2 Suicide bomb attacks at Kabul Airport

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Good comment Golden Age ?
Love your name!

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.

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.

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.

PippaZ you manage to blame the British govt. but say nothing about the stupid decision by President Biden. In case you did not know it, we belong to NATO and so we loyally backed up the USA as did other EU partners. It is NOT the single blame of the British government although one could wonder at the combined intelligence of UK and USA for no real early warning that the Taliban would take over. The Afghani soldiers deserted because the corrupt Afghan govt stole all the money and did not pay the troops. One could fairly blame our government from not acting sooner to get our interpreters and their families out. Unfortunately, without the USA we do not have the military strength to take on the Taliban.

Well said tickingbird! A balanced voice of reason.

Well done Biden.

What could have been an orderly evacuation conducted from a secure military airfield has become a carnival of desperation, horror and death, all because a confused geriatric wanted to posture on the 9/11 anniversary as the president who ended the war.

Just watched the Rory Stewart programme. Very illuminating and makes clear everything that we’re all struggling to understand. Although several years old he could be talking about the present.
If you’re at all interested in how we reached this point with Afghanistan then please watch it.

What is clear now is that thousands in fear of their lives will have been left behind. They are now expecting the worst, and their only option will be to try the perilous routes overland out of the country.

tickingbird/Anniel all I have done is attribute what the UK government (I still believe NI is part of us) had done or not done to the UK, what Biden has done getting vast numbers out of Afghanistan and what Trump has done in the past, to the US. There will be enquiries.

That seems fair to me.

I haven't made anything up about a man who has to have a regular medical one of which has been made public and another is due to be released in a few months.

The Johnson government has opposed and delayed all enquiries called for so far.

Trump's record shows that he has attempted a coup and mishandled the covid crisis. As he left office the figures showed that a shameful 400,000 of the people in his care had died. He has just lost another attempt in the courts to twist the truth.

Those are the things I referred to and they are facts not egregious, biased gossip.

HannahLoisLuke What channel was Rory Stewart on, please?

PippaZ

HannahLoisLuke What channel was Rory Stewart on, please?

It’s BBCiplayer. It’s called Afghanistan, a personal view I think….

Bidens language towards the terrorists is very inflammatory. I’m very concerned about how he’s dealing with this. I think his personal involvement, because of his son, may be clouding his judgement. It’s very worrying.

Thanks Maybee. It will be good to hear Rory Stuart's measured tones.

I think, at this point, that language may be for domestic consumption. I don't think IsisK are ready to be friends whatever he says. Hopefully he listens to those advising him.

Has everyone forgotten how Donald Trump abandoned the Kurds willy nilly, leaving them to be slaughtered by Turkey? Has everyone forgotten how Donald Trump boasted that he had destroyed Isis? Has everyone forgotten how Donald Trump talked about Iraq: "Get the oil, get the oil, then leave". If not how can you possibly suggest that he would have done a better job of evacuation in Afghanistan? Btw Joe Biden has responded to ISIS K.

Many probably didn't bother to reflect on it in the first place and they certainly don't want you to remind them absent but I will thank you for a rational post.

grannygranby: "Most afghanis live in the mountains in tribes hundreds of miles away from cities. Tribes that defeated the British in the 19th 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". I presume you are referring to the disastrous retreat from Kabul in 1842, during what is known as the first Anglo-Afghan War - in which case your casualty figures are out by a factor of 10. Some 16,500 died, of whom 4,500 were soldiers - mostly Indian sepoys, apart from a single British Regiment (the 44th Foot). The remainder were camp followers: servants, women and children, the vast majority of them Indian and Afghan. And there was a bit more to it than simply "thinking we could just go in and take over at the height of our empire"

And let's not forget that Barack Obama misled the country about ending the war in Afghanistan in 2014

Nobody is unblemished. The whole thing is an appalling humanitarian catastrophe.

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 ...

You had no doubt he expected, PippaZ? I don't think he expected any such thing. He made enough comments about it being a calm withdrawal. Which it wasn't.

U.S Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller isn't impressed with Biden. He has released some scathing comments about how all this has been handled. By Biden. Scheller's now been released from duties. For telling the truth

I'm thinking Scheller knows a lot more than Biden about what's happening on the ground