A Tennessee native who operates an animal rescue facility in Kabul was reportedly not granted access to an evacuation flight because the Department of Defense rules prohibited her from bringing a disabled puppy aboard the plane.
“Charlotte Maxwell-Jones refused to board the plane without her puppy on Monday, so the military ordered her to leave and turn loose 130 crated dogs that mostly belonged to Americans and Afghans who evacuated, according to social media postings. This occurred even though Maxwell-Jones secured flights from nonprofit organizations that had permission to land in a neutral country,” reports the Washington Examiner.
“The Taliban visited Maxwell-Jones at home last week and ordered her to leave with her employees, she said in a tearful video posted on Twitter. She raised $703,705 on a GoFundMe page for an animal evacuation and desperately sought a landing permit,” adds the outlet.
“Five minutes ago, a fairly large group of Taliban left my lawn. … One of them had a grenade launcher. They told me I should leave immediately and tried to put guards inside my house. … We settled on outside my house,” Maxwell-Jones said in her video. “They have said they will give us safe passage to the airport for as large a group that we have. They told me to leave first. It’s very obvious what will happen.”
🆘 Update 🆘
The situation in #kabul #Afghanistan is now CRITICAL
We desperately need a landing permit for the animals before it is too late. PLEASE HELP.
Please share and help us get the word out.
Thank you 🙏🏼@JoeBiden @KamalaHarris @POTUS @puppyrescuemis1 @cnni @cnnbrk pic.twitter.com/IrRFUjYr7R
— Kabul Small Animal Rescue (@KSAnimalRescue) August 23, 2021
“In the end, the dogs and their caretakers were explicitly NOT allowed to board military aircraft, and numerous private charter aircraft were not granted access to the airport either,” SPCA International said in a statement . “Charlotte was informed that most of the [shelter] dogs had to be released into the airport on August 30 as the airport was evacuated – turning once rescued shelter dogs into homeless strays.”
Read the full report at the Washington Examiner.
ABANDONED in AFGHANISTAN: US Embassy Posts Dire Message, ‘Don’t Rely on the US Government’
The US Embassy in Afghanistan posted a dire message on its official webpage Tuesday, saying the office has “suspended operations” and Americans can no longer rely on “United States government assistance.”
“The U.S. Embassy in Kabul suspended operations on August 31, 2021. While the U.S. government has withdrawn its personnel from Kabul, we will continue to assist U.S. citizens and their families in Afghanistan from Doha, Qatar,” states the memo.
“The Embassy will continue to provide information via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), the Embassy web page, Travel.State.Gov, and Facebook and Twitter. Consular services remain available outside Afghanistan. To locate the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate click here,” adds the warning.
“Make contingency plans to leave when it is safe to do so that do not rely on U.S. government assistance,” warns the message.
Latest security alert on US Embassy In Afghanistan website: “Make contingency plans to leave when it is safe to do so that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.” pic.twitter.com/d2DujvpSZ2
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) August 31, 2021
Read the full memo below:
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul suspended operations on August 31, 2021. While the U.S. government has withdrawn its personnel from Kabul, we will continue to assist U.S. citizens and their families in Afghanistan from Doha, Qatar.
The Embassy will continue to provide information via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), the Embassy web page, Travel.State.Gov, and Facebook and Twitter. Consular services remain available outside Afghanistan. To locate the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate click here.
The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. U.S. citizens still in country should:
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
to receive security updates and ensure you can be located in an emergency.
- Review your personal security plans.
- Be aware of your surroundings and local security developments at all times.
- Keep a low profile.
- Notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans.
- Make contingency plans to leave when it is safe to do so that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
- Monitor local media.
- Please review, “What the Department of State Can and Can’t Do in a Crisis.”
Resources for U.S. citizens in Afghanistan:
- State Department – Consular Affairs Afghanistan Call Center
833-741-2777 or 606-260-4379- AfghanistanACS@state.gov
- Embassy Citizens’ Services Page
- Afghanistan Country Information
- Afghanistan Travel Advisory
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States.
- Refer to our website for the latest Alerts and Messages for U.S. citizens.
- Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Afghanistan.
- Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to ensure you receive Alerts and other information
For information on Special Immigrant Visas see: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/special-immg-visa-afghans-employed-us-gov.html
BAD NEWS for BIDEN: Poll Shows 69% of Americans Disapprove of President’s Handling of Afghanistan
A new poll from the Trafalgar Group shows a vast majority of Americans disapprove of Joe Biden’s handling of Afghanistan, raising serious new questions for Democrats heading into the highly contested midterm elections.
“When broken down by party, 48 percent of Democrats disapprove of the president’s handling of the situation, while almost 40 percent of those polled gave him positive marks,” reports The Hill.
“But the gap was much wider among Republicans: Nearly 89 percent said they disapprove of the job Biden is doing when it comes to Afghanistan, with only 7 percent saying they approve,” adds the outlet.
Poll: Majority of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of Afghanistan https://t.co/Vp2G8sYGhU pic.twitter.com/gSxDkkWL31
— The Hill (@thehill) August 17, 2021
President Joe Biden returned to his vacation at Camp David Monday evening after delivering a brief address on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. In total, he was in Washington for a span of just a few hours.
“This is what failed and weak leadership looks like. President Biden is headed back to vacation after his speech on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan,” posted the House Republicans on Twitter.
This is what failed and weak leadership looks like.
President Biden is headed back to vacation after his speech on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/3NWV7rJ148
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) August 16, 2021
US Troops shot and killed two armed gunmen at Kabul’s Airport Monday as thousands of Afghans attempted to flee the country while the Taliban rapidly seizes control.
“In separate incidents at the airport on Monday, U.S. troops shot and killed two armed men at the airport and at least three Afghans clinging to the side of an Air Force jet were run over and killed,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
At least 7,000 US Soldiers will be deployed to protect the airport and evacuate American citizens in the days ahead.
Biden will address the country today, as Afghans clinging to US planes fall to their deaths in Kabul. Hard to script a worse propaganda victory for our enemies as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11. There is nothing Biden can say now to right the wrong of his failed policy.
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) August 16, 2021
Read the full report here.