The military option:

[kentuck]

It appears that the Kabul Airport has become almost inoperable. People are falling from planes as they take off from the airport.

The military is probably thinking of another option?

Bagram Air Field, (Which was over-ran and taken over by the Afghans (Taliban) a few weeks ago) may be an option?

A US military operation could re-secure Bagram and use it as a base of operation, instead of Kabul Airport.

They may have no other choice?

If the Air Field is presently occupied, people could be given three hours to leave. Then, if they stay, it would be attacked from the air. Our people must be protected.

I'm sure the military is looking at other options.

[Irish_Dem]

1. A month ago I would have agreed with you. But now I am dumbfounded when it comes to the US military.

What the hell are they thinking?

[kentuck]

2. They are fighting for their lives.

They don't have a lot of choices.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Facing death does clarify the mind.

I am a military brat, grew up in the military. I remember Saigon.
I cannot believe what a cluster F this is now in Afghanistan.

Certainly the military and intelligence services knew what was in store when they decided to leave.
Now they are having to scramble.

[Voltaire2]

4. Are you not old enough to remember the Great Bug Out?

All the plans turn to shit when the client state collapses. In Saigon people were clinging to the sides of the helicopters taking off from the roof of the embassy as that was the last place not yet overrun.

It’s over. There are no options.

[kentuck]

5. There has to be one option.

Get your people out.

[Voltaire2]

6. Define 'your people'.

We will get all of our soldiers, diplomats, and assorted us national operatives out. We have also gotten the corrupt asshats running the alleged government out, along with all the loot they could transport.

Everyone else is on their own now. Those who could got out before the collapse. The rest…

[kentuck]

7. "Your people" are our military and our diplomats.

That is the primary goal.

Do you think the Afghan people did not know the Americans were leaving? Did they not know that the Taliban were coming?

[Voltaire2]

8. So then there is no problem.

All of our people who are getting out will get out. Safely.

[kentuck]

9. That is not a given at this time.

It was just reported that they have halted operations at the Kabul Airport.

[Voltaire2]

10. For civilians.

[kentuck]

11. It's chaos.

Difficult to control at this moment.

[Voltaire2]

12. I'm done, but there will be no problem

getting us nationals out, at least the ones working with our government, both military and civilian.

It is the Afghanistan nationals who worked with us who aren’t going to get out now if they haven’t already, and we’ve established that this is not your concern.

[kentuck]

13. It is a concern but not my primary concern.

Just to clarify your point.

[Firestorm49]

14. Come on. Come on. Come on. We all hope for the best and safest remedy. There will be loss of life.

Agreed, the exit plan was flawed, but that still doesn’t stop the effort to save as many people as we can who risked their lives working for us.

[kentuck]

15. I would agree.

that we should save as many lives as possible.

It's not an easy or simple question: How many American lives are we willing to sacrifice to save them?

Should that be of no concern?

[Firestorm49]

16. Which brings us back to the flawed plan. It's not like they didn't have enough time act sooner.

It’s not like we don’t have enough aircraft to use for evacuation. We should have been evacuating with an endless fleet of planes, but, someone fucked up. Who? Doesn’t matter any more. The bell has rung.