With today’s news that the US will withdraw all of its forces from #Afghanistan by September 11, we must begin the immediate evacuation of our Afghan wartime allies (interpreters, engineers, aid workers, etc.). When we leave, the Taliban will slaughter our friends with impunity.
When collapse occurs in Afghanistan, it will engender a rapid evacuation that, given Afghanistan’s unique place in the world and our geopolitical relations with its neighbors, must occur via air.
There are four, maybe five airfields in all of Afghanistan that will be able to handle the airlift needed to rapidly evacuate our own personnel and absolutely must have equipment.
Our Afghan wartime allies — without whom we couldn’t have accomplished any of what we’ve done thus far and thanks to whom many of us are still alive — they and their families will likely be our lowest priority for the scarce seats available on the few flights out.
We have to understand, anyone who worked with us, has likely excommunicated themselves from the society around them thanks to that work. They are viewed by that society as American spies, traitors, and in the worst case, apostates.
We have an obligation to save these people while we can - which is now.
In 1975 and 1996 we evacuated our Vietnamese and Kurdish allies, respectively, to Guam where they lived, in safety, while their permanent visa applications were processed through the system. We should do the same now, while there’s still time and we still can.
Our Afghan wartime allies live in fear that each day might be the day that the Taliban and their hit teams catch up with them and their families. Many live in hiding. We can save these people. All we have to do is have the courage and conviction to do the right thing.
One of the thousands of pleas for help. @POTUS@SecBlinken@SecDef@StateDept@DeptofDefense please help our #Afghan wartime allies, while there is still time & we still can. We can save these people. All we have to do is have the courage and conviction to do the right thing #SIV
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I cannot stop thinking about this one #Afghan Army Lieutenant Colonel I met early in my tour in 2008. He ran a depot outside of Gardez, massive warehouses filled with weapons, bullets, body armor, boots, and uniforms. Enough to equip an Army. (a thread)
The previous day I had visited an Afghan police outpost manned by two teenagers and an old man. They had one weapon that actually could fire bullets (the other two were for show and lacked firing pins). None of them had been paid in months, had a uniform, or shoes.
When I asked where the Taliban were in this area they pointed at the house across the street and said, “they are there and now that you have come they will attack us as soon as you leave.”
In light of the recent @nytimes story outlining Trump’s desire to attack Iran, I think the firing of the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration is all due to the alleged planned attack on Iran. (A thread).
Trump and his ilk hated the Obama era 6-party accords. They withdrew the US from them upon taking power and have never let up from the claim that the accords did nothing but delay an inevitable Iranian nuclear weapon - which they calculate as an unacceptable threat.
If one was going to take out the Iranian nuclear program, one would have to use either the GBU-43/B MOAB or nuclear weapons. The MOAB doesn’t guarantee total destruction & it would be very difficult to accurately gage the caused by the MOAB en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-43/B_…
Here’s a thread of everyone Trump has fired since losing the election. As I keep this, please remember the first concrete moves of a coup are always to secure control over the military, intelligence, and security services.
First up, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration - the Department of Energy organization that controls the US nuclear weapons stockpile. Fired 6 NOV 2020. defensenews.com/breaking-news/…
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee @jeffsessions oversaw all immigration legislation before the Senate. He & his Nazi aid #StephenMiller, who advised him on matters of immigration, made sure that any time we asked for more visas we were denied or fought at every turn.
Once Nazi #StephenMiller was in the White House he went about dismantling the Special Immigration Visa #SIV program. He forced out all of its advocates in government and installed sycophants who did his bidding. Tens of thousands have suffered under his cruel rule.
3. #Congress passed our recommendations into law in 2007. The @BarackObama admin improved upon them throughout their time in office. The #Trump team spent the last three years dismantling all of that hard and necessary work - immeasurably compounding the disaster we now face.