8.28.21
“Biden’s Afghanistan Hostage Crisis” – Part 1 of 3
By Henry W. Burke
https://www.educationviews.org/bidens-afghanistan-hostage-crisis/
After Joe Biden’s self-imposed Afghanistan withdrawal deadline of August 31, 2021, expires, there will be at least 9,000 Americans left in Afghanistan. How will these 9,000 stranded Americans get out of the war-torn country controlled by the Taliban? These 9,000 Americans will become valuable hostages held by the ruthless Taliban terrorists! This will become the largest American hostage crisis in U. S. history!
Without question, the very worst decision of the U. S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was the closing of Bagram Air Base (the largest air base in Afghanistan). The massive Bagram Base, 43 miles north of Kabul, is well-fortified and has two long runways. When the U. S. vacated this key base on July 2, 2021, it forced all of the evacuation efforts into the Kabul International Airport.
The Biden Administration has been very vague about two sets of numbers: 1). How many Americans are in Afghanistan? and 2). How many people have been evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan?
On Tuesday, 8.17.21, the White House said about 11,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan. Other U. S. officials have revealed that between 10,000 and 15,000 U. S. citizens were in Afghanistan when the evacuation started. Joe Biden used the figure of 15,000 Americans, but he is trying to back down from this number. Some sources have placed the number of Americans in Afghanistan as high as 40,000! The 15,000 Americans figure will be used here.
The Biden Administration has purposely hidden the number of evacuees that have been flown out of Kabul, Afghanistan. The U. S. started the recent evacuation effort from the Kabul International Airport on Saturday, August 14, 2021. According to leaked U. S. State Department cables, they (U. S. Military personnel) evacuated about 32,000 people (26,582 + 5,425 = 32,007) in the 11-day period from August 14-24. In a release on 8.27.21, officials provided information on the period from August 25-27.
This information is shown in Table 1 – Evacuees from Afghanistan.
Table 1 – Evacuees from Afghanistan
|
Dates |
Country |
Number of Evacuees |
Percent |
| Aug. 14-23 | Since Operation Began | ||
| Americans | 4,407 | 17 % | |
| Afghans | 21,533 | 81 % | |
| Third Country | 642 | 2 % | |
| Totals | 26,582 | 100 % | |
| Aug. 24 | One Day | ||
| Americans | 369 | 7 % | |
| Afghans | 5,048 | 93 % | |
| Third Country | 8 | -- | |
| Totals | 5,425 | 100 % | |
| Aug. 25-27 | Three Days | ||
| Americans | 324 | 0.4 % | |
| Afghans and Third C. | 78,669 | 99.6 % | |
| Totals | 78,993 | 100 % | |
| Aug. 14-27 | Since Operation Began | ||
| Americans | 5,100 | 5 % | |
| Afghans and Third C. | 105,900 | 95 % | |
| Totals | 111,000 | 100 % | |
| Aug. 14-27 | Total for Aug. 14-27 | 111,000 |
Source:
Leaked U. S. State Department Cables
https://thefederalist.com/2021/08/24/leaked-numbers-reveal-most-u-s-evacuees-are-afghan-nationals-not-u-s-citizens/ https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2021/08/23/what-leaked-cables-say-about-the-afghanistan-evacuation-effort-494091
The White House, 8.27.21
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031649747/kabul-airport-explosions-afghanistan-dead-evacuations
Please notice several key facts in Table 1. First of all, only 5,100 Americans have been evacuated! This represents a mere 5 % of the total people evacuated! In spite of all the bragging by the White House, this is basically an airlift for Afghans! With almost no vetting, many of the Afghan passengers are definitely Taliban terrorists. Fairly soon, they will be coming to a town near you.
In the period from August 14-23, U. S. military forces evacuated 4,407 Americans from Kabul. On August 24, they evacuated 369 Americans in a 24-hour period. For the three-day period from August 25-27, they evacuated only 324 Americans. For the last four days in the country (August 28-31), estimates must be made. Assume they can evacuate 200 Americans per day. This is quite optimistic, considering it is very difficult to get past the Taliban terrorists while moving toward the Kabul Airport. Also, the bombing at the Airport on Thursday will cause disruption. Finally, consider the artificial deadline. Because the U. S. is pulling the military forces out by Biden’s August 31 deadline, the U. S. military will probably not evacuate many civilians in the last two days (August 30 and 31).
Table 2 – Americans Evacuated and Stranded in Afghanistan
|
Dates |
Americans Evacuated |
Americans Stranded |
| Before Evac. | 15,000 | |
| Aug. 14-23 | 4,407 | 10,593 |
| Aug. 24 | 369 | 10,224 |
| Aug. 25-27 | 324 | 9,900 |
| Aug. 28-31 | 4 days at 200/day = 800 | 9,100 |
| Totals 5,900 | 9,100 |
Can you fathom leaving over 9,000 Americans behind in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan? Without the presence of the U. S. Armed Forces in the country, these stranded Americans are certainly doomed!
On Thursday, 8.26.21, terrorists killed 13 U. S. troops and at least 169 Afghan civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan. This includes 12 Marines and one Navy medic. ISIS claimed responsibility for this attack near the Abbey Gate of the Kabul International Airport. This represents the largest loss of U. S. military personnel in ten years!
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031649747/kabul-airport-explosions-afghanistan-dead-evacuations
Do you remember the Iranian Hostage Crisis? On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants seized control of the U. S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. The American hostages were held for 444 days during the Jimmy Carter presidency. On the day that President Ronald Reagan took office (January 21, 1981), the American hostages were released.
Thousands of prisoners were recently freed in Afghanistan by the Taliban. This includes prisoners at various facilities, including Bagram Air Base. Among the prisoners were Taliban terrorists, senior Al-Qaeda operatives, and former Guantanamo Bay Detainees. These released prisoners pose a huge threat to the security of the United States. In case you have forgotten, Taliban is the deadliest terrorist group in the world! Even the United Nations recognizes that the Taliban is a terrorist organization.
In an absolute stroke of idiocy, the U. S. officials gave the Taliban a “Kill List.” They handed the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allies. The foolish Biden officials thought the Taliban could use the list to facilitate passage of these people through the Taliban checkpoints leading to the Kabul Airport.
Can you imagine what the Taliban (including ISIS and Al-Qaeda) will do with over 9,000 American hostages? They will bargain for the release of all terrorists held everywhere, including the Guantanamo Bay Detainees. Additionally, the Taliban will compel the weak Biden Administration to send them untold Billions of Dollars in hostage payments!
Without a doubt, this will become the worst American hostage crisis in U. S. history!
Henry W. Burke
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