Maybe that Marine can make his way to some of Massoud's forces. The Northern Alliance is probably going to start infiltrating Kabul soon. It would be very hard to detect them.

He holds the keys to gitmo, among other "assets"

It's RT but FWIW:

Quote:

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A Ukrainian plane that was supposed to evacuate the country's citizens from Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul was hijacked by unknown assailants and, instead, took a different load of passengers to Iran.

The incident, which happened last week, was revealed by Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin, speaking to the Western-funded Hromadske TV on Monday.

"Our plane was hijacked," Yenin explained. "Last Tuesday, we actually had our plane stolen it flew to Iran with an unknown group of passengers on board, instead of taking Ukrainians out."

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Quote:

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He didn't elaborate any further on how the situation with the stolen plane ended, or who orchestrated the maneuver.

Following the hijacking, Kiev failed three more times to evacuate Ukrainian citizens, Yenin explained, noting that passengers were not allowed to enter the airport in Kabul.

However, on Sunday Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba revealed on Twitter that a new attempt had been successful, evacuating 83 people, including 31 Ukrainians and foreigners, overcoming what he called "a million problems." His feel-good tweets failed to include any mention of the hijacking, however.

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Link

With logistics and conditions at the Kabul international airport growing more dire, the Biden administration on Tuesday is scheduled to discuss with allies a withdrawal from Afghanistan beyond an Aug. 31 deadline that left just eight days to evacuate thousands of people.

Compounding the problem are the challenges borne of the more rapid than expected Taliban takeover. The State Department doesn't know exactly how many Americans are left on the ground, although some have estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 were there when the evacuations began, several U.S. officials said.

President Biden on Tuesday will meet virtually with the leaders of the Group of Seven leading nations to discuss coordination and evacuation plans, as well as the need for humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees. On Sunday, Mr. Biden said he and his military advisers were discussing extending the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

In response, the Taliban, through direct talks with the U.S. in Kabul, said it wouldn't recognize any extension, nor would it assure that forces that stay in Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 wouldn't be subject to attack.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-struggles-to-count-its-citizens-in-afghanistan-as-biden-weighs-withdrawal-delay-11629744179

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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BUT... possibly speaks to some interesting cross-border or other covert operations taking place in the region. Also entirely a coincidence that they were spotted in Iceland... could be routine patrols / deployments to and from Europe, etc.

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My first thought was just a routine training mission, as well. But then I thought some more in light of the report that an Ukrainian plane out of Kabul had been hijacked to Iran. Then having the head of the CIA on the ground in Kabul meeting with the Taliban had me scratching my head.

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B-2's don't deliver much ordinance, and the Taliban really have no sophisticated air defense. Yes, they can certainly sneak up on an enemy (such as China/Iran etc.), but their utility in Afghanistan is pretty limited. Plus, taking out Taliban positions/weapons/people right now...might be a bit counter-productive vs. getting people out of Kabul.

We surrendered an ability to conduct a controlled evacuation with air support when we abandoned Kandahar AB in the middle of the night in early July. Billion dollar stealth bombers don't bring that back.

nortex97 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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BUT... possibly speaks to some interesting cross-border or other covert operations taking place in the region. Also entirely a coincidence that they were spotted in Iceland... could be routine patrols / deployments to and from Europe, etc.

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My first thought was just a routine training mission, as well. But then I thought some more in light of the report that an Ukrainian plane out of Kabul had been hijacked to Iran. Then having the head of the CIA on the ground in Kabul meeting with the Taliban had me scratching my head.

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B-2's don't deliver much ordinance, and the Taliban really have no sophisticated air defense. Yes, they can certainly sneak up on an enemy (such as China/Iran etc.), but their utility in Afghanistan is pretty limited. Plus, taking out Taliban positions/weapons/people right now...might be a bit counter-productive vs. getting people out of Kabul.

We surrendered an ability to conduct a controlled evacuation with air support when we abandoned Kandahar AB in the middle of the night in early July. Billion dollar stealth bombers don't bring that back.

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Agree about limited usefulness within Afghanistan itself. Could be an optics move towards Russia, China or the Pakis, maybe??

nortex97 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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BUT... possibly speaks to some interesting cross-border or other covert operations taking place in the region. Also entirely a coincidence that they were spotted in Iceland... could be routine patrols / deployments to and from Europe, etc.

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My first thought was just a routine training mission, as well. But then I thought some more in light of the report that an Ukrainian plane out of Kabul had been hijacked to Iran. Then having the head of the CIA on the ground in Kabul meeting with the Taliban had me scratching my head.

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B-2's don't deliver much ordinance, and the Taliban really have no sophisticated air defense. Yes, they can certainly sneak up on an enemy (such as China/Iran etc.), but their utility in Afghanistan is pretty limited. Plus, taking out Taliban positions/weapons/people right now...might be a bit counter-productive vs. getting people out of Kabul.

We surrendered an ability to conduct a controlled evacuation with air support when we abandoned Kandahar AB in the middle of the night in early July. Billion dollar stealth bombers don't bring that back.

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The Afghans have the FIM-92E Stingers (advanced manpods) that we left behind. Not certain what qualifies as sophisticated air defense to you but FIM-92Es can take down a 777 at 30,000+ ft. To me that's pretty significant ordinance.

Maybe clandestine air drops? Perhaps to Massoud? Others. They would be undetectable unless eyeball observed.

They don't operate a sophisticated air defense network. We've been running at them for years with A-29's etc., pretty much WW2/Korea era tech for air to ground. Yes, also F-18's etc. occasionally.

Giving up Kandahar was the equivalent of surrendering Pearl Harbor, with the carriers in port, on Dec. 6th to the Japanese.

Yes, the Taliban now have good MPAD's, but they are not directing them into the sky at B-52's/C-17's etc. right now. A stealth bomber run with a handful of smart munitions...is the least likely possible way we go at them this week.

Conditions in Kabul are deteriorating rapidly the Taliban is getting more aggressive shots are being fired over the wire, fire bombs are being lobbed, RPGs are being fired into the Airport. Afghani nationals are being dragged into the street and beaten to death. American Expats have no clear path to the Airport for extraction. It's not a pretty sight.

And here's the sad part that they're not even talking about in the media. Kabul is just the capital there are Americans stranded in at least four other major cities some of them hundreds of miles from Kabul and the airport and they have no way of getting there it's all inTaliban control. Herat has thousands of US Citizens as does Mazar, Kandahar, Sharif, and Jalalabad.

People trapped there are history if they don't go after them

The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

sicandtiredTXN said:

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Conditions in Kabul are deteriorating rapidly the Taliban is getting more aggressive shots are being fired over the wire, fire bombs are being lobbed, RPGs are being fired into the Airport. Afghani nationals are being dragged into the street and beaten to death. American Expats have no clear path to the Airport for extraction. It's not a pretty sight.

And here's the sad part that they're not even talking about in the media. Kabul is just the capital there are Americans stranded in at least four other major cities some of them hundreds of miles from Kabul and the airport and they have no way of getting there it's all inTaliban control. Herat has thousands of US Citizens as does Mazar, Kandahar, Sharif, and Jalalabad.

People trapped there are history if they don't go after them

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Do you know what happens when a corrupt top and court class (media in our case) lets a "Young Turks" situation of total dissatisfaction arise among the younger? Sultan Abdul Hamid II's case offers some insight.

Where's all this info from?

Ouch - good reference though

Ag_07 said:

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Where's all this info from?

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Live feed reporting from on the ground in Afghanistan.

Question was just asked to Kirby and Taylor and they danced around answering it as usual.

There are no ops in place to facilitate getting out American Expats outside of Kabul period.

Absolutely.

What is a "recent possible anomalous health incident"???

Ag In Ok said:

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The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

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I guarantee the ISI is up to their necks (at least) in all of this.

aezmvp said:

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Ag In Ok said:

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The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

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I guarantee the ISI is up to their necks (at least) in all of this.

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What is the name of China's FSB/ CIA by the way?

titan said:

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aezmvp said:

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Ag In Ok said:

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The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

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I guarantee the ISI is up to their necks (at least) in all of this.

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What is the name of China's FSB/ CIA by the way?

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MSS, Ministry of State Security.

I was only half listening to the presser, but was the 63,000 number by American assets, or did it include NATO, Germany, etc?

aggiehawg said:

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titan said:

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aezmvp said:

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Ag In Ok said:

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The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

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I guarantee the ISI is up to their necks (at least) in all of this.

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What is the name of China's FSB/ CIA by the way?

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MSS, Ministry of State Security.

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Thanks. The Chinese terms for those words, I take it. You never hear them mentioned much. You hear the FSB a little bit (re-vamped KGB, and a little different in nature).

Quote:

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Guoanbu (Chinese: ; pinyin: Gu'nb)

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Chinese name.

DNC

titan said:

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aggiehawg said:

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titan said:

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aezmvp said:

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Ag In Ok said:

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The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

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I guarantee the ISI is up to their necks (at least) in all of this.

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What is the name of China's FSB/ CIA by the way?

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MSS, Ministry of State Security.

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Thanks. The Chinese terms for those words, I take it. You never hear them mentioned much. You hear the FSB a little bit (re-vamped KGB, and a little different in nature).

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FSB is mainly the 1st Chief Directorate with parts of 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th (there were a LOT of KGB directorates) and other bits and pieces of their external espionage group. They have lots of different groups the KGB splintered into and it's not entirely static as they like to move some of this around to make things difficult on others. F'ing Russians man.

aezmvp said:

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titan said:

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aggiehawg said:

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titan said:

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aezmvp said:

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Ag In Ok said:

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The only reason i can think of is if China is providing such intel. Or more likely Pakistan

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I guarantee the ISI is up to their necks (at least) in all of this.

---

What is the name of China's FSB/ CIA by the way?

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MSS, Ministry of State Security.

---

Thanks. The Chinese terms for those words, I take it. You never hear them mentioned much. You hear the FSB a little bit (re-vamped KGB, and a little different in nature).

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FSB is mainly the 1st Chief Directorate with parts of 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th (there were a LOT of KGB directorates) and other bits and pieces of their external espionage group. They have lots of different groups the KGB splintered into and it's not entirely static as they like to move some of this around to make things difficult on others. F'ing Russians man.

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Thanks both of you. That is so true about the Russians. Even in WW II. Read about the turf wars between NKVD, Smersh, and the Red Army intel arm all in the capture of Berlin and important officials, and even things like Hitler's remains.

Quote:

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FSB is mainly the 1st Chief Directorate with parts of 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th (there were a LOT of KGB directorates) and other bits and pieces of their external espionage group. They have lots of different groups the KGB splintered into and it's not entirely static as they like to move some of this around to make things difficult on others. F'ing Russians man.

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By the way, notice how much 21st C Beltway is like our Axis enemies in bureaucratic complexity, turf wars, and low character of the top? "17 intelligence agencies" for example. Something have noticed before.

aggiehawg said:

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What is a "recent possible anomalous health incident"???

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Havana Syndrome at the embassy in Hanoi?

Link

* PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS AGREED WITH PENTAGON RECOMMENDATION TO STICK WITH AUG 31 AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE - ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL@reuters

— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) August 24, 2021

Gutless. But he is in a very bad situation entirely of his own making. And if the DOD is recommending this bug out, shame on them.

Ag In Ok said:

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Translated: the taliban rejected our offer to extend the deadline.

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Because of our weak leadership

ABATTBQ11 said:

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sicandtiredTXN said:

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Conditions in Kabul are deteriorating rapidly the Taliban is getting more aggressive shots are being fired over the wire, fire bombs are being lobbed, RPGs are being fired into the Airport. Afghani nationals are being dragged into the street and beaten to death. American Expats have no clear path to the Airport for extraction. It's not a pretty sight.

And here's the sad part that they're not even talking about in the media. Kabul is just the capital there are Americans stranded in at least four other major cities some of them hundreds of miles from Kabul and the airport and they have no way of getting there it's all inTaliban control. Herat has thousands of US Citizens as does Mazar, Kandahar, Sharif, and Jalalabad.

People trapped there are history if they don't go after them

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There are now only 2 options: Every C-17 pulling people out brings in more men and equipment, we go back in guns blazing on 8/31, and take as long as we need, or we stick to 8/31 and leave a bunch of people, including lots of Americans, behind to die.

Great job Joe.

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Option 1 is not an option at this point.

LostInLA07 said:

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I'm sure they told him that we either had to abandon thousands of Americans or deploy another 15k+ troops to retake the city. So Biden chose to leave. He created a situation where likely thousands of Americans will die either way.

If Biden would have deployed 5k troops and performed air strikes 2 weeks ago when the Taliban were advancing on Kabul he'd never be in this predicament. We'd have control of Kabul and would have time to perform an orderly evacuation.

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The choice is deploy thousands of extra troops in multiple cities and fight in to get out people who would be immediate targets the second new troops hit the ground while trying to defend an airport that is surrounded and could be overran by both civilians and terrorists (knock down a wall and let the 10,000s of scared civilians in along with your forces creating an impossible situation for the NATO forces there as just one possible scenario) and do it publicly and it's on every worldwide channel (except the US ones of course). Or have thousands slaughtered or held hostage but that news only gets out on social media that your buddies can censor? Well if I was in Joe's (handlers) shoes, I'd probably go with the later.