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Minnesota Veteran, Afghanistan Expert React To U.S. Embassy Evacuation
WCCO ^ | August 13, 2021 | WCCO Staff

Posted on 08/13/2021 8:18:17 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Pentagon is sending roughly 3,000 American troops to Kabul to help evacuate many of the U.S. Embassy employees there.

This comes as the Taliban continues to gain ground in Afghanistan just before U.S. troops officially withdraw.

“We believe this is the prudent thing to do given the rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around Kabul,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.

Security is seemingly deteriorating after decades of U.S. involvement.

Mike McElhiney first stepped foot in Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago

“We were the first team to go in and be on the ground consistently in southern Afghanistan after 9/11,” he said.

For him, though he feels it’s time to withdraw, it’s surreal to watch things unravel after he and so many others made incredible sacrifices.

“Basically blew my chest open … I lost my right arm below the elbow which was my dominant arm … 72 or 82 stitches in my face, internal and external,” he said. “Yeah, we did a lot of work and there was a lot of blood and treasure spilled over there.”

“We are watching the collapse of the Afghan government,” Dipali Mukhopadhyay said. “I think the Taliban’s objective is power and control.”

Mukhopadhyay is a senior expert on Afghanistan for the U.S. Institute of Peace.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; culture; wot
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The Pentagon says full U.S. combat troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is still on track to be completed by Aug. 31.
1 posted on 08/13/2021 8:18:17 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Again, we should have initially knocked the crap out of those savages ...... scorched earth ........ then withdraw with the warning, "Behave, or this will seem like the good old days."

But, jorge busho and his globalist mentality ..........

2 posted on 08/13/2021 8:21:38 AM PDT by LouAvul (Lying headlines from fake news articles written by pimps masquerading as journalists.)
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To: LouAvul

We did knock the shot out of them.

But then the globalists and Leftists in the State Dept got involved in something they never should have.

Toss in the stolen billions in contract money for the donors and here we are.


3 posted on 08/13/2021 8:25:37 AM PDT by qaz123
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
We should have never went into Afghanistan long term. We should have turned them to dust and left with a warning that you don’t want us coming back.

On my initial deployment in 2003–2004, one of my daily tasks was transferring coffins out of northern Iraq and Afghanistan to a plane flying out back to the USA. Very sobering experience. All these years and deployments later, I still wonder what the goal was and did what I did over there even matter.

4 posted on 08/13/2021 8:29:03 AM PDT by Newbomb Turk
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

The armchair, political pole climbing generals at the Pentagon would do well to study Lee’s masterful, fighting withdrawal from Gettysburg and the recrossing of the Potamac and return to Virginia with his army intact. Very much doubt any of them is capable of commanding a fighting withdrawal.


5 posted on 08/13/2021 8:29:09 AM PDT by allendale
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

1975 all over again. We’ve seen this movie before.
https://youtu.be/G1xuTJqZ20M


6 posted on 08/13/2021 8:32:20 AM PDT by hardspunned (former GOP globalist stooge)
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To: Newbomb Turk

I was mobilized for Desert Shield/Storm in 1992. I knew going IN that this was going to be one immense cluster farkle!

Grrrr!

I held a Graves Registrar MOS at one point. Glad I never had to use it. Thank you for your service.


7 posted on 08/13/2021 8:36:32 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
It's going to be a repeat of this...


8 posted on 08/13/2021 8:41:40 AM PDT by aquila48 (Do not let them make you care! Guilting you is how they control you. )
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To: LouAvul

I totally agree. Turn the place to glass and then tell the rest to behave or they get the same treatment.


9 posted on 08/13/2021 8:41:45 AM PDT by southernindymom
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: Diana in Wisconsin

“..Mukhopadhyay is a senior expert on Afghanistan for the U.S. Institute of Peace...”

I have no words...


11 posted on 08/13/2021 8:45:26 AM PDT by jimjohn (...like Donkey Kong.)
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To: jimjohn

Proving ANYONE can get a job, LOL!

I love these ‘made up’ jobs for ‘experts’ in ‘made up’ fields of study.

I’ll have to think on this and make one for myself based upon my interests and talents. *SMIRK*


12 posted on 08/13/2021 8:48:08 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Biden is going on vacation as Kabul is about to be Den Bien Phu’d. People too soon forget what happened to Najibullah when the Russians got kicked out. Got to see the street view of Kabul.


13 posted on 08/13/2021 9:02:00 AM PDT by donozark (Awaiting the arrival of Biden's Black Marias...)
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To: hardspunned

“1975 all over again. We’ve seen this movie before.”

^— This. Remember the last US planes being rushed as they attempted to fly out of Da Nang?

This is what happens when victory isn’t an objective; when actually defeating an opponent isn’t the mission.


14 posted on 08/13/2021 9:06:14 AM PDT by Jay W
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Pray for the Christians in Afghanistan.

Pray for the few remaining Christians in Iraq and and those who had to leave.

GWB is focused on illegals on the US border.


15 posted on 08/13/2021 9:09:05 AM PDT by alternatives?
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To: allendale
The armchair, political pole climbing generals at the Pentagon would do well to study Lee’s masterful, fighting withdrawal from Gettysburg and the recrossing of the Potamac and return to Virginia with his army intact.

That would be, "what was left of his army after Gettysburg".

16 posted on 08/13/2021 9:10:03 AM PDT by Cuttnhorse (Nothing dies harder than a lie that people want to believe)
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To: LouAvul

“we should have initially knocked the crap out of those savages ...... scorched earth ..”

The Soviets did just that. A blank check given to the Military. Carpet bombing that reduced the nation from 30% forested to 3%. Massive Tank Army offensives like only the Soviets could mount. Heavy artillery barrages making night look like day. Pol-i-Charki Prison torturing to death tens of thousands for information. Millions of refugees.

The Afghans endured a degree of deprivation that is hard for most of us to appreciate. They fought the Third World War against the Soviets, that we prepared for, but never did (without the nukes). Then they had seven years of Mad Max style anarchy, while Militias fought each other for control, firing artillery at each other from different neighborhoods in the Capital city. Then Pakistan supported (arguably created) the Taliban, to impose the 7th Century on the country. Traditional social structures broke down, and boys were raised in hyper-violent situations, with no job prospects that did not require a gun.

The bottom line is who has the will and the resources to dominate there. With the USA pulling out, it looks like it it will be Pakistan, their sponsor China, and their surrogates, the Taliban


17 posted on 08/13/2021 9:10:44 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: Jay W

Think about it for a minute. Pretend that you are an executive at say Raytheon, or Lockheed-Douglas, and you own a lot of their stock. Do you want a short war or one that drags on for years and years. You can make a whole lot more money if the war drags on. More missiles and planes and parts. More MONEY!


18 posted on 08/13/2021 9:12:06 AM PDT by Penelope Dreadful (And there is Pansies, that's for Thoughts.)
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To: Jay W
Not far off in the Kabul future:


19 posted on 08/13/2021 9:13:40 AM PDT by Cuttnhorse (Nothing dies harder than a lie that people want to believe)
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To: BeauBo

You left out one thing, viz. turning that sewer into a glass parking lot. We have the means for world peace. Just not the will.


20 posted on 08/13/2021 9:20:14 AM PDT by LouAvul (Lying headlines from fake news articles written by pimps masquerading as journalists.)
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