U.S. Embassy In Kabul Tells Staff To Destroy Sensitive Material And Evacuate

[hookaleft]

Source: NPR

A memo obtained by NPR lays out the emergency preparations being made by American diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul — including the destruction of sensitive documents and computers — as most of them prepare to leave the country.

The memo was written for staff at the embassy and shared with NPR on condition of anonymity.

Most will be evacuated by 3,000 U.S. troops on their way to Kabul to ensure a safe and orderly departure. The embassy will be evacuated and a very small consular staff will work in Kabul, the memo noted.

The embassy staffers were instructed to destroy sensitive documents and desktop computers before they leave, according to the document.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1027390545/kabul-afghanistan-embassy-evacuation

[COL Mustard]

1. Unfortunately This Was Just A Matter Of Time

We could be there 90 days, or 20 years, or 1,000 years, and the outcome would have been the same.

I'm sorry the women and children will have to live in that culture, but there's nothing we can do to effect permanent change. They have to want it and be willing to fight for it.

[peppertree]

3. +1

Besides being predicated on one of history's most egregious lies, 20 years is enough for any war.

[Deminpenn]

9. Sadly, yes

My hope is that being in the spotlight of the world stage will modify at least some of the most egregious policies.

[irisblue]

2. Great! Saigon, Tehran and if a stinger missile is around, Somalia

Fuck you Bush and Cheney

[peppertree]

4. It all makes sense from one standpoint though:

[Ray Bruns]

5. So when do the helicopters land on the embassy roof?

I hate abandoning our allies, but they have to be willing to fight for their freedom.

[forthemiddle]

20. Unfortunately, today

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/15/ap21227222194956-f3811b66a7cfddb05ac0e0aef443e272a066f406-s1800-c85.webp

[Turbineguy]

6. I wonder what Afghan government people are doing.

They must be looking to escape the country. The Taliban are going to kill a lot of people.

[riversedge]

7. The embassy also employs many Afghan workers. Their future was not immediately clear.

What a horrible mess for Afgan people


....The U.S. has also called on the Taliban not to attack the embassy and departing U.S. diplomats. The embassy also employs many Afghan workers. Their future was not immediately clear.

[irisblue]

8. The Afghan woman who became equals again will be raped as a war crime

and the children who will also be raped and abused. The victims will be numerous
This morning on the BBC, one of their journalists was speaking to a current Afghan official who denied that the Taliban were bad to women.
War Crimes and misogyny, again.

[electric_blue68]

12. 'lower' level grinding through out right flaming violent misoginy

☹️ 😞 😩 😭 😡 😠😠😠


'Sorry' doesn't even begin to describe........
what I feel for my women sisters there!
(and having read way back and then watched THT recently - not totally inconceivable here either)

And besides the average city, or suburban (if any) citizens there - having a friend who lived in at least 2 different embassies pings another connection of empathy... Terrifying! 😔

[irisblue]

13. The radio BBC overnight to the US broadcasts are talking with so many terrorized women

I see many podcasts available to listen too.
Those Afghan citizens are being done massively wrong to

[electric_blue68]

14. Yes, TY! It's what stoked -such- a response from me...

... I'd either heard an NPR, local public, or BBC Interview with just such -
an Afghani woman who was in a still free city (Kabul?) who was living a much freer modern life only several hours earlier. 😔

Plus the vivid for me (even if fictional) images pretty easily evoked from the harrowing excellence of THT's TV production.

[irisblue]

16. I do not know what THT TV is, help please

[electric_blue68]

17. Sorry! Went back to sleep... The Handmaid's Tale TV drama

Par excellence but you need a strong constitution to watch it.

[SunSeeker]

10. Inevitable. The only saving grace is that this pullout is happening under Biden instead of Trump.

Trump would not have given a shit about evacuation of Afghan allies, and the whole process would have been a much more chaotic disaster.

[Drum]

11. 👆 Great point! n/t

[electric_blue68]

15. This is true...

[ansible]

21. This already looks like a chaotic disaster

Billions of dollars of military equipment left behind for the Taliban to use for themselves and thousands of Afghan allies now about to be executed for collaboration.

[SunSeeker]

22. You think it would have been better under Trump?

Biden is getting thousands of our Afghan allies out. Do you think Trump would have done that? Trump had no plans to do so.

[Politicub]

18. Afghanistan was destined to be awful everything.

President Biden showed leadership by bringing an end to the war. It was not an easy decision.

Like everyone else, my heart aches for women, girls, the LGBT community and others who are targeted by the Taliban.

I’m not sure there is an external answer to the problem. It would need to come from the people. Clearly, the extreme patriarchal society could not be overcome by trying to help them create a strong military. The soldiers would rather lay down their arms without a fight than go down swinging for their wives and daughters.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

19. 5000 more troops added to the 3000 already on their way there, its spinning out of control

We need more time, last thing we need is our embassy being overrun, with hostages taken

Taliban only respond to force.