Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.
While Biden’s panicked evacuation from Afghanistan was going on, it had failed so badly that staffers from his own wife’s office were contacting private rescue groups to get people out.
This is one of the many damning revelations in the report by Rep. McCaul for the Republican minority on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The interim report, “A Strategic Failure” was conducted despite every possible effort by the White House and House Democrats to stop it, including blocking information requests and keeping briefings unnecessarily classified.
With the revelations that the State Department is actively refusing to cooperate with the Special Inspector General on Afghanistan Reconstruction, this report is more urgent than ever.
Forced to rely on personal interviews and public non-classified testimony, the report reveals that Biden had made it a “priority” to maintain an embassy in Kabul even after he had withdrawn the troops and the country was on the verge of falling to the advancing Taliban terror forces.
“POTUS was publicly making it clear that this was a priority. Ambassador Wilson began stating that ‘I am maniacal about the Embassy remaining in Kabul,’” a military officer described.
Secretary of State Blinken and other State Department officials in D.C. and in Kabul refused to consider the possibility of a Taliban takeover. Only Blinken and his department could order an evacuation, and they refused to seriously plan for one until a week before the fall of Kabul.
Military officials were prevented from even discussing an evacuation, being told, “don’t say NEO” and “This is not a NEO for Afghanistan.” NEO stands for Non-Combatant Evacuation.
Biden’s refusal to listen to advisers who told him to maintain a minimal military force on the ground almost led to an even worse disaster as the only remaining airport was overrun.
With American forces under fire, Air Force pilots and maintenance personnel were handed guns and told to stand guard. Had the Taliban wanted to overrun the airport, they could have done so.
The report notes that, “most of the officers working at the Joint Operations Center were also pressed into security duties as the mob got within 150 meters of that key command center.”
And the abandoned and isolated military personnel on the ground were under Taliban fire.
The military helicopters evacuating the embassy had to evade “constant” enemy fire. The airport guard towers “received small arms fire throughout the day” and Taliban mortars forced the closure of the airport. The suicide bombing that killed 13 service members was the inevitable result of Biden’s bad decisions which turned the American presence in Kabul into ‘Fort Apache’.
With no plan, deprived of proper military support, isolated in a small strip of land, surrounded by armed enemies and dangerous mobs, Biden led American military personnel into a trap.
Biden lied, Americans died.
While the State Department’s focus on Biden’s “priority” of maintaining an embassy led directly to the wretched scenes of American citizens being beaten by the Taliban and left behind under fire, Biden’s military brass also has plenty to answer for.
The Taliban had offered, ‘Why don’t you just take security for all of Kabul.’ Gen. McKenzie replied, “That was not my instruction”. The Taliban had urged, “We want you to have it,”
That would have required thousands more troops that Biden refused to authorize.
Gen. McKenzie had initially planned to tell the Taliban to stop outside the city, but in the meeting instead told the Islamic terrorism group that he had “no opinion” on them taking the city.
Instead of trying to secure the city for an evacuation, the Biden administration and its generals outsourced the job to the Taliban with horrifying results for our citizens and our prestige.
Adding to the disgrace, British, French and other NATO members went out into Kabul to rescue their own people, while our own generals refused to do likewise and tried to discourage them.
“U.S. commanders were angered by allied troops leaving the perimeter of HKIA to rescue their respective citizens, expressing concern these movements could draw a negative reaction from the Taliban,” the report notes. Biden’s brass were more concerned about the Taliban’s reaction than about getting all the Americans trapped behind enemy lines out of the country.
And so over 800 American citizens were abandoned by Biden behind Taliban enemy lines.
American women would have been among those who, the report reveals, “were beaten and shot at for not being accompanied by a male, sexually assaulted, trampled, and forced to stand in wastewater for hours”.
“If there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay to get them all out,” Biden had promised.
It was one of his many lies.
The McCaul report carefully documents the complete contradiction between the Biden administration’s claims about the evacuation and the realities on the ground. The most damning evidence of that are the efforts by Jill Biden and Kamala’s people to contact private rescue groups to get people out instead of operating through their own administration.
Biden claimed that his withdrawal was carried out with the support and consent of military leaders and allies, and that no one had foreseen a rapid Taliban takeover.
In reality, he had been “warned repeatedly that the return of the Taliban was a question of when, not if” and that “the resurgence of al Qaeda” was “the most likely scenario”.
Biden was aware of this and lied anyway.
NATO allies vehemently opposed Biden’s unconditional withdrawal to such a degree that Secretary Blinken had phoned his boss from a NATO summit to tell him he had gotten a “jolt” in “in quadraphonic sound” opposing the move. His own military advisers had told him not to do it.
Nothing Biden and his people said about their botched evacuation from Afghanistan was true.
After withdrawing forces while leaving thousands of Americans behind on the ground, Biden reluctantly approved a limited evacuation whose military personnel were cut off from the start. Mobs overran the airport, with mostly young men filling up planes which took off. The State Department failed to plan for an evacuation or vet evacuees leading to dozens of Afghans with terror ties coming to America and massive backups of Afghan evaucees abroad.
After its Saigon moment, the Biden administration has been paying “approximately $300,000 per flight to a Taliban controlled airline in order to allow U.S. citizens and Afghan allies to continue evacuating.” Air Taliban is being funded by the United States with State Department officials confirming “that the cash-strapped Taliban are profiting from these payments.“
The Taliban had every incentive to sabotage our evacuation to profit from Air Taliban.
Sizable quantities of weapons and equipment have fallen into the hands of the Taliban. Some family members of Americans, including military personnel, are still trapped in Afghanistan.
Despite the withdrawal, massive amounts of our money continue flowing to the Taliban in the form of hostage payments and foreign aid. Al Qaeda freely operates in Afghanistan and the United States of America suffered an unprecedented disgrace, abandoning citizens and allies.
A year later, the interim report from the Republican minority on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is only the beginning of the effort to expose the truth about Biden’s betrayal.
But it is an important step in the fight against the lies and the spin from the man who did it all.
somehistory says
what bobiden did is Treason. Can’t get much worse, and yet, the so-called ‘biden admin’ the media, many in the public, a bunch of talking heads and “legal experts” focus on some papers that Mr. Trump ‘may have had’ and will be “indicted,” yada, yada.
biden lied about that too. he informed his crew, his hunting ‘dogs’ that he was waving Mr. Trump’s “privilege” and they should go after whatever could be found.
This persecution of Mr. Trump is a shield for his own wrongs that caused so many deaths and allowed so many mozlum terrorists into the country. Treason by bobiden.
mortimer says
Biden even asked the president of Afghanistan to lie for him as he was STABBING the Afghan president in the back!
Talk about a lack of dignity and divorce from reality.
Biden thinks that lying is normative, because it is his most besetting vice. He lies often and every day. It’s his way of doing business.
Couldn’t Americans see it? Hear it?
I have frequently heard local politicians like Biden, but it is seldom such a liar gets the top job in a country.
mortimer says
With all the money they are handing to the Taliban and the valuable things that were left behind, it would have been cheaper to remain in Afghanistan. Soon Americans will have to return to clean out the nests of ISIS and Al Qaeda and other Islamist terror groups.
Fighting for the same terrain twice is military WOODEN-HEADEDNESS.
Wellington says
Biden lies even more than Obama. He’s an appalling man, has no virtues, is a massive incompetent, a professional hack politician of half a century AND thus all those who ACTUALLY voted for this nothing in 2020 owe the rest of us Americans an apology, though if one was clueless or malevolent enough to vote for Biden in the first place, especially if older, you are probably beyond redemption.
somehistory says
Wellington, I’m sure as an historian, you know about the many who committed suicide when the stock market crashed. and recently, a baby died while under the supervision of his father, and the father committed suicide. Many young people committed when they were under lockdown.
I’m surprised that more suicides are not happening due to those people having voted for this corrupt creature. Must be difficult to live with if the person is honest.
Wellington says
“Must be difficult to live with if the person is honest.”
A salient point, somehistory. Yes, I wonder how many honest people voted for Biden and now regret it. Well, whatever the percentage I fear it’s still not enough to reverse all the damage the present Democratic Party is doing to America. Compounding all this is that the Democrats seem much more vigorous in destroying America than the Republicans en masse seem prepared to save the greatest political experiment in man’s history. Dark times.
somehistory says
All of the dead voters who chose him, now regret it, but the dems won’t allow a redo.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
I think that a large percent of the people who *actually voted* for Biden – the sole reason being an emotional “hatred” for Pres. Trump (not necessarily his policies) likely regret their decision.
I have actually run into a few of these JFK type Democrats – courageous enough to admit it.
The true Leftists, however, still support their choice for Biden.
They are unreachable.
gravenimage says
Even here in California most Democrats say they would not vote for Biden again.
Daniel Triplett says
Evidently, most Democrats are cognitively dissonant, unteachable, and beyond redemption.
Per the following poll, in a 2024 Biden/Trump matchup, 92% of Democrats would vote for Biden.
And like you said, Democrats are as a bloc more committed to destroying America than Republicans are to saving it, with only 85% of Republicans willing to vote for Trump in said matchup with Biden.
Personally, I’ll vote for Trump in the 2024 General if he’s the nominee, but I’ll support DeSantis in the Primary if he runs against him.
” Biden Job & Favorability Ratings Strongly Negative (Except with Dems); Trump Equally Negative Favorability (Except with Reps) ”
The New York Times / Siena College National Poll, 12JUL2021:
https://scri.siena.edu/2022/07/12/biden-job-trump-equally-negative-favorability-except-with-reps/
Daniel Triplett says
CORRECTION:
That poll was done 12 July 2022, not 2021.
It was done about 3 weeks before the DoJ FBI Mar a Lago raid, which may have increased the percentage of Republicans willing to support Trump in 2024.
somehistory says
And here’s another great story…may be OT, but I feel compelled to share it
https://www.glennbeck.com/staff/census-bureau-admits-mistakes
“The Bureau overcounted in Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Utah.
They undercounted in Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Illinois.”
And, Beck says there is no remedy. The error stays. Money and seats unfairly distributed.
gravenimage says
Hmmmmm–a few exceptions, but overall I think I’m seeing a pattern in the nature of the states that were undercounted vs overcounted…
And I can understand an undercount–some people live in remote areas, some simply do not want to be counted. But with the rare possible exception of people who happened to move during the Census itself and may have been accidentally counted twice, how is an overcount even possible? I worked for the Census in 2000 and this seems pretty much impossible on a large scale–unless it was deliberate…
somehistory says
blue overcounted…get more seats….red undercounted and are denied seats they deserve plus the extra funds that are going to the blue states.
I believe it was deliberate.
Walter Sieruk says
That horrible policy and directed action of that horrendously treasonous “president” Joe Biden in Afghanistan does indeed have a galvanizing effect to stir and impel the jihadists of many different Islamic terror/murder organizations around the world to continue even stronger than before.
Especially since they have their useful idiot and stooge sitting and resting in the Oval Office of the White House masquerading as a real, genuine, United States President.
That treacherous fiend old man Joe Biden asset and Inspiration to America’s enemies around the world.
Walter Sieruk says
That awful, terrible and disastrous Joe Biden is a deadly calamity for those thirteen American soldiers by the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as other Americans and for many Afghans. abandoned in that land to the Taliban.
That pseudo “president” is also a catastrophe for the worldwide war against Islamic terrorism and a blight and a curse to the homeland security of the United States and safety of her citizens.
Therefore, it has been well said that the inauguration day of Joe Biden January 20, 2021, as President of the USA is as the official launching day, May 31, 1911, of the ship that was the Titanic into the ocean.
Walter Sieruk says
By Joe Biden giving victory to the Taliban is very galvanizing Muslim terrorists, including those jihadists of ISIS, because of Biden because of his arrogant conceit refused to heed the wisdom the US generals who advised of him for a planned gradual withdrawal of the Americans military forces from Afghanistan.
Likewise, this this triumph of the Taliban in Afghanistan may, indeed, serve as catalyzed for different Islamic terrorist organizations further strive to fulfill their goal for the violent jihad for the cause of Islam.
So it’s actually the fault of that President pretender Joe Biden that the increase of the deathly violence of Islamic terrorism in the world because of the awful judgement and terrible folly of Biden concerning Afghanistan that zeal will rise among the jihadists with their Islamic terror entities.
This proves that this bogus president now sitting in the Oval Office of the White House masquerading as a genuine Chief Executive of the USA is a very dangerous and wicked man.
Walter Sieruk says
Joe Biden has a very low approval ratings because he is terrible in many ways. For example, Biden had ordered the US pullout from Afghanistan that awful action of his that reveals the horrendous folly of his judgement in many wrong and tragic ways.
After all the Americans who died and the many others who had been terrible wounded and over a trillion dollars of wasted American taxpayers’ money invested in that awful mayhem is also awful.
Another horrible consequence of Biden’s treachery in Afghanistan are all those unvetted Afghan /Muslims now spreading across the United States. If any Americans, in any way are harmed by some those unvetted Afghan “refugees” who might be either criminals or violent jihadists then Biden will have their innocent blood on his wicked hands.
Since the end of August and because of that despicable villain Joe Biden, has betrayed and abandoned many Americans and left them to in Afghanistan to be brutally murdered by the Taliban.
Walter Sieruk says
History seems to be repeating itself again, and not only with Saigon during the year 1975. This time it’s with Sunni Islam in Afghanistan.
Meaning in the year 1979 with the coming of Shiite Islamic Revolution of Iran the Shah of Iran fled the nation of Iran because of advancing power of the Ayatollah Khomeini to compete power.
Now in this year of 2021 the President of Afghanistan also fled his country because of advancing Sunni Taliban Muslim savages achieving complete power.
Another comparison is that the bunging and incompetent Jimmy Carter had a hand in that Shite brutal Islamic tyranny rising to total power in Iran
Likewise, that bunging and incompetent Joe Biden had a hand in the coming Sunni brutal Taliban tyranny rising to total power in Afghanistan.
Walter Sieruk says
About Joe Biden and the catastrophe, he created in Afghanistan, it’s worse than terrible.
Just think of all those Americans and out good Afghans friends he abandoned in Afghanistan to be encountered captured tortured and murdered by the bloodthirsty Taliban.
To make matters even worse Biden admitted many unchecked and unvetted “refugees” into and throughout the United States, a number of them, not doubt are criminal and secret jihadists scheming and waiting for the time they consider engaging in murderous violence.
The innocent people who will be murdered by them will guilty and likewise Biden will also then have their blood on his sinister wicked and destructive hands.
All that evil in Afghanistan would never have happened if that President Pretender, Joe Biden just threw away and totally destroyed nearly twenty years of progress accomplished by the blood sweat and tears and even the deaths of many Americans as well as those blood, sweat and tears of America’s allies.
Also, Biden threw away more than trillion of the American taxpayer’s money that was invested in for the betterment and development of Afghanistan.
This tragic scenario didn’t actually have to had happen in Afghanistan because the generals of the Pentagon who are strategic military advisers to the President strongly counseled Biden not to have a sharp, sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan but instead have and start a gradual drawback of the US armed forces after September 11, 2021.
The problem was that the arrogant conceited and stupid Joe Biden refused to heed or listen to the wise council of the intellects of the Pentagon. Therefore is this complete catastrophe with the Taliban total takeover of Afghanistan.
In the ancient but wisdom filled book by Sun Tzu entitled THE ART OF WAR, it is written “He will win who has the military capability and is not interfered with the sovereign.”
That awful incompetent and probably even treasonous villain, Joe Biden, ruined everything.
Walter Sieruk says
On the night Television program Sean Hannity 8/17/21 on Fox News, the former United States President Donald Trump was interviewed by Hannity and Mr. Trump had spoken about this Biden withdraw from Afghanistan and Trump, truthfully declared that “Nobody had ever handled a withdrawal worse than Joe Biden.”
He further stated that “This is the greatest embarrassment in the history of this country” and Trump then mentioned how the other countries are watching all this and that “China is laughing at us.” because “China does not respect us anymore.”
It’s all very obvious that this awful lack of respect of all the fault of that terrible man, Joe Biden.
Donald Trump had also well said “What is now happening in Afghanistan is unbelievable”
gravenimage says
Biden Lied, Americans Died: Congressional Report Exposes Biden’s Afghanistan Lies
…………………………..
Well, this report is a good thing–but too late to save anyone.
James Lincoln says
For years to come, the United States – as well as other Western countries – will be paying a price (in both blood and treasure) due to this botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
And the buck ultimately stops with demented Joe.
Walter Sieruk says
Eating ice cream is the one and only thing that Joe Biden knows how to do well. In everything else Biden isa disaster. As observed on Afghanistan. Then make matters even worse he lies about it.