Withdrawal Symptoms

The early days of the Afghanistan withdrawal were hampered by poor planning and intel, and the critiques are warranted. But the media needs to stop pretending those errors are the only part of the story. Few experts think we should have stayed longer. I’m hearing that many of those who served there are relieved it’s finally ending. The Afghan government was remarkably corrupt. Leaving was never gonna be pretty. A story, even a tragic one, can have nuances, especially when it was built on 20 years of making mistakes and misleading the public. “I served in Afghanistan as a US Marine, twice. Here’s the truth in two sentences. “One: For 20 years, politicians, elites and D.C. military leaders lied to us about Afghanistan. Two: What happened last week was inevitable, and anyone saying differently is still lying to you.”

+ The Pentagon is calling on US airlines to help with Afghanistan evacuations.

+ Biden wants to extend the deadline for evacuations. The Taliban don’t. Here’s the latest from BBC.