Regardless of any signed agreement, the Taliban was never going to allow a peaceful withdrawal.

[RockRaven]

They were always going to make a show of chasing us out, at minimum, if not genuinely doing so. Some asshole signing a piece of paper wasn't ever going to stand in the way of that.

The Taliban seeks to rule by force, not consent. They want the public to submit, not resist -- it's easier and less costly, obviously. So it comes down to fear. They want everyone to believe they are the biggest bully on the block, that nothing can stop them from doing whatever they want. They don't want to be seen as the strongest entity remaining after the US left, they want to be seen as the strongest period.

Chasing/harrassing/attacking the US on their way out is too useful as propaganda to waste the opportunity.

Any politician or pundit who claims a peaceful exit was possible (often accompanied by a "Biden should have done X" as if that would have changed the above circumstances) is a fool or a liar.

[ColinC]

1. Unless the moderate proposals made by the spokesman were in any way legit, there

Will likely be a resistance and chaos as a result for some time.

[Walleye]

2. Maybe Joe should tell Trump and his minions, "I'm President and you're not"

I think all the Taliban has is violence and ruthlessness

[Hoyt]

3. The problem is there are videos of Biden saying it would not be like Vietnam.

I’m hopeful he has a plan to announce today.

[Devil Child]

4. Again, this is dismissive coping. "It was always gonna be THIS way"

No, it wasn’t. It was this way, as in the execution of the operation to exit Afghanistan, because military, state department, and intelligence planners failed.

It never had to be THIS way.

[LizBeth]

6. Says who? You? Because you know this how?

[Devil Child]

8. Says who? You? Because you know this how?

Yes, yes, because.

No different than anyone else making their "it was gonna go down this way." Says who? You? Because you know this how?

[LizBeth]

9. Lol, ya.

[Budi]

10. Failed? No. Failure would be sending in troops to fight the Taliban's rush to claim the property .

I'd rather think THAT would have been an epic unecessary Failure of judgment.

Terrorists don't give a shit who lives or dies in the process. Citizens, American troops....

[LizBeth]

5. And 20 yrs in the waiting for the show.

[OLDMDDEM]

7. I recall presidents (both R and D) saying

we do not negotiate with terrorists. The Taliban qualifies as a terrorist organization. Why would we think they would agree to anything and go thru with it? I guess we need to ask Dumpy.

[Budi]

12. Trump negotiated this shitshow same as every shitshow he's produced

For his benefit & the ruthless authoritarian rulers he befriended.

Tell me one of those who puts their own people 1st. None. Including tRump.
Trump 'negotiated' a self serving deal with the devils of the world.

Biden was AGAIN tasked with walking into an unpredictable shitshow, half blind to the private deal making of a bunch of thugs. Same situation he faced at home in America, on Jan 21 thru today.

[OLDMDDEM]

15. I agree with you

[Johnny2X2X]

11. This is a peaceful withdrawal

It's hasty, but we aren't being attacked.

[Budi]

13. As peaceful as it could possibly be. K&R

[FakeNoose]

14. Maybe so, but their goal was not to kill Americans, but just watch us leave

I'm sure they wanted to be careful not to engage the U.S. Military and start trouble all over again. They aren't that stupid, are they?

[Budi]

16. Not stupid, but insane enough to posture for whomever's financing them.

This is totally due to Trump run-amok in the ME once he was given power.

They wanted the territory. Not the people.
So allowing someone else to remove them was a better look than killing them, I guess.

If Trump were pResident now, he wouldn't have bothered seeking a safe harbor nor moving the people to safety.
Same as he never bothered with the Kurds.