Free Republic

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban triumphantly marched into Kabul’s international airport on Tuesday, hours after the final U.S. troop withdrawal that ended America’s longest war. Standing on the tarmac, Taliban leaders pledged to secure the country, quickly reopen the airport and grant amnesty to former opponents. In a show of control, turbaned Taliban leaders were flanked by the insurgents’ elite Badri unit as they walked across the tarmac. The commandos in camouflage uniforms proudly posed for photos.... ...Vehicles carrying the Taliban raced back and forth along the Hamid Karzai International Airport’s sole runway on the military side of the...

....The unit, previously unveiled by the Taliban in promotional material, are reportedly highly trained and equipped with state-of-the-art military equipment... ...According to a report from India Today, the Badri 313 prepares like any other special forces commando unit, employing tactical and attack training in undisclosed locations run by the Taliban... ...Questions will surely be raised over how the Taliban have come into possession of such high-tech military equipment, with some suggesting that they have stolen or seized it from departing U.S. troops or defeated Afghan soldiers....

...Ryan, chairman of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, said in a virtual press conference said that troops are still around the U.S. Capitol building due to threats "around the impeachment and just generally, given what's happened, and the fact that we don't have a reset for the security apparatus around the Capitol building. We are in the process of figuring that out." "How can we learn everything we need to learn to reset the posture on Capitol Hill?" Ryan asked. "We're not going to let the National Guard go home, or we're not going to create an unsafe environment for the...

Columbia SC. Forget the chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps. For just $9.74, you can buy the "Military Combat" Easter basket, a pretty pastel-colored package loaded with gun-toting toy soldiers, tanks and grenades. The Easter warriors are embedded with the legions of more traditional - Winnie-the-Pooh and Barbie-themed baskets - that line the shelves of local Wal-Marts and Kmarts. The baskets have been eagerly snatched up by some Columbia area shoppers. But not everyone's happy to see G.I. Joe join forces with Peter Cottontail. "I think it's very deplorable to try to sanitize the ugly face of war," said Hal French,...