quotebox-float|"We did plenty of wargames on this and we knew what the minimal force structure was,” he said this week. “The number was 800. If this all goes bad, what is the minimal force structure needed to maintain [counterterrorism] strike and reconnaissance capability? We can do it for 800, 850.”  

{{quotebox-float|"We did plenty of wargames on this and we knew what the minimal force structure was,” he said this week. “The number was 800. If this all goes bad, what is the minimal force structure needed to maintain [counterterrorism] strike and reconnaissance capability? We can do it for 800, 850.”  

== People ==

== People ==

[[File:Afghan girls.jpg|right|350px|thumb|]]

[[File:Afghan girls.jpg|right|350px|thumb]]

Afghanistan's ethnically and linguistically mixed population reflects its location astride historic trade and invasion routes leading from Central Asia into South and Southwest Asia. While population data is somewhat unreliable for Afghanistan, Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group at 38-44% of the population, followed by Tajiks (25%), Hazaras (10%), Uzbek (6-8%), Aimaq, Turkmen, Baluch, and other small groups. Dari (Afghan Farsi) and Pashto are official languages. Dari is spoken by more than one-third of the population as a first language and serves as a lingua franca for most Afghans, though Pashto is spoken throughout the Pashtun areas of eastern and southern Afghanistan. Tajik and Turkic languages are spoken widely in the north. Smaller groups throughout the country also speak more than 70 other languages and numerous dialects.  

Afghanistan's ethnically and linguistically mixed population reflects its location astride historic trade and invasion routes leading from Central Asia into South and Southwest Asia. While population data is somewhat unreliable for Afghanistan, Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group at 38-44% of the population, followed by Tajiks (25%), Hazaras (10%), Uzbek (6-8%), Aimaq, Turkmen, Baluch, and other small groups. Dari (Afghan Farsi) and Pashto are official languages. Dari is spoken by more than one-third of the population as a first language and serves as a lingua franca for most Afghans, though Pashto is spoken throughout the Pashtun areas of eastern and southern Afghanistan. Tajik and Turkic languages are spoken widely in the north. Smaller groups throughout the country also speak more than 70 other languages and numerous dialects.  

==Economy==

==Economy==

[[File:Afghan RCD.gif|right|250px|thumb|]]

[[File:Afghan RCD.gif|right|250px|thumb]]

In the 1930s, Afghanistan embarked on a modest economic development program. The government founded banks; introduced paper money; established a university; expanded primary, secondary, and technical schools; and sent students abroad for education.  

In the 1930s, Afghanistan embarked on a modest economic development program. The government founded banks; introduced paper money; established a university; expanded primary, secondary, and technical schools; and sent students abroad for education.