Is this just another example of “Politics as Usual,” or is there something more sinister at play?

Now, after seemingly rushing to abandon Afghanistan, the report draws a direct line between President Biden’s past as a senator during the Vietnam War and his current foreign policy blunders. It highlights a “pattern of callous foreign policy positions and readiness to abandon strategic partners,” suggesting that this administration is not just inept but also dangerously reckless. The report challenges Biden’s claim that he was bound by the Doha agreement made by former President Trump, asserting that he had the authority to act differently. It exposes the glaring truth that state officials had no viable plan to evacuate Americans and allies while troops were still on the ground to protect them.

“pattern of callous foreign policy positions and readiness to abandon strategic partners” – Texas Rep. Mike McCaul

The findings are damning. NATO allies expressed their vehement opposition to the U.S. withdrawal, with the British Chief of the Defense staff warning that “withdrawal under these circumstances would be perceived as a strategic victory for the Taliban.”

Yet, Biden’s administration chose to ignore these warnings, keeping Zalmay Khalilzad, a Trump appointee, in place as a special representative to Afghanistan. This move signaled an endorsement of the very deal that sidelined the Afghan government, leaving them vulnerable to the Taliban’s resurgence.

Col. Seth Krummrich, chief of staff for Special Operations Command, revealed the administration’s stubbornness: “The president decided we’re going to leave, and he’s not listening to anybody.”

This refusal to heed advice from military leaders and intelligence officials raises the question: was this a calculated decision, or sheer incompetence?

“withdrawal under these circumstances would be perceived as a strategic victory for the Taliban.” – British Chief of the Defense staff

The report also highlights the State Department’s failure to act on clear warning signs that the Taliban were gaining ground. Instead of scaling back its embassy presence, the State Department built it up, demonstrating a shocking lack of foresight. Brian McKeon, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, infamously stated, “we at the State Department have a much higher risk tolerance than you guys,” a comment that Gen. Austin Miler, the longest-serving commander in Afghanistan, countered with a stark observation of “a lack of understanding of the risk.”

“The president decided we’re going to leave, and he’s not listening to anybody.” – Col. Seth Krummrich

As the situation deteriorated, former Afghanistan Ambassador Ross Wilson was “comfortable” delaying the noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) until the Taliban had already taken control. Gen. Frank McKenzie described this as the “fatal flaw that created what happened in August.” The chaos that ensued left many Americans and allies stranded, with the U.S. government providing little guidance on evacuation procedures. The only advice given was to “not travel to the airport until you have been informed by email that departure options exist.”

“immaterial” – Ned Price

The report paints a harrowing picture of the final days in Kabul, with Consul General Jim DeHart describing the scene as “apocalyptic.”

As the Taliban advanced, U.S. intelligence tracked multiple threats, yet the administration failed to act decisively. CENTCOM records revealed that the same ISIS-K terror cell responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing had “established a base of operations located six kilometers to the west” of the airport, yet no preemptive strikes were made.

“apocalyptic.” – Jim DeHart

The long-term consequences of this withdrawal are staggering. The Taliban not only gained access to $7 billion in abandoned U.S. weapons but also up to $57 million in U.S. funds initially allocated to the Afghan government. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, has since declared that relations with the U.S. are “irrelevant” to their policymaking. Meanwhile, a NATO report indicates that the Taliban is using U.S. military biometric devices to hunt down former Afghan allies, with “nearly 500 former government officials and members of the Afghan security forces were killed or forcibly disappeared.”

“nearly 500 former government officials and members of the Afghan security forces were killed or forcibly disappeared.” – NATO report

The human cost is staggering, with reports of 118 girls sold as child brides since the takeover and families waiting for buyers. The Department of Homeland Security has identified “more than 400 persons of interest from Central Asia who had illegally crossed the U.S. southern border with the help of an ISIS-related smuggling network,” raising further concerns about national security.

“118 girls have been sold as child brides since the takeover and 116 families are waiting for a buyer.” – Report

The Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal is not just a failure; it is a glaring example of political negligence that has left countless lives in jeopardy. As we approach the 2024 election, one must ask: will the American people hold this administration accountable for its catastrophic decisions? The stakes have never been higher.

The detained individuals have been identified as George Glezmann, Mahmood Habibi, and Ryan Corbett – as confirmed also by a State Department statement. A Taliban government spokesperson announced that the “American nationals violated the country’s law, and discussion has been held with the US officials in this regard.”

And Taliban chief spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid recently told reporters in Kabul that “the topic of a prisoner release was discussed during his recent meeting with US officials in Doha, continuing a recurring theme in their negotiations.”

“Afghanistan’s conditions must be met. We have our citizens who are imprisoned in the US and Guantanamo,” Mujahid stated. “We should free our prisoners in exchange for them. Just as their prisoners are important to America, Afghans are equally important to us,” he added.

It as yet unclear what precise charges the men are being held on, but Afghan national media has alluded to the possibility of “espionage” – which would be a very serious accusation, possibly resulting in a capital case.

Both Glezmann and Corbett were initially detained in 2022, with the former having previously described he was on a tour of the country’s unique cultural landscape and history. US officials have complained that the American nationals are being held without charge or due process. Less is known about the third person who might be in custody, Muhammed Habibi, who is a US-Afghan dual citizen.

The Taliban has exercised complete control over the war-torn, central Asian country since the US coalition pullout of August 2021, which by all accounts was chaotic and resulted in both US military and Afghan civilian deaths.

The US State Department has since then designated Afghanistan as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country for American citizens.

An official alert says the risk of detention for foreign travelers is high. “Multiple terrorist groups are active in country and U.S. citizens are targets of kidnapping and wrongful detentions. The Department has assessed that there is a risk of wrongful detention of U.S. citizens by the Taliban,” the US State Dept. says.

According to sources, Taliban’s Minister of Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is set to meet US security officials during his visit to the #UAE.#Taliban are currently holding several Americans in their prisons, among them Ryan Corbett & George Glezmann. Paul Overby also disappeared… pic.twitter.com/UMy85zPONK

— Hostage Aid Worldwide (@HostageAid) June 6, 2024

“The Taliban have harassed and detained aid and humanitarian workers. The activities of foreigners may be viewed with suspicion, and reasons for detention may be unclear. Even if you are registered with the appropriate authorities to conduct business, the risk of detention is high,” the notification says.

Biden a few years ago abruptly pulled American troops out of the troubled nation in a scheme that cost more than a dozen American lives.

Then the Taliban took over control, gaining access to war machinery that the U.S. had stockpiled there for years.

On the Americans’ exit, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and the Taliban declared victory, taking control of all parts of the government.

Congressional leaders called Biden’s plan an “unmitigated disaster.” Now a report from the Middle East Media Research Institute reveals the Taliban’s interest in nukes.

It reported, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) is caught in an international controversy after it has come to light that an eight-member official Taliban delegation secretly visited North Korea to discuss cooperation on nuclear weapons technology.”

The report said it’s not been noticed much, but Afghanistan “has a long-standing nuclear energy program that was taken over by the Taliban mujahideen when they took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.”

“I have reports indicating that a group of the Taliban is looking into how to access tactical nuclear weapons. Whether they can get them from Pakistan or pay engineers to get them. That is going to be a disaster,” explained Rahmatullah Nabil, the former chief of the Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, said at a recent conference.

MEMRI noted, “Since Nabil belongs to the camp of the Taliban’s political opponents, his comments were not taken seriously by many. However, on December 26, 2023, Sami Yousafzai, a senior Afghan journalist known for authoritative reports on Afghanistan and Pakistan, tweeted that the Taliban rulers are attempting to acquire nuclear weapons, and several Western intelligence agencies, alerted by Nabil’s comment, have launched investigations into the Taliban’s connections to North Korea.”

The delegation reportedly included multiple leaders from the Taliban’s ministry of defense as well as Maulvi Abdul Rasheed Munib, the security chief of Kandahar.

There was much secrecy around the reported visit, and Taliban officials have remained silent.

The report noted Afghanistan’s neighbors, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, and China, all are friendly with Afghanistan and Russia, Pakistan and China all have such weapons.

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Taliban leader Amir al-Mu’minin verbally granted amnesty to Afghans who aided the U.S. and allied militaries in their 20-year war to stamp out Islamist insurgents, but instead have retaliated against former Army and security personnel, the investigation found. At least 200 were arbitrarily killed and hundreds more subjected to torture, disappearances and imprisonment outside of legal proceedings between Aug. 15, 2021 and June 30, 2023, the U.N.’s humanitarian arm in Afghanistan said.

A “climate of fear” exists among former government officials and members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) wrote in the report.

“Members of the de facto authorities continue to perpetrate, or fail to respond to, human rights violations that are carried out with apparent impunity,” UNAMA said. “The de facto authorities’ failure to fully uphold their publicly stated commitment and to hold perpetrators of human rights violations to account may have serious implications for the future stability of Afghanistan.”

Tens of thousands of former government and security officials and Afghan National Army soldiers remain in Afghanistan who, for various reasons, have not joined the scramble of Afghans fleeing the country since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal. No country has recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government.

UNAMA documented more than half of the extrajudicial killings in the four months since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, and an additional 70 in 2022. In most cases, investigators were unable to track down the member or branch of the de facto government perpetrating the killings.

More than 144 individuals reported experiencing torture and abuse at the hands of the de facto authorities, including beatings with pipes and cables and treatment leading to loss of consciousness, in order to force confessions of working for the former government or ANDSF.

Taliban officials have promised to investigate incidents and have arrested suspected perpetrators, but the investigation found little evidence of a dedicated effort to systematically enforce the promise of general amnesty.

When acknowledging a killing, the Taliban has in many cases passed it off to the U.N. as motivated by “personal enmity or revenge” and not done on official orders, according to the report.

UNAMA provided a draft of the report to the Taliban’s foreign ministry, which shared it with relevant governing bodies. The response reiterated the Taliban’s commitment to amnesty.

“Until now, no case of non-compliance with the order of general amnesty of Amir al-Mu’minin has been received. In case any official or security and defense institution of the Islamic Emirate has violated the decree of amnesty, the matter will be officially investigated, and the perpetrators will be introduced to the judicial authorities for prosecution,” the Taliban said.

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