Afghanistan: Taliban take 10th provincial capital as Ghazni falls

[Nearly Sane]

The song remains the same


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58184202

[Nearly Sane]

And as Kabul falls



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58219114

[Aruntraveller]

Some quotes just don't age well:

"We must ensure that we leave a legacy in the education of women and the security of the people of Afghanistan that is lasting and that endures" - Boris Johnson, March 16 2021.

[Nearly Sane]

Some quotes just don't age well:

Agreed, I think this was one of Johnson saying something too postive about something that was not really under his control. It's the actions of Trump and Biden that led to where we are in a relatively short term view

[Nearly Sane]

Not sure I have ever seen anything quite like this from a govt minister. I feel for him but again it's making promisrex you cannot keep.

[Aruntraveller]

Not sure I have ever seen anything quite like this from a govt minister. I feel for him but again it's making promisrex you cannot keep.

I'm thinking you are talking about Ben Wallace? It is quite extraordinary when you see it.

[Nearly Sane]

I'm thinking you are talking about Ben Wallace? It is quite extraordinary when you see it.

Yes, apologies for  missing the link


https://youtu.be/Gv9l7OtVkEo

[Nearly Sane]

Suzanne Moore on the women of Afghanistan



https://archive.is/T3uRG

[Aruntraveller]

Suzanne Moore on the women of Afghanistan



https://archive.is/T3uRG

It is devastating. I haven't felt so depressed by a foreign policy failure in a long, long time. It is a complete abandonment of our principles.

Biden, I know, has long been opposed to keeping troops in Afghanistan but his haste in pulling the plug (even if the stopper had been eased more than half way out by Trump) is shocking and a part of me wonders if it isn't partly driven by domestic politics. A hell of a way to appeal to Trump supporters. Maybe I'm being too cynical.

Lots of talk about it being different with the Taliban this time, that they will honour the various measures they have entered into via the Doha agreement.

Pissing in the wind.

[Aruntraveller]

And of course not only women at much greater risk:

https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/gay-men-in-taliban-controlled-afghanistan-will-be-crushed-to-death-by-10ft-wall-says-judge/25373/?

[Nearly Sane]

And of course not only women at much greater risk:

https://www.attitude.co.uk/article/gay-men-in-taliban-controlled-afghanistan-will-be-crushed-to-death-by-10ft-wall-says-judge/25373/?

As you said, it's a profoundly depressing policy failure. It looked as if it was going to be a slow car crash, and I wonder if that was the expectation in Washington, and that therefore it wouldn't look as bad. It has, however, been incredibly fast.

[Roses]

What did all those poor UK and US soldiers die for?  Afghanistan has been handed back to the evil Taliban regime, thanks to Trump who started the process beginning to withdraw the US troops. Biden has made a very BIG MISTAKE by going along with it.

Under Taliban rule the way women are treated is worse than evil.

[ad_orientem]

What did all those poor UK and US soldiers die for?  Afghanistan has been handed back to the evil Taliban regime, thanks to Trump who started the process beginning to withdraw the US troops. Biden has made a very BIG MISTAKE by going along with it.

Under Taliban rule the way women are treated is worse than evil.

I kind of agree with Biden. Why would any country put their troops at risk anymore fighting the Taliban when the Afgans themselves can hardly seem bothered to. Of course, the Taliban is a monster the US helped create and so you could argue that they should see it through; but maybe it's just better to say, we're not to going to meddle in the affairs of other countries again.

[SteveH]

Under Taliban rule the way women are treated is worse than evil.

What is worse than evil? Reminds me of that tiresome modern expression "beyond", as in "I'm beyond excited".

[Nearly Sane]

I kind of agree with Biden. Why would any country put their troops at risk anymore fighting the Taliban when the Afgans themselves can hardly seem bothered to. Of course, the Taliban is a monster the US helped create and so you could argue that they should see it through; but maybe it's just better to say, we're not to going to meddle in the affairs of other countries again.

I think the issue with this is the method and the outcome. It looks like s high level of incompetence to have not understood that the Taliban would take over, though it's arguable that Trump's actions ensured that, thereby putting in danger women, children, gay people. And also not understanding that it would happen so fast that it would put in danger US and UK citizens, and all the people we might have offered refuge to like those who worked as interpreters.

[Aruntraveller]

What is worse than evil? Reminds me of that tiresome modern expression "beyond", as in "I'm beyond excited".

I knew a pedant would be along, as I had to restrain myself from making a similar comment 

I always thought ecstatic was beyond excited.

Seriously though, Roses was just trying to emphasise how very bad it is going to be for women in this situation.

[Udayana]

What did all those poor UK and US soldiers die for?  Afghanistan has been handed back to the evil Taliban regime, thanks to Trump who started the process beginning to withdraw the US troops. Biden has made a very BIG MISTAKE by going along with it.

Under Taliban rule the way women are treated is worse than evil.

The numbers of dead UK and US soldiers seems almost insignificant compared to the number of Afghani soldiers killed fighting the Taliban, estimated at over 65,000.

According to this op from the Guardian the problem was that Ghani wanted to fight on, with US backing, rather than come to terms with the Taliban and form an interim joint government. That everything would crumble days after the Americans announced they were leaving reflects a major misjudgement by Biden.
     
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/16/taliban-afghanistan-rule-hardline-coalition-powers

[Nearly Sane]

Incredibly brave


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-58230070

[Nearly Sane]

Suzie Dent on Twitter with one of her customary brutal take downs merely by choosing a word and its definition



https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1427539019580297217?s=19

[Nearly Sane]

Where was Dominic?


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/17/dominic-raab-news-foreign-secretary-taliban-kabul

[Aruntraveller]

Crete. On a beach, apparently.

[Nearly Sane]

Crete. On a beach, apparently.

The idea that this was a complete unknown possibility is baffling. The car had been accerelarating for a couple of months.

[Nearly Sane]

Stonking speech from Tom Tugendhat



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niR_9VacIEE


Idiotic comment from Desmond Swayne


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT47maiEd6I

[Aruntraveller]

Desmond Swayne is a twat.

If I were a gay man in Afghanistan and I had the resources I would be out of their now. I would be running for my life. A shame most of them haven't got the resources.

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/when-we-know-lgbt-people-are-about-to-be-slaughtered-in-afghanistan-our-government-must-act-1155516

Prediction: Our government will, of course, make all the right noises about getting people out to safety and then proceed to put up as many barriers to getting them out as it can.

Gay people won't get out because how do you prove you are gay if you've been hiding it for fear of being found out anyway. I believe this may be a Catch 22 situation.

[Nearly Sane]

I've done daily calls and worked on holiday when I was working on minor IT implementations. But Dom R, not so much


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/19/utterly-shameful-labour-asks-if-dominic-raab-should-stay-after-afghanistan-delays