Top Items:
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
Afghan security forces' wholesale collapse was years in the making — In the summer of 2011, Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV made a round of public appearances to boast that he had finally solved a problem that had kept U.S. troops bogged down in Afghanistan for a decade.
Discussion:
UPI, NPR, Talking Points Memo, The Reactionary, New York Times, Poynter, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Althouse, Japan Times, Vox and New Yorker
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James Gordon Meek / ABC News:
Afghanistan's collapse: Did US intelligence get it wrong? — American intelligence sources say they correctly predicted the fall of Kabul. — As panicked Afghans watched Taliban fighters roll into the capital city of Kabul Sunday, sealing the collapse of the U.S.-backed government there …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Breitbart, Fox News, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Twin Cities, New York Post, RedState, Washington Monthly and HotAir
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
For Biden, Images of Defeat He Wanted to Avoid — President Biden will go down in history, fairly or unfairly, as the president who presided over a humiliating final act in the American experiment in Afghanistan. — Rarely in modern presidential history have words come back to bite …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The American Conservative, Townhall, Outside the Beltway, Power Line, Breitbart, Instapundit, Insider, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, USAFeatures.news, The Atlantic, Just The News, The Daily Beast, HotAir, justoneminute.typepad.com and Wall Street Journal
Noah Rothman / MSNBC:
The fall of Afghanistan in 2021 is the result of years of American delusion — On Sunday morning, Taliban fighters captured Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield — the symbol and source of U.S. power projection in the region for 20 years — releasing thousands of prisoners.
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Al Jazeera, Talking Points Memo, Israpundit and The Dispatch
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Afghanistan Is Your Fault — Kabul has fallen. Americans will now exercise their usual partisan outrage for a few weeks, and then Afghanistan, like everything else in a nation with an attention span not much longer than a fast-food commercial, will be forgotten.
Discussion:
The Dispatch, UPI and Salon
Ben Kesling / Wall Street Journal:
Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan Brings Complicated Feelings for U.S. Military Veterans — Some vets were ready for the war to be over; others wanted the U.S. to stay. But most agree this was not the ending they wanted — U.S. Army veteran Sean Lee wasn't necessarily surprised …
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, Talking Points Memo and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
After Sunday It's Even More Clear Biden Was Right
Discussion:
The Atlantic and PRESS RUN
Richard Haass / Project Syndicate:
America's Withdrawal of Choice
Discussion:
National Review, The Nation and New York Times
Miranda Devine / New York Post:
Joe Biden's defeat will echo for eternity
Discussion:
HotAir, The Federalist, CNN, BizPac Review, Ace of Spades HQ, IJR and Bloomberg
New York Times:
Taliban Takeover Could Extinguish U.S. Influence in Kabul
Discussion:
HotAir, Wall Street Journal, Townhall and The Atlanta Voice
Robin Wright / New Yorker:
Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era?
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, Breitbart, Issues & Insights and Twin Cities
Bret Stephens / New York Times:
Biden owns the moment. He'll also own the consequences.
Discussion:
Twin Cities, Washington Post, IJR, Just Security, The Dispatch and Breitbart
Wall Street Journal:
‘Saigon on Steroids’: The Desperate Rush to Flee Afghanistan — Kabul airport descends into chaos as Afghan civilians besiege the terminal and Western countries scramble to evacuate personnel, in a dizzying coda to America's longest war — KABUL—The lucky few were already inside …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Reuters, CNN, Mediaite, Bloomberg, Fox News, globalnews.ca, BBC and Forbes
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Zachary Basu / Axios:
Jake Sullivan: Biden didn't think it was “inevitable” Taliban would take control — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that President Biden did not believe it was “inevitable” that the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan, laying the blame at the feet …
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, NBC News and The Bulwark
Wall Street Journal:
Three Killed in Kabul Airport as Afghans Scramble to Escape Taliban — Mass evacuations follow the insurgents' capture of Kabul after a rapid sweep of the country — At least three people were killed by gunfire Monday morning in chaotic scenes at the passenger terminal of Kabul's international airport …
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Afghans working for U.S. government broadcasters fear Taliban backlash. — More than a hundred journalists employed by the American government's own radio stations remain in Afghanistan as the Taliban take power, U.S. officials and Afghan journalists said Sunday.
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Lee / Fox News:
Jen Psaki ‘out of the office’ as Biden remains silent on Taliban takeover of Afghanistan — The timing of Psaki's time off comes as Biden has faced criticism for remaining on vacation
Discussion:
HotAir, BizPac Review, RedState, Townhall, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, Twitchy, CBS News, Insider, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and CNN
BBC:
Afghanistan: US takes control of Kabul airport to evacuate staff from country — There have been scenes of panic at Kabul airport as desperate residents try to flee following the seizure of the Afghan capital by the Taliban. — Witnesses say at least three civilians died on Monday …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg, Insider, Al Jazeera and France 24
Shannon Pettypiece / NBC News:
White House weighs response as Biden faces mounting criticism over Afghanistan crisis — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden faced growing criticism from his allies in Washington following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as administration officials considered his public response.
Discussion:
HotAir, Persuasion, Insider, Althouse and BizPac Review
Tom Porter / Insider:
The GOP quietly removed a webpage hailing Trump's peace deal with the Taliban as the militant group seized power in Afghanistan
Discussion:
Mediaite, Lincoln Journal Star, HotAir, Raw Story, BizPac Review, Crooks and Liars and Maryland Matters
Associated Press:
The latest on Afghanistan: Four Afghans dead after fall from US plane wheel well
Discussion:
Insider, Washington Post, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Daily Caller and Snopes.com
U.S. Embassy / U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan:
Security Alert - U. S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Breitbart, New York Post, MSNBC, Forbes, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Mediaite, Power Line, Associated Press, National File, HotAir and ABC News
Martin Amin Rahmani / The Bulwark:
We Didn't Think Our American Friends Would Leave Us in the Dead of Night
Discussion:
Insider, CBS News and New York Post
Sarah Zheng / South China Morning Post:
China, Russia embassies stay put in Afghanistan as US and allies flee Taliban
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Forbes, Variety, RedState, Associated Press, FOX 5 San Diego and Sky News
Anatol Lieven / Politico:
Why Afghan Forces So Quickly Laid Down Their Arms — In the winter of 1989, as a journalist for the Times of London, I accompanied a group of mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan's Ghazni province. At one point, a fortified military post became visible on the other side of a valley.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Just An Earth-Bound Misfit, I
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Wall Street Journal:
Biden's Afghanistan Surrender
Discussion:
The Hill, Louder With Crowder, The US Sun and Breitbart
Annie Linskey / Washington Post:
From Saigon to Kabul: Biden's response to Vietnam echoes in his views of Afghanistan withdrawal
Discussion:
Politico and The Moderate Voice
United States Department of State:
Joint Statement on Afghanistan — The following is the text of a joint statement on Afghanistan initially released by the following: Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark …
Discussion:
RedState
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Associated Press:
Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs — A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders.
Discussion:
HotAir
Meridith McGraw / Politico:
The GOP waves white flag in the same-sex marriage wars — To mark the beginning of Pride Month this year, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel did what party leaders do on these types of occasions: She sent out a tweet. — “Happy #PrideMonth!” she wrote, " …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
Krista Torralva / Dallas Morning News:
Jenkins says mask order will stay despite Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocking it — Dallas County judge says he'll remove penalties for noncompliant businesses after a stay was granted at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Discussion:
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth and Townhall
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