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25 Aug, 6 tweets, 2 min read
. @sethmoulton and @RepMeijer were on the ground in Kabul today, as they keep pressure on to evacuate SIVs. At least some administration officials sound angry about it.

washingtonpost.com/politics/congr…
The two in joint statement:

"Washington should be ashamed of the position we put our service members in, but they represent the best in America. These men and women have been run ragged and are still running strong. Their empathy and dedication to duty are truly inspiring."
"The acts of heroism and selflessness we witnessed at HKIA make America proud."
"We came into this visit wanting, like most veterans, to push the president to extend the August 31st deadline."
"After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even by September 11."
"Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban."

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More from @DanLamothe

Dan Lamothe Profile picture
29 Aug
U.S. military says this morning that it struck a vehicle in Kabul presenting an "imminent" threat by the Islamic State to Kabul airport. Significant secondary explosions reported, indicating a likely suicide bomber.
U.S. defense official says that the U.S. has carried out only one strike today, on a vehicle. Official says it is possible damage to a nearby building or buildings occurred following secondary explosion.

Taliban report that a rocket hit a building may be conflating the two.
Same official adds that it is not clear whether the U.S. strike in Kabul today hit what could have been a car bomber, or a suicide vest bomber inside the vehicle. Either way, threat to airport and U.S. troops there was considered imminent.
Read 6 tweets
Dan Lamothe Profile picture
27 Aug
As names and ages roll in on some of the U.S. service members killed in Kabul, we are reminded how much young men and women in uniform, often in their teens or early 20s, do for our nation.
This is Hospitalman Maxton William Soviak. He was 22 and from Ohio.

He was among the 13 U.S. troops killed in the Kabul bombing.

RIP.
This is Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover. He was 31 and from Utah.

He was among the U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
Read 17 tweets
Dan Lamothe Profile picture
27 Aug
NEW: Buses carrying hundreds of potential evacuees, including orphans, were turned away by the U.S. military at Kabul airport early Thursday, officials familiar with situation tell @GregJaffe and me.

At least some of the buses had made it inside.

washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/…
Rep. @michaelgwaltz said in an interview on Thursday that he was among the lawmakers who tried to assist the privately organized group, which he said included Christians fleeing the Taliban.

They had coordinated with some U.S. personnel inside the airport, officials said.
“They were literally celebrating getting inside” when they were ejected, @michaelgwaltz said.

Other sources, including two Democrats on Capitol Hill, corroborate the story.
Read 6 tweets
Dan Lamothe Profile picture
25 Aug
Got a leaked recording of a call today between congressional staffers and administration officials about Afghanistan.

A couple of takeaways:
Some American citizens have told the State Department that they do not plan to evacuate from Afghanistan unless they can bring Afghan family members with them, administration officials said. That's a group with an uncertain future.
“The embassy has told that us that an increasing number is telling us that they won’t leave unless they can take large families with them,” said Karin King, a senior State Department official. “So, part of the number you have been given are people who are self-selecting to stay."
Read 8 tweets
Dan Lamothe Profile picture
24 Aug
I'm seeing two hardened camps building on the Afghanistan evacuation: The "Biden will allow people to die!" camp and the "We're still doing evacuations! Relax!" camp.

There are still a few important pivot points on this situation to come, however.

washingtonpost.com/politics/biden…
Pivot Point 1: Biden order contingencies in his plan today. A backup plan, as it were. If SIVs aren't out, what does it take for him to give it a green light beyond Aug. 31?
Pivot Point 2: There are many credible reports of the Taliban stopping SIVs from getting to the airport. How is that going to be managed in coming days?
Read 5 tweets
Dan Lamothe Profile picture
24 Aug
Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor takes to podium at the Pentagon. Opens by saying 32 C-17s and five C-130s departed Afghanistan in the last 24 hours with 12,700 evacuees. Counting charter flights in the like, more than 21,000 have departed.
"We're seeing increased pace in the flight schedule from Kabul," Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor says. Says a plane departed Afghanistan yesterday about every 45 minutes (that's from one runway).
Ma. Gen. Hank Taylor says just now that U.S. European Command -- i.e., military bases on that continent -- have now received about 8,000 evacuees from Afghanistan.
Read 6 tweets

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