2 Suicide bomb attacks at Kabul Airport

Pippaz You don’t know anymore than anyone else so please stop posting as if you’re an authority on the matter and nobody else knows what they’re talking about.

Your comment about Trump not managing this withdrawal as well as it has been done is risible quite frankly. There’s nothing about this withdrawal that’s been managed well.

It’s well documented that Biden appears to be struggling with deteriorating faculties and Dementia has been mentioned in many newspaper articles as well as on tv discussions. None of us know the truth but he evidently isn’t up to the job. As for having knowledge of this condition, my own mother passed away with Dementia. Posters aren’t being ageist and you are allowing your hatred of Trump to blind you to the failings if Biden. That’s not nice either.

MayBee70

Can someone explain to me how American intelligence knew that a terrorist attack on the airport was imminent but that same intelligence didn’t realise that the Taliban were going to take over the country in a matter of days?

I don't know any more about this than you do MayBee70. However, those who do know all about the country seem to be accepting it a perfectly possible.

We seem to have a lot of grannies with superior sources of information on this thread. I wish they would share where they are getting it from.

Pippa22

Whatever most of us thought of Trump I am sure he would have made a much better job of this withdrawal than Biden is. Unfortunately Biden is much too old for the job and is behaving very inappropriately. I think he may have dementia as he seems unable at times to string a sentence together and is very forgetful even with his earpiece and crib sheets. His sidekick is awful too and just seems to laugh at everything. Both seem so out of their depth in this awful situation, it’s so sad.

Where is your proof Pippa22? If you haven't any evidence this is just gossip. There is nothing I can see in Trump's past that tells us he would have handled this any better, or even as well as it has been handled. You only have to look at his handling of the Covid Crisis. Your comment is just an unsubstantiated, unverifiable tittle tattle.

There is no reason to think he has Biden had dementia. Are you being ageist? Do you say this about all older people? Is this the new insult to throw around? As someone whose mother end her life with this awful disease, I find this use of the illness an insult very insulting to all those who have to live with it. Not nice, not nice at all.

Biden has had the sense to go ahead with this at the very beginning of his presidency, so the worst of the fallout, which I have no doubt he expected, might affect the mid-terms but should have blown itself out by the time of the next election. He is more of a politician than the thug that is Trump ever will be. He was dealt an awful hand by Trump; he has probably done the best that could be done in the circumstances.

Good comment Golden Age ?
Love your name!

I said weeks ago that Biden was struggling and got shot down. It brings me no pleasure to be proven right. Even Obama thought he was a liability. People thought he was Mr Continuity. A Safe Pair of Hands. It’s a mess alright.

yes, he has been a disappointment, and i noticed his deputy laughing inappropriately to. said to be a nervous laugh.
but surely these people have access to the best coaching in presentation skills.

Whatever most of us thought of Trump I am sure he would have made a much better job of this withdrawal than Biden is. Unfortunately Biden is much too old for the job and is behaving very inappropriately. I think he may have dementia as he seems unable at times to string a sentence together and is very forgetful even with his earpiece and crib sheets. His sidekick is awful too and just seems to laugh at everything. Both seem so out of their depth in this awful situation, it’s so sad.

Biden ignored his General’s advice. Many have tried to pin the blame on Trump but it really is down to Biden. His implementation of the withdrawal has been shocking.

Sorry, Americans not American's. Slip of the fingers

Why on earth didn't the American's get people out before they pulled the troops? It wasn't as if they didn't know they were going. Total disorganisation. Perhaps they should have a woman in charge!

I’m going to watch Rory Stewart’s programme. I like him and think he talks a lot of sense.

I was watching a programme late one night that pointed out that a lot of problems were caused after one of the wars (WWI?) when the west created borders in countries where people lived a nomadic existence and co existed with everyone around them. All of a sudden their way of life was changed and they became territorial. Look at the problems the creation of Pakistan has caused. One war just seems to lead to another war. There seems to be no end to it.

Evil. Despicable actions.

We just never, ever, learn and innocent people are left to their fate. We all remember Vietnam but there was also Cambodia, we, the french and everyone else just rushed together out and worse of all we knew what was happening after everyone left and we did nothing. Absolutely nothing and also I see that Pen what’s his name got his animals out but not his staff, terrible.

Urmstongran - definitely not! Isis K and the Taliban have nothing to choose between them, and I know I will be accused of being a conspiracy theorist here but it wouldn't put the idea of interference past those influential governments of the world who are going to have to come to the negotiating table with the Taliban as a recognised government of Afghanistan. As MayBee70 has pointed out, it's a bit of an ask to accept that intelligence on the ground was able to identify the IsisK attack would materialise, but not able to predict the Taliban's take over - the only explanation for me is that intelligence did know the strength and will of the Taliban and that as soon as the Americans pulled out, this would be exerted but Biden had made the commitment to do so - of course they knew the Taliban was in the ascendency and in order to soften the negative opinion of the rest of the world they allow a situation to occur where a suicide bomber (the type of person that soldiers are well-trained to spot) gets into the airport compound just at the time they predict and commits this horrible crime, which then makes the Taliban look less threatening - It's all disgusting with a capital D - however, what I find equally disgusting is some of the right wing chat already on social media berating the fact that the UK is taking Afghan refugees when we have 'our own' in poverty. Really, society stinks at times.

Thanks Gabrielle, I’ve just found Rory Stewart’s documentary on IPlayer. I’ll watch it later instead of the usual Saturday night rubbish.

MayBee70

Can someone explain to me how American intelligence knew that a terrorist attack on the airport was imminent but that same intelligence didn’t realise that the Taliban were going to take over the country in a matter of days?

Exactly! This is a monumental cluster-you-know -what from start to finish.best advice evr given about Afghanistan? "Don't go there" quote from Harold Macmillan. An absolute MUST is to watch Rory Stewart's two part documentary about Afghanistan, available on BBC iPlayer, made in 2012 it could have been made last week or in 1790! It explains so very much about the problems created in the country and by whom(which is the real damning element to this sorry tale) as usual the poor civilians are the ones paying th ultimate price of greed and basically d**k waving. And still Biden is carrying it on with this "we will hunt you down" rhetoric, doesn't he know when to just shut up?!? It's that kind of idiocy that starts wars! They never learn.

I was listening to an Islamic scholar being interviewed the other day. He said so much rubbish is spouted by these fanatics and they don’t know their Koran. He stated that Sharia is a man made concept; it’s nothing to do with Islam. It’s about time the media stopped giving the likes of Choudary etc a platform.

And the US is leaving billions of dollars-worth of equipment behind!

grannygranby
They know enough about technology to have encrypted phones.
This isn’t the same Taliban as 20 years ago.

Surely we should have got people out months ago it’s again by the British and American governments too little too late

The Taliban aren’t educated men. They are known as country boys. Unsophisticated, seeing the black and white law of shariah as very convenient, serving the young strong male. They are popular with a lot of Afghanis. Especially men.
I don’t know what women can do, this is brute force using the strength of the masculine and patriarchal rule. Perhaps some women like to be protected by strong men? How small is the percentage of educated women? We don’t really know. Most afghanis live in the mountains in tribes hundreds of miles away from cities. Tribes that defeated the British in the 19 th century trapping them in the passes and slaughtering 165 000. We thought we could just go in and take over then at the height of our empire. All this must be remembered. How the taliban will succeed in a world of social media and connective technology I don’t know.
We just feel hopeless and helpless. Will it help to enable all the educated privileged women to escape? Probably, it is a nightmare for women. And we must never underestimate misogyny or allow women’s rights to be undermined by men whatever creed or belief system. For that we can all fight.

All of this is down to religion. Toxic.

Gwyneth

What about the 12 American soldiers who have given their lives trying their best to evacuate the Afghans? They seem to have been forgotten. Jihadists committed this atrocity not the Taliban.

Who has forgotten them? Certainly not Biden and certainly not the Americans.

You are right, Jihadists committed this atrocity.

maddyone sadly the world will never learn.

PBS are running a series of programmes about the Seventies at the moment. Some are about music and some are clips from newscasts. Yesterday and today they covered the Vietnam War - including footage of the Kent State university riot and subsequently people attacking anti war demonstrators. There is also footage of Nixon's resignation and the decision of Congress to stop funding aid to South Vietnam which led to the quick withdrawal of American troops.