An open letter to Americans and green card holders in Afghanistan

[BehindBlueI's]

It's true they were warned of a withdrawal, which was supposed to happen in May (set by Trump). That didn't happen and Biden continued to lie to Ghani telling him to even lie to the people to "change the perception".

I agree the admin screwed up, went over it in detail in the Afghanistan thread. However I also think the people "stuck" bare some portion of the blame as well. We didn't leave people we sent there behind. Soldiers, contractors, State Dept employees etc were not "abandoned". The State Dept has issued repeated warnings for people to leave.

May 15:

The Embassy reminds U.S. citizens that on April 27, 2021, the Department of State ordered the departure from U.S. Embassy Kabul of U.S. government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere due to increasing violence and threat reports in Kabul. The Travel Advisory for Afghanistan remains Level 4-Do Not Travel due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19. Commercial flight options from Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) remain available and the U.S. Embassy strongly suggests that U.S. citizens make plans to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited.



Actions to Take:

• Make plans to depart Afghanistan by commercial airlines
• Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance
• Stay alert in places frequented by foreigners
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Keep a low profile
• Notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans
• Be aware of your surroundings and local security developments
• Monitor local media
• Review your personal security plans

May 27:

Location: Afghanistan

Event: Announcement by the Department of State on May 24, 2021 that U.S. citizens may directly return to the United States with certain expired U.S. passports.


July 15:

In light of heightened insecurity in Afghanistan, the Embassy reminds U.S. citizens that the Travel Advisory for Afghanistan remains Level 4-Do Not Travel due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19. If you have concerns about your health or safety in Afghanistan, now is the time to leave. Commercial transportation and infrastructure are intact and operating normally. Strongly consider this option. If you decide to remain in Afghanistan, carefully consider all travel and limit trips only to those that are absolutely necessary. Given security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited.

Actions to Take:

• Make contingency plans to leave.
• Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• Stay alert in places frequented by foreigners.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Keep a low profile.
• Notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans.
• Be aware of your surroundings and local security developments.
• Monitor local media.
• Review your personal security plans.

July 20, similar warning issued.

August 12,

The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. If you cannot afford to purchase an airline ticket at this time, please contact the U.S. Embassy at KabulACS@state.gov for information regarding a repatriation loan. If you are a U.S. citizen and delaying your departure while you await an immigrant visa for a spouse or minor child, please contact us immediately. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul. Please review, “What the Department of State Can and Can’t Do in a Crisis.”


So if you were there for your own reasons, as part of an NGO, etc. You had months of warnings to get out and if you didn't the US gov't ability to help you get out was going to be limited. If you ignored all of that, how much of your crisis is your fault? Seems like it's not 0%. So, yes, Biden & Co are massive screwups. That doesn't change that if you are a US citizen and are stuck in Afghanistan, you can't in good faith say you weren't warned to not be there and that the gov't may not be able to save you from your decision to stay.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I agree the admin screwed up, went over it in detail in the Afghanistan thread. However I also think the people "stuck" bare some portion of the blame as well. We didn't leave people we sent there behind. Soldiers, contractors, State Dept employees etc were not "abandoned". The State Dept has issued repeated warnings for people to leave.

May 15:

The Embassy reminds U.S. citizens that on April 27, 2021, the Department of State ordered the departure from U.S. Embassy Kabul of U.S. government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere due to increasing violence and threat reports in Kabul. The Travel Advisory for Afghanistan remains Level 4-Do Not Travel due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19. Commercial flight options from Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) remain available and the U.S. Embassy strongly suggests that U.S. citizens make plans to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited.



Actions to Take:

• Make plans to depart Afghanistan by commercial airlines
• Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance
• Stay alert in places frequented by foreigners
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Keep a low profile
• Notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans
• Be aware of your surroundings and local security developments
• Monitor local media
• Review your personal security plans

May 27:

Location: Afghanistan

Event: Announcement by the Department of State on May 24, 2021 that U.S. citizens may directly return to the United States with certain expired U.S. passports.


July 15:

In light of heightened insecurity in Afghanistan, the Embassy reminds U.S. citizens that the Travel Advisory for Afghanistan remains Level 4-Do Not Travel due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflict, and COVID-19. If you have concerns about your health or safety in Afghanistan, now is the time to leave. Commercial transportation and infrastructure are intact and operating normally. Strongly consider this option. If you decide to remain in Afghanistan, carefully consider all travel and limit trips only to those that are absolutely necessary. Given security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited.

Actions to Take:

• Make contingency plans to leave.
• Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• Stay alert in places frequented by foreigners.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Keep a low profile.
• Notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans.
• Be aware of your surroundings and local security developments.
• Monitor local media.
• Review your personal security plans.

July 20, similar warning issued.

August 12,

The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. If you cannot afford to purchase an airline ticket at this time, please contact the U.S. Embassy at KabulACS@state.gov for information regarding a repatriation loan. If you are a U.S. citizen and delaying your departure while you await an immigrant visa for a spouse or minor child, please contact us immediately. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul. Please review, “What the Department of State Can and Can’t Do in a Crisis.”


So if you were there for your own reasons, as part of an NGO, etc. You had months of warnings to get out and if you didn't the US gov't ability to help you get out was going to be limited. If you ignored all of that, how much of your crisis is your fault? Seems like it's not 0%. So, yes, Biden & Co are massive screwups. That doesn't change that if you are a US citizen and are stuck in Afghanistan, you can't in good faith say you weren't warned to not be there and that the gov't may not be able to save you from your decision to stay.

I agree the people bare some responsibility also. I'm just saying if you give a warning of withdrawal and then continue to talk out of the side of your mouth about everything is fine. You are straight up lying to people.

The abandoned part I think is making a claim to provide something (air support and maintenance) and then just shirk your responsibility you need to be held accountable. I am under no delusions that is going to happen though. But it's still embarrassing to us, because that clown supposedly represents us as Americans.

I think that's what flightsimmer was saying, not sure why he feels like he needs to say it, but if it helps him get it off his chest, good

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I agree the people bare some responsibility also. I'm just saying if you give a warning of withdrawal and then continue to talk out Of the side of your mouth about everything is fine. You are straight up lying to people.

If the State Dept's personnel on the ground are telling me "GTFO and if you don't we can't help you" and any given elected official is telling me "everything's fine" I know which one I'm believing. Even if they both suck at their jobs (and they may) I know which one's mission is to help me vs which one's job is to blow smoke up my backside hoping I'll vote for them again next time around.

I will say I've had face-to-face interaction with personnel of US Embassies in four countries and found them to range from helpful at best, neutral at worst. I never felt actively hampered by them unlike, say, the BMV. I did feel like I was considered a security risk until proven otherwise, but that was understandable given the context. Off topic, but of non US embassies, the Jordanian Embassy was the absolute best to work with. Being an American there was sort of like being a minor celebrity.

 

[ditcherman]

We didn't leave people we sent there behind. Soldiers, contractors, State Dept employees etc were not "abandoned".

Are we sure about that? It seems like if that we the case leadership would be shouting that at the top of their lungs, to clear the air on this. Granted, leadership might just be this stupid right now.

If it was as easy as your proof's here, I think that would come out on top by now.

 

[ditcherman]

Let me attempt to put some perception into the discussion.

Imagine the Bible times with cell phones and Toyota pickups. The literacy rate is around 38% in comparison the US is 99%. Most of the people than can read and write live in the cities.

In the rural areas life is the same as it was in 1350. We as westerners cannot fathom the culture or life. It’s not like going to France or Germany.

The Holy Koran is written in Classical Arabic so only the Imams can interpret it and often they only know certain verses. The leaders do not want Koran’s printed in any other language. The belief the Classic Arabic was the language of the profit.

So this leads to the religious leaders using the Koran as a tool to control people because they cannot interpret the scriptures themselves. Classic Arabic is a dead language think reading the Bible in old English.

It‘s a tribal area one tribe trades with another goats, women whatever. They fight among each other and gang up on other tribes. Kinda like farmer street gangs.

The people trapped can find a way out the place has no laws.
BBI is right they stayed way too long. I dare say most of the ones left there want to be there.

Farmer street gangs?!? I'm in, baby!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Are we sure about that? It seems like if that we the case leadership would be shouting that at the top of their lungs, to clear the air on this. Granted, leadership might just be this stupid right now.

If it was as easy as your proof's here, I think that would come out on top by now.

There are no allegations that any .mil, State Dept, etc were left behind. Why would they should down a narrative that doesn't exist? You think the media that posted pictures of dogs abandoned and posted about a woman who went to marry her fiance wouldn't be screaming about a soldier or diplomat left behind? Of course they would, the attention it would get would be big $.

They may leave it generic to let your imagination fill in who those Americans are, but find any allegation that a specific soldier, State dept employee, etc is unaccounted for.

 

[chocktaw2]

Farmer street gangs?!? I'm in, baby!

And we bringing our 'hoes'.

 

[ditcherman]

And we bringing our 'hoes'.

Ditcher humor.

 

[chocktaw2]

View attachment 158041
Ditcher humor.

Dentists are expensive, I used to be one.

 

[chocktaw2]

Hoe's arth mithin teef.