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17 Aug, 7 tweets, 2 min read
This is some major gaslighting. The Taliban planned to begin its winning offensive for May 1, the withdrawal date enshrined in Trump’s deal. The Taliban didn’t comply with the counterterrorism provisions or hold real talks with the Afghan government. wsj.com/articles/mike-…
The only thing the Taliban did (with some exceptions) was refrain from attacking Americans as the U.S. retreated. We should be glad the Taliban didn’t kill any Americans from Feb ‘20 on, but it also turned all of its guns on the Afghans in a campaign to win the war.
Thousands and thousands of Afghans died fighting after Trump’s Feb ‘20 withdrawal deal, which was a blow to Afghan morale. Trump and Pompeo portrayed the Taliban as America’s counterterrorism partner - ridiculous.
Biden owns this chaotic withdrawal. The incompetence on display is obvious for all to see and deserves to be criticized. But Trump’s deal with the Taliban was rubbish - perhaps the weakest diplomacy in U.S. history. The Taliban was glad to watch the U.S. retreat.
Also, Pence claims the Taliban didn’t launch any major offensives before Trump left office and their deal brought “stability unseen in decades.” Nonsense. The Taliban ramped up the violence in Sept. 2020:

unama.unmissions.org/surge-civilian…
This is what failed American leadership looks like - from both parties.
Esper is correct that the Taliban did not comply with the counterterrorism provisions (weakly worded as they were) in Trump’s deal or hold real talks with the now toppled Afghan government.

cnn.com/2021/08/17/pol…

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More from @thomasjoscelyn

Thomas Joscelyn Profile picture
11 Sep
Ayman al-Zawahiri survived 20 years of America's war and countless bad takes. In the newly released video, he praises Hurras al-Din's Jan. 1, 2021 attack on a Russian base in Raqqa, Syria. So either this is his ghost or, you know, he didn't die last year.
In addition, all of the promotional material for the video and his newly released 852-page book is captioned: "May Allah Protect Him." The introduction for the book he authored is dated April 2021.
Keep in mind that Zawahiri is older, a doctor, and we are living in the age of COVID. He's not dumb. That's influenced his protocols. He also knows that the U.S. orchestrated a campaign to get as many AQ leaders as possible in 2019 and 2020 - more intense than usual.
Read 5 tweets
Thomas Joscelyn Profile picture
10 Sep
1. Note: “Sirajuddin Haqqani also had close relations with a prominent al Qaeda commander, Abdul Rauf Zakir, who was responsible for protecting Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, according to U.S. intelligence.” - from ⁦@nancyayoussef⁩ & ⁦@SuneEngel⁩ wsj.com/articles/in-ta…
2. Abdul Rauf Zakir is Qari Zakir - a U.S. designated terrorist and a key member of the so-called Haqqani Network. Zakir oversaw suicide attacks. We heard he was killed alongside Hamza bin Laden.
3. When the Trump White House announced Hamza bin Laden’s death in 2019, it put out a cryptic statement, which didn’t explain key details. As I assessed at the time:

longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/…
Read 6 tweets
Thomas Joscelyn Profile picture
10 Sep
1. Ibrahim Haqqani, the brother Jalaluddin, has been making appearances in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Below he (left) is seen with Hamid Karzai. A file recovered in Osama bin Laden compound shows that he acted as a "guarantor" for a $5 million ransom payment AQ received.
2. Al Qaeda took an Afghan ambassador hostage and, in the spring of 2010, agreed to set him free for a $5 million ransom payment. Several of Osama bin Laden's files discuss the ransom, which was split into two increments: $2 million and then $3 million.
3. The Haqqanis mediated the ransom payment. Al-Haji Ibrahim Haqqani is listed as a key guarantor for the exchange:
Read 10 tweets
Thomas Joscelyn Profile picture
8 Sep
1. The Taliban's list of leaders reveals a key U.S. failure. Many of the Taliban's new leaders are actually veterans who served in the Taliban's regime prior to 9/11. Others have been senior figures for much of the two decades since. They were simply waiting to take over again.
2. This illustrates the importance of Pakistan's safe havens -- which kept many Taliban leaders alive and allowed them to direct the war for 20 years. Others were captured and let go - for example, the five Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo who were exchanged for Bowe Bergdahl.
3. So when I say "new leaders," the point is they aren't new at all. Many of them were sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council as far back as Jan. & Feb. 2001. Think about that! Taliban leaders who were in charge more than 20 years ago are right back where they were.
Read 6 tweets
Thomas Joscelyn Profile picture
7 Sep
“We will never give up Osama [bin Laden] at any price,” Mullah Hassan Akhund said in Oct. 1999. He was responding to a U.N. demand. See below.

Today, Akhund was named the “head of state” for the Taliban’s resurrected Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. latimes.com/archives/la-xp…
Reminder: Mullah Omar himself rejected turning over Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 hijackings. From Sept. 26, 2001:
theguardian.com/world/2001/sep…
You can find several more quotes from Mullah Omar - the actual decision-maker - from Sept. 2001 through May 2002 on the thread below. See also the quotes from Jalaluddin Haqqani - who was responsible for protecting OBL while leading the Taliban's forces.
Read 5 tweets
Thomas Joscelyn Profile picture
7 Sep
1. Some notes on who's who in the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The "acting interior minister" is Sirajuddin Haqqani. He's *very* close with al Qaeda. He's wanted by the U.S. and has a $10 million bounty on his head: rewardsforjustice.net/english/siraju…
2. Khalil Haqqani (Sirajuddin's uncle) is the minister of refugees. He's a U.S.-designated terrorist tied to al Qaeda as well:
treasury.gov/press-center/p…
3. I should have started this thread by noting that of course Hibatullah Akhundzada is the "Emir of the Faithful" and above all others. Ayman al-Zawahiri has sworn his allegiance to him.
Read 6 tweets

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