Explosion at kabul Airport

[Meltinthemiddle]

Just absolutely devastated for all those people. I could cry for them. Not sure of the extent of damage.

@Amboseli

This is just so horrific, I hope Biden can't sleep at night but somehow I think he'll sleep just fine.

He's probably forgotten already

I’ve just turned the tv on after seeing this post. So awful. I know it was predicted to happen today. So saddening.

Biden has supported troop withdrawal from Afghanistan for years though. He agreed with Trump. He can’t escape criticism and blame for this tragedy.

This was on the cards though and everyone knew the Taliban would take over, which is why Trump “negotiated” the withdrawal with the Taliban last year in Quatar, not with the Afghan government.

The poor citizens.

And with all the blame going around at the west, one must remember the perps here... And the radical religious extremism

@AlternativePerspective

Actually no I don’t think that they could have predicted it would all kick off this soon.

And I’m not sure what the answer was. We can’t stay there for ever, and the Afghans want the Taliban in power, regardless of what we think.

As for terrorism in the UK, no I’m not remotely concerned about that. There was far more likely to be terrorist attacks here when it was easier for Afghans to enter than now when we’re in charge of the operation for them to come in. And we have enough home grown terrorists already, iyswim.

You can’t say “The Afghans want the Taliban in power”. Some might, but not all. Quite a few are desperate enough not to be in their country with the Taliban in power that they clung to the side of a plane taking off, or to hand their baby to a stranger over a barbed wire fence, or crawl through a sewage pipe to try and get on a plane.

And they are only the actions of those present in Kabul who are trying to escape that way and don’t include all the others who are trying to keep quiet and survive in the rest of the country.

They disagree on some pretty fundamental issues

I know i could probably google this but if you could put it simply what issues in particular

Alternative, actually, "yes", many generals and officials did try and suggest how quickly this could crumble and its been reported that Biden is running an autocracy where people can't speak freely.

Biden will fuck up everything else so watch and see. He is a liability and so is Harris.

How very sad. Those poor people - this must be living hell for them.

Is Laurie Bristow still there? He was up until 4 days ago but I haven't seen anything since

@RufustheBadgeringReindeer

They disagree on some pretty fundamental issues

I know i could probably google this but if you could put it simply what issues in particular

I'm far from an expert, especially on Islamic theology, but as I understand it, they have different aims. The Taliban doesn't want to expand power/territory further than Afghanistan, ISIS want to create a worldwide caliphate under Sharia law. The Taliban, IIRC, denounced ISIS for being too extreme a few years ago.

@RufustheBadgeringReindeer

They disagree on some pretty fundamental issues

I know i could probably google this but if you could put it simply what issues in particular

The Taliban are not 'global jihadists' like al Qaeda and Islamic State, they are fundamentalist Islamists focused on building an Islamic state in Afghanistan (not a regional or global caliphate like AQ and IS). So there are ideological/religious differences.

IS disapproves of Taliban negotiating with the government or the US, sees them as a front for Pakistan. Now they are saying the Taliban must be in league with the US, otherwise the US would never have let them take over the country.

On the ground, IS has been in direct competition with the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

Anyway it's the Taliban's problem now. The war is not over, it's just a new phase of the civil war that's been going on since 1979.

Thank you very much tartan and dreaming

Well, I suppose there's a small mercy in that Biden's threat of 'devastating force' if evacuation interfered with was squarely aimed at the Taliban

www.firstpost.com/world/will-respond-with-devastating-force-if-taliban-interferes-with-us-evacuation-operations-warns-biden-9891561.html

and the early signs are that this was ISIS-K

AFAIK, the Ambassador and the team processing those seeking evacuation remain in Kabul

Taliban, isis etc all indulge in gratuitous violence.
All pointless shoe horned into the facade of religion.

Yes exactly @TartanJumper the Taliban have a close relationship with AQ (which is a huge concern) but the Taliban themselves are not going to launch terrorist attacks in the US or Europe. They're really just concerned with Afghanistan.

This is the underlying rationale for the US leaving. The Taliban themselves are not a threat to US security per se, if they can be convinced to keep AQ on a short leash, then the US can live with them (the same way they live with other repressive regimes like the Saudis etc.) Of course it remains to be seen if this will happen.

Not saying I necessarily agree with withdrawal but that's the realpolitik thinking underlying it.

Sadly the news this morning made it clear that this could happen at any time. Many of the EU countries have already suspended their evacuations or stated that they will end within 48 hours. I wonder now how long it will be viable for the UK and the US to continue in these conditions. We need to pull our consular staff and our troops out before the situation deteriorates further.

Count back - entirely hypothetical, but thinking about what needs to be done

US last military turn thee lights out and leave out on 31 Aug

Last UK troops out 30th

UK troops start to leave, plus diplomats, journalists and any remaining Brits from other organisations 29th

Brits/dual nationals from NGOs and contractors - 28th

As many Afghans at risk as possible - 27th - tomorrow

@MyGrassIsBrowner @OhSmellyCatSmellyCat
I will join you with that too

The prisons are now emptying. Militants appear to be releasing prisoners

Guess there's no staff to look after them.

Absolutely dreadful

This is horrifying. I've been thinking about all those women in Afganistan who had to stop working for their safety, and now this. It all seems to be happening so quickly.

Horrific. But inevitable.

I can't even watch the news anymore, makes me feel sick looking at their smirking faces with their automatic weapons.

@gardeninggirl68

The prisons are now emptying. Militants appear to be releasing prisoners

Guess there's no staff to look after them.

Wow that's bad

Reports that 4 US marines killed in the blast. This will be viewed in America as complete exhoneration for Biden's plan to be out by the end of the month.
With some justification now I feel.