Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby Says There Are Thousands of Americans Still in Afghanistan

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Newsweek

There are thousands of Americans still trapped in Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover of Kabul, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday.

John Kirby, the press secretary for the Department of Defense, told CNN's New Day host John Berman that there could be anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 U.S. citizens near Afghanistan's capital.

"We think there are certainly thousands of Americans," Kirby said. "We don't have an exact count."

Kirby noted that the State Department is advising U.S. citizens there on how to get to the airport and begin processing for flights out of the country.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pentagon-spokesperson-john-kirby-says-there-are-thousands-of-americans-still-in-afghanistan/ar-AANq9xY

[Wingus Dingus]

1. Um...how? Why? Why and how?

How did these people not leave long before this?

[onetexan]

11. ditto

[haele]

17. Aid workers, students/education groups, missionaries, the occasional tourist.

There are plenty of US NGOs that operate across the world that have members who were caught flat-footed by the Afghan government's collapse. Some might not yet have heard about the overall Taliban take-over even now, depending on what region they are in and what they were doing.

Haele

[LizBeth]

2. And I hear US has gotten control of the airport and is on it. Point?

[COL Mustard]

6. Getting To The Airport

May be a major problem unless the Taliban actually honor their promises.

[LizBeth]

7. We will see what else they come up with as problems arise. What happens in crisis.

Not that chaos won't happen but what is done to address and solve the issues.

[greenjar_01]

3. Um...

"There are thousands of Americans still trapped in Afghanistan, ... a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday."

Did he say they were trapped? Didn't catch that part in his statement.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Will the Taliban start slaughtering a retreating/surrendering US army and US civilians?

Seems like a poor political strategy. They won the war, now they need to think like politicians, not soldiers.
Do they want to be a rogue, secretive, international pariah like North Korea? Or enter the world community to some extent? It is their choice.

[totodeinhere]

8. American forces did not surrender to anybody.

They engaged in a planned withdrawal because 20 years in that country is enough. And why continue to fight and lose American lives when the Afghans themselves had no will to fight? However, the speed of the Taliban takeover was not anticipated. And as far as slaughtering goes, no American troops will be slaughtered. They are fully armed and capable of defending themselves.

[Irish_Dem]

12. The US military is retreating from a war they didn't win.

Pure and simple, just like Viet Nam.

I grew up in the military. I know a retreat when I see one.

The Americans there are now outnumbered. Anything could happen.

[oldsoftie]

14. 3000 troops kept the taliban at bay for quite some time.

Yes, anything could happen. And if it DOES, then all bets should be OFF

[rockfordfile]

15. Bush sent us there based on lies.

The troops did what they were told to do. A lot of respect to our troops.
The only thing similar to Nam is that it was based on lies and finally we're getting out. This was warned before going into Afghanistan.

[BlueIdaho]

5. And thus begins the fog of war...

I for one am going to be looking for multiple sources before I buy anything the military is saying. Same goes for the usual suspects who have the military’s back.

[IronLionZion]

9. Some more info

Some are residents, journalists or aid workers who may not want to leave. Most are scrambling to escape. Some are dual nationals or children of Americans who may not have the proper passport or visas, but the State Department has not told them how to fix their paperwork.

The State Department and the Defense Department basically have two options: negotiate safe passage for American citizens with the Taliban, if possible, or send the U.S. military out into the city to bring Americans back to the airport before the Taliban gangs find them.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/16/biden-must-rescue-thousands-us-citizens-trapped-afghanistan/

[PerceptionManagement]

10. they prefer to be called 'Afghani' now

[onetexan]

13. Biden has made known US withdrawal for several months now, so if there are any Americans

who chose to take their time, sorry to say this but it's on them if they now can't make way to the airport. I don't believe there are but until the reporting can be more accurate i take it w a grain of salt.

[Sherman A1]

16. Agreed

It isn’t like this wasn’t announced and folks don’t have calendars readily available.

[madville]

19. The Administration shouldn't have been telling them the Afghan government was capable

of holding back the Taliban. It gave everyone a false sense of security or at least that there would be more time.

[Sherman A1]

22. Perhaps

But, there still is the whole thing about the calendar. I find it difficult to believe that folks on the ground in the area didn’t have a good idea of what was coming.

[madville]

18. So they shouldn't have believed President Biden a month ago when he was saying

That the Afghan government and military were fully capable of defending the country against the Taliban?

[Polybius]

21. Did you?

I didn't believe for one minute that Afghanistan wouldn't fall to the Taliban.

[Polybius]

20. There's at least one DU member who claims to live there

I'll try to find the post, but he posted this around 3 days ago.