Large planes are taking off, capable of carrying up to 600, but only a few dozen people were on them. In the worst case, only seven people were aboard.
The Taliban is actively blocking Afghans from leaving, while Westerners are unable to get through. Fears remain that Western hostages could be taken, amid a crisis that should have never happened but did thanks to Joe Biden, whose administration is now hostage to the Taliban.
According to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, America lacks “the military resources and political mandate to ensure that every American is evacuated amid the Taliban control of Kabul.” And not only do Americans remain in Afghanistan at the mercy of the Taliban, which already known to take hostages, American weaponry and aircraft also remain, at full disposal for use by the Taliban.
“Massive US cargo planes are taking off with just 100 passengers from Kabul – despite ability to carry 600 – as Taliban close off airport making entry impossible for Afghans – amid fears thousands of westerners will end up HOSTAGES,” by Chris Pleasance, MailOnline, August 18, 2021:
Evacuation flights out of Kabul are taking off near-empty after the Taliban formed a ring of steel around the airport – blocking tens of thousands of desperate Afghans from entering as westerners said they are unable to get through the crush.
Those on the ground say the Taliban are blocking anyone who does not have a foreign passport from entering the airport, meanwhile foreigners including British and German expats say they have become trapped in the chaos, unable to get through the disorderly crowds to board flights home.
The situation is fueling fears that the West’s Afghan allies have almost no hope of making it out of Afghanistan. And there are growing fears that the fate of Westerners could become a bargaining chip for the Taliban, and they could even end up as hostages.
Sources told Bild that the German Ministry of Defence fears that the Taliban could take hostages as leverage for upcoming negotiations in Doha. Foreign Minister Hieko Mass said on Monday that the German government is seeking contact with the militants.
The first Dutch evacuation flight reportedly left Kabul without a single Dutch national on board after passengers were blocked by US troops.
‘The Americans were guarding the gate. I showed my passport and said I was Dutch,’ a man told Dutch media outlet NOS. ‘After saying three times that I was Dutch, he told me to keep my distance otherwise he would shoot.’
Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag said the Americans gave the plane 30 minutes on the tarmac before ordering it to leave, and pleaded for the US to ‘give us more time’. But the Netherlands did manage to evacuate its first nationals on Wednesday, with 35 on board a plane headed for Georgian capital Tbilisi, the Dutch defence ministry tweeted.
Massive US cargo planes are taking off with an average of just 100 passengers from Kabul – despite being able to carry more than 600.
Flights bound for Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, France and Italy – which between them have vowed to rescue thousands of people – have been taking off with just a few dozen people on board despite having capacity to take hundreds.
In one case, a German plane with room for 150 departed Kabul on Tuesday with just seven on board.
Overnight, the US only put 2,000 people on 18 C-17 planes – an average of 110 per flight. A single C-17 has been used to transport more than 600 people out of a typhoon before, and one took off on Sunday with 640 Afghans on board because the crew decided not to leave them behind.
This despite Washington’s pledge to ferry out at least 20,000 people at a rate of 9,000 per day….
Shirley Ann says
May God Help us Now, Please.
Our so-called Afghani-Allies only last as long as money is made available for these worthless Beings, then they morph into the Taliban.
President Trump told us the Truth, when he said they had to be paid “GENEROUSLY” more than any other Soldiers. I never want to hear the WOKE AMERICANS, refer to AFGHANS as ALLIES.
Joe Biden & the DEM/MARXIST LEADERS, including our WOKE GENERALS, Must be put on TRIAL for the Public to see what they have done to the Greatest Country on Earth.
Steve says
Shirley I served a year there. Over 66 000 Afghan soldiers DIED defending their country. It is the Gov’t and the Commanders that are corrupt. Please learn some facts before you spout off. As for Biden, Austin, Milley, etc they should be gutted like the animals they are.
Infidel says
Steve
That is tangential to the question of where the loyalties of the 300,000 strong Afghan army lay. Some estimate that there were enough Taliban sympathizers within their ranks, which explains why there was no offensive launched against the Taliban despite the fact that they had an air force and the Taliban didn’t. These soldiers fought the Taliban while we were around, but the moment we left, they freely joined them instead
As Hugh has often pointed out, muslim loyalties can’t be bought, only rented. Our ‘allies’ were only loyal to us as long as we were employing them: the moment the gravy train went away, they were open for new opportunities. And found it within the Taliban
Malcolm (South Afric) says
Biden left 158 Black Hawk helicopters behind worth over a Billion dollars, hundreds of mrap, heavy machine guns,
Biden and Milly need to be impeached sent to prison the other fired for disgraceful conduct.
What a disaster
Steve says
Don’t forget Affirmative Action hire Lloyd Austin the sickest excuse for a Sec Def.
Steve says
Don’t forget the Affirmative Action hire Lloyd Austin the sickest Dec Def we have ever had
Malcolm (South Afric) says
@Steve thanks for your service, much respect for you and your buddies. who did the hard work.
GreekEmpress says
Ditto—??????
gravenimage says
+1
Don McKellar says
I wonder how many billions His Fraudulancy’s regime will put out to release hostages? There’s going to be thousands of them. And many more from other countries.
Border a chaos zone. inflation rocketing to highest point since 1974, Chinese virus reassurance, economy stumbling, America’s enemies openly mocking — and His Fraudulancy hiding out and now trying to leave town again for an extra long weekend in his basement at home.
And Kamala the hyena waiting in the wings, HIDING, cackling as she waits her turn as Obama’s Chosen One.
Kepha says
Western hostages will be a great excuse to release the Gitmo captives in an exchange.
gravenimage says
Grimly just what I was thinking.
gravenimage says
Taliban closes off airport amid fears thousands of Westerners will end up hostages
…………………
Utter insanity. Civilians should have been evacuated first, and using Bagram Airforce base would have made far more sense than the Kabul airport–less defensible and supposedly protected by the feckless Afghan army.
OLD GUY says
Number one question, why would you pull our military out of country before you get your civilian people and assets out? Total failure.
somehistory says
This reminds me of the time hurricane Katrina was heading for LA and the mayor of New Orleans, ray nagin, ordered an evacuation the **day before** the storm hit, when it was obvious well before then where the killer storm was heading, but he got out, leaving the poor people behind to fend for themselves. The superdome couldn’t hold that many, nor were there enough supplies on hand. He and others didn’t prepare because they didn’t care.
Generally, the creeps and jerks at the top of the heap, don’t care about those serfs at the bottom.
Personally, I would never have agreed to go there and work, but those Americans who did, should have had warning that this was to happen, because as mentally deficient as biden is, he and his henchpeople knew the when and how and the results that would come.
Not enough water in the ocean to remove all of the blood from their hands….the blood of Americans and those others in afghanistan who are not among the killers and don’t wish to be.
The poor babies being tossed across razor wire by their desperate parents, the little kids left as orphans, the poor people being slaughtered by these sons of demons…no excuses will suffice.
somehistory says
The state dept is making Americans in afghanistan sign promissory notes in amounts up to $2000. to be flown out and back to the States. Isn’t that nice?
They are also charging non-citizens of the U.S. So what about all those afghans on that one flight that had video of the inside of the plane filled with afghan men? Who paid their way?