Pentagon spokesman John Kirby flat-out dismissed the growing concerns about hundreds of Americans now stuck in Afghanistan Tuesday morning, telling the country that we have citizens “stranded in countries all the time!”
“What does that look like? How does diplomacy get those people out of Taliban controlled Afghanistan?” asked a reporter from MSNBC.
“It’s not completely unlike the way we do it elsewhere around the world! We have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time!” said Kirby.
Pentagon Spokesman, today: “We have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time”
Jen Psaki, August 23: "I think it's irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not." pic.twitter.com/syyDJT9P6N
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 31, 2021
Millions of Americans were left scratching their heads Monday night when Secretary of State Antony Blinken -not Joe Biden- addressed the nation and announced the end of the two-decades long War in Afghanistan.
The President will speak this afternoon.
During his speech, Blinken confirmed their remains a “small” and “unknown” number of Americans still in Afghanistan who wish to leave.
Sec. of State Antony Blinken said the State Department believes there is "still a small number of Americans — under 200, and likely closer to 100 — who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave.” https://t.co/lck8XonsUi pic.twitter.com/0zfT996sfQ
— ABC News (@ABC) August 30, 2021
The Pentagon confirmed Monday afternoon that the last US troops have left Afghanistan, ending 20 years of conflict that was triggered by the September 11th Terror Attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans in 2001.
BREAKING: Last plane carrying American troops has departed Kabul; United States ends presence in Afghanistan after nearly 20 years: U.S. officials
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) August 30, 2021
Breaking News: The U.S. military has departed Afghanistan, officials said, ending a 20-year occupation and leaving the country in the Taliban’s hands. https://t.co/0Ef0cGJs41
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 30, 2021
“The removal of U.S. troops meets the Aug. 31 deadline the Biden administration agreed to with the Taliban, officially drawing the country’s longest-ever conflict to an end,” reports Fox News. “But the fate of those left behind remains a mystery, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirming earlier Monday that a “small number” of Americans who want to leave remain in the country.”
This is a developing story.
??????: Biden Launches Incoherent 3-Minute Rant Over Whether Americans Can Get Out of Afghanistan
President Biden held a disastrous press briefing Friday when he finally took answers from the media; launching into a three-minute rant about whether Americans can safely reach the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“You said there’s no circumstances where American citizens cannot get to the airport. That doesn’t square with the reporting on the ground. Are you saying any American who wants to get to the airport can get there?” asked one reporter.
“I thought the question was, how can they get through the airport, outside the airport, the answer is, to the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through, people […] That’s why we had to, I guess yesterday, or the day before? We went over the wall, and brought in, how many?” said the Commander-in-Chief.
“My guess is, no matter what, under what circumstances, we, anyone, there’s not a whole lot of Afghanis, there’s a whole lot of Afghanis who just as soon come to America,” he concluded.
A report from Reuters highlights the scope of the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan as the agency claims the Taliban now control 2,000 American-made vehicles and between 30 and 40 aircraft.
“U.S. officials tell Reuters that the current intelligence indicates that the Taliban control at least 2,000 U.S.-made armored vehicles, between 30 and 40 aircraft and an untold number of small arms,” writes a reporter from the global news agency.
“Joe Biden creates the Taliban Army and Air Force,” posted former Trump official Richard Grenell on Twitter.
Watch the bizarre comments above.
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.