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Post by the Scribe on Sept 2, 2021 1:53:34 GMT
All we have been hearing on conservative media is how Biden left military equipmen, especially helicopters for the Taliban to use against us. As if the Taliban could even fly them had they worked. Like most conservatives in their country, they will never be able to govern. It is one thing to brutally win a war but another to win the peace through governance and economics. The conservatives in Afghanistan (Taliban) can do neither.Taliban fighters upset, feel betrayed that US military left non-working helicopters: reportwww.yahoo.com/news/taliban-fighters-upset-feel-betrayed-144441957.html
Greg Norman
Wed, September 1, 2021, 7:44 AM
Taliban fighters are feeling angry and betrayed Wednesday after discovering that Afghan National Army helicopters abandoned at Kabul’s airport have been rendered inoperable by departing U.S. troops, according to a report.
An Al Jazeera reporter who toured a hangar on the military side of the airport said in a video that the terrorist group "expected the Americans to leave helicopters like this in one piece for their use."
"When I said to them, ‘why do you think that the Americans would have left everything operational for you’? They said because we believe it is a national asset and we are the government now and this could have come to great use for us," she continued.
TALIBAN SUPPORTERS HOLD MOCK FUNERALS WITH COFFINS DRAPED WITH AMERICAN FLAGS
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday that "we disabled/demilitarized that equipment at Hamid Karzai International Airport prior to our departure."
Meanwhile, the Taliban are hoping to get the commercial side of the airport reopened for flights in the coming days, Al Jazeera reports.
The flight carrying the last American soldier departed Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, marking an end to a nearly 20-year U.S. military presence inside the country.
"There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure," CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said of the closing down of evacuation operations. He acknowledged, "We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out."
In addition to the people left behind in Kabul, McKenzie said the U.S. also left behind equipment such as the C-RAM (counter-artillery, artillery and mortar) system that was used to shoot down rockets, as well as dozens of armored Humvees and some aircraft.
The general added that the equipment had been disabled and in the end none of it was mission capable.
Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed to this report.
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Post by the Scribe on Sept 2, 2021 2:31:55 GMT
Underscoring the ongoing security threats, the weapon systems used just hours earlier to counter IS rockets launched toward the airport were kept operational until “the very last minute” as the final U.S. military aircraft flew out, officials said. One of the last things U.S. troops did was to make the so-called C-RAMS (Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System) inoperable.
McKenzie said they “demilitarized” the system so it can never be used again. Officials said troops did not blow up equipment in order to ensure they left the airport workable for future flights, once those begin again. In addition, McKenzie said the U.S. also disabled 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft so they can never be used again.
www.yahoo.com/news/us-military-leaves-kabul-many-042023898.html
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Post by the Scribe on Sept 2, 2021 2:37:55 GMT
Pentagon 'not concerned' by gloating Taliban seizing abandoned US helicopterswww.yahoo.com/news/pentagon-taliban-fighters-abandoned-us-helicopters-095050149.html
Ross McGuinness
Wed, September 1, 2021, 2:50 AM
A Taliban fighter sits in the cockpit of an Afghan air force aircraft at the airport in Kabul after the US evacuation. (AFP via Getty Images)
The Pentagon has insisted it is not worried about the Taliban seizing abandoned helicopters in Afghanistan following the evacuation of US troops.
Millions of dollars worth of military equipment have been left by American troops as they evacuated Kabul international airport.
Video footage and images show jubilant Taliban fighters with US helicopters left discarded in hangars.
www.yahoo.com/news/taliban-inspect-destroyed-u-planes-210222830.html
The Taliban has celebrated what it has called Afghanistan’s “independence” since the last US troops left the country on Monday.
www.yahoo.com/news/rockets-hit-neighborhood-near-kabul-041419119.html
But US officials have moved to allay fears the helicopters could be used by the Taliban, insisting they have been disabled.
Watch: Taliban inspect disabled US aircraft at Kabul airport
“They can’t fly them,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told CNN.
edition.cnn.com/2021/08/31/asia/taliban-control-kabul-airport-intl/index.html
"We made sure to demilitarise, to make unusable, all the gear that is at the airport.
“All the aircraft, all the ground vehicles. The only thing we left operable are a couple of fire trucks and some forklifts so that the airport itself can remain more operational going forward.
"So I think we're not overly concerned about these images of them walking around.
"We did everything we could to make sure that equipment couldn't be used by them going forward.”
A Taliban member looks up standing next to a damaged helicopter at the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021, after the US has pulled all its troops out of the country to end a brutal 20-year war -- one that started and ended with the hardline Islamist in power. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Taliban leaders said on Wednesday they intend to restore damage done to Kabul airport by western forces.
Senior Taliban leader Anas Haqqani told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that the facility's operations would also resume.
The U.S. and its allies left behind aircraft and military equipment during their evacuation, but rendered much of it inoperable to prevent others from using the gear.
The Turkish government has also said that runways, towers, and terminals, including those in the civilian side of the airport, were damaged and that these needed to be repaired.
Haqqani is a Taliban commander and senior leader of the Haqqani Network militant group.
The network, based on the border with Pakistan, was accused over recent years of some of the most deadly militant attacks in Afghanistan.
Anas Haqqani, center right, claimed western forces damaged Kabul airport during their evacuation. (Getty)
On Sunday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken denied claims the US gave the Taliban a “kill list” of people who needed to be evacuated from Afghanistan.
www.yahoo.com/news/antony-blinken-denies-us-gave-021359970.html
He told NBC's Meet The Press: "The idea that we've done anything to put at further risk those that we're trying to help leave the country is simply wrong.
www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-august-29-2021-n1277894
“And the idea that we shared lists of Americans or others with the Taliban is simply wrong.”
Politico reported last week that US military had provided a list of American citizens and green card holders and Afghan allies that they wanted to evacuate, which a number of officials said could result in the Taliban creating a “kill list”.
www.politico.com/news/2021/08/26/us-officials-provided-taliban-with-names-of-americans-afghan-allies-to-evacuate-506957
American troops abandoned 73 aircraft and almost 100 vehicles as they pulled out of Afghanistan ahead of the 31 August deadline set by US president Joe Biden.
The aircraft left behind included MD-530 helicopters, used for close attack and reconnaissance, and A-29 light attack planes.
Seven CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters, used to evacuate US embassy staff, have also been abandoned.
The cost of just one A-29 has been estimated at more than $10m (£7.3m).
The US said 70 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) were also disabled and left behind – one costs between $500,000 and $1m.
A further 27 military Humvees were also abandoned.
However, most of the 167 aircraft, including Black Hawk helicopters, that had been used by the Afghan armed forces at the end of June are now under Taliban control.
On Tuesday, Biden defended the US pullout, saying: "I was not going to extend this forever war, and I was not extending a forever exit.
www.yahoo.com/news/joe-biden-defends-leaving-afghanistan-202925786.html
“The war in Afghanistan is now over.
“We succeeded in what we set out to do in Afghanistan over a decade ago – and we stayed another decade.”
TOPSHOT - Taliban fighters sit in the cockpit of an Afghan Air Force aircraft at the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021, after the US has pulled all its troops out of the country to end a brutal 20-year war -- one that started and ended with the hardline Islamist in power. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)
A Taliban fighter (L) takes a picture of a damaged Afghan Air Forces MD 530 helicopter with his mobile phone near the hangar at the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021, after the US has pulled all its troops out of the country to end a brutal 20-year war -- one that started and ended with the hardline Islamist in power. (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)
The Home Office announced on Wednesday that Afghans who worked with the British government and military will be able to move to the UK permanently.
www.yahoo.com/news/afghans-helped-britain-indefinite-leave-230100972.html
The plan, dubbed Operation Warm Welcome, will help Afghans rebuild their lives in the UK.
The UK has already evacuated more than 15,000 people since 13 August.
More than 100 councils have come forward to help families find homes, with more than 2,000 places already confirmed, the Home Office said.
Boris Johnson said: “We owe an immense debt to those who worked with the armed forces in Afghanistan and I am determined that we give them and their families the support they need to rebuild their lives here in the UK.”
Watch: Helicopters destroyed by US troops before evacuating Kabul
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