Scores of Afghans and numerous US servicemembers are dead after a series of bombings and shootings around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The attacks come as the American drawdown from Afghanistan nears its long-awaited conclusion.
A relatively new faction of ISIL from the vaguely defined Khorasan region in Iran and Afghanistan – sometimes known as ISIL-K – is suspected to be behind the attack. While ISIL-K has worked with the Pakistani Taliban in the past, the White House recently detailed the "sworn enemy" relationship between the Afghan Taliban and ISIL-K in a press briefing specifically warning of the possibility of such an attack.
The attack is quite possibly a ploy to provoke a maintained American troop presence in Afghanistan, a long-term goal of ISIL and other Al-Qaeda affiliates in concert with Osama bin Laden’s strategy of keeping the US tied down in the region.
The Pentagon will likely be required to work with the Taliban – a not unheard-of arrangement – in order to facilitate the safe passage of remaining American citizens and soldiers out of the country.
Jacob D. Witte is an independent writer and graduate student in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Remember the roaring 60s, the Golden Hippy Years, when it was safe to hitch-hiking or tracking from Europe through Turkey, Iran to Afghanistan and watch the beautiful girls walk on the Streets of Kabul in Mini Skirts !! Ahhh, those were the GOOD Days !!
Thanks for the read!
Picturing Kabul circa 1965 right now.
September 12, 2019 Al Qaeda: The Data Base By Pierre-Henri Bunel
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told the House of Commons that “Al Qaeda” is not really a terrorist group but a database of international mujaheddin and arms smugglers used by the CIA.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/al-qaeda-the-database-2/24738#sthash.rf9JNyIp.dpuf
Thanks for reading the post!
The dividing line certainly seems to blur a little more with each new bit of information revealed.
Our tax dollars at work
Thanks for reading!
Hey, what’s another couple trillion? 🙄
Thanks for the read!
Certainly a convoluted situation.
How many of those killed were killed by U.S. troops firing into the crowd just after the explosion. The BBC has been reporting this–probably been told to shut up by now. OK, collateral damage. I can understand that. But I think it needs to be sorted out. Anyway, this demonstrates that Biden was right to get out ASAP.
Thanks for reading!
I completely agree that Biden was right to go through with the withdrawal, despite the recent attack. However, I don’t believe he got out ‘as soon as possible’. Rather, I think he got out as soon as was expedient for him. Delaying the withdrawal from May 1 to now seemed to cause a lot of the logistical issues we are seeing. It may indeed have contributed to the lessened security capabilities that allowed IS-K to kill more Afghans and Americans.
Your comment about the BBC reporting is intriguing! If you have any sources, I would be very interested in reading them. Thank you in advance.