Is Anyone Actually Surprised By This?

The Detroit News: Taliban name deputy ministers, double down on all-male team

If anyone truly believed, moral preening statements of the "international community" to the contrary, that the Taliban were somehow going to step away from fundamentalist Islam and include women in their government, well, there's this really nice bridge connecting the two peninsulae of Michigan that I have for sale to you, at a great price.

The Taliban expanded their interim Cabinet by naming more ministers and deputies on Tuesday, but failed to appoint any women, doubling down on a hard-line course despite the international outcry that followed their initial presentation of an all-male government lineup earlier this month.

The Taliban really couldn't care less about an international outcry, and the limits of soft power have now been demonstrated and yes, found wanting. 

Yep, the Taliban are having their very own, and very real war on women, protests of the progressive international community notwithstanding.

Pitiful, Pompous, Pretentious, Powerless Pronouncement

Secretary of State Blinken made a rather pretentious pronouncement regarding the Taliban's interim government [from the Daily Caller]:

Yesterday, the Taliban named a new interim government. We are assessing the announcement, but despite professing that a new government would be inclusive, the announced list of names consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates, and no women,” Blinken said.

“We are also concerned by the affiliations and track records of some of those individuals. We understand the Taliban has presented this as a caretaker cabinet. We will judge it, and them, by its actions,” he added.

Quick note - the Taliban does not give a rat's behind what Blinken says at this point.  Any leverage Blinked had over the Taliban ended when they took over the country and the Biden administration did the Biden Bugout Boogie. Verily, there are more wanted-list named terrorists in the government than women and that was entirely predictable to anyone not a part of the Biden adminsitration.

Expecting a 7th Century ideology to buy into woke post-modern ideology of "diversity, inclusion, and equity" is laughable if he actually believed they would we need a new Secretary of State pronto.  The Taliban does not want your DIE ideology of "diversity, inclusion, and equity", they want you and all non-believers to DIE.  Not much of a middle ground there.

Expecting the Taliban to have women in their government, when the Taliban at most are perhaps starting to grudgingly let women exit their homes fully burqa'd was an utter joke. The Taliban could care less than nothing for the US and European politicians pronouncements regarding diversity and women's rights.

This is the sort stupid soft power moral pronouncements that while sounding good among the bien pensants are backed by nothing and will be ignored accordingly, and will ultimately backfire.

With Not Even A Whimper

The end of official American military presence in Afghanistan is over.

And with that, Hamid Karzai International in Kabul is now officially an uncontrolled airport.

 

An unknown number of American citizens remain abandoned and left behind numbering in the hundreds or perhaps thousands, along with green card holders, SIV applicants and allies.  The damage from this feckless pull-out to America's standing in the world and with its allies is well nigh incalculable.

This complete chaotic disaster of a withdrawal is squarely on the Biden Administration.

And Just Like That

The Master's Degree program in Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Kabul is now cancelled.

Yes, no kidding, they had one.  

Too bad both the University and the UN didn't concentrate more on anti-corruption, basic civilization, how to progress beyond the 7th Century, and how to go about effectively fighting the Taliban before getting into higher-level esoteric gender theory.

On the upside, and it's likely to be the only upside to come of this debacle, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will provide lots and lots of ongoing opportunities for progressive feminists looking to research what an actual misogynistic patriarchal society looks like.   

You know, they can now study in detail an actual society run by Islamist religious uber-zealots where the Handmaid's Tale is the least bad that can be expected, with burkas instead of snazy red and white uniforms.

This is, of course, assuming they want to leave the comforts of claiming the United States is a terrible misogynistic country par excellence where there is an ongoing systemic war on women, and also leave the comfort of their academic towers and taxpayer-funded research grants to do so, in order to head out to see what a real hellhole and actual war on women looks like.

Ok Fellas, Pay Attention - I'm Only Going To Show You This Once

The Daily Mail: 30 Taliban militants are killed in explosion during bomb-making class at Afghan mosque

Well, that's an efficient way for there to be 30 less terrorists available for future attacks.

Note also how well they respect their own holy spaces - running a bomb-making class in a mosque. One of the reasons for this of course is our stupid rules of engagement that tend to make mosques off limits for weapons searches or raids, rendering them safe houses for terorists.

The Outpost: A Gripping Read Of Americans In Battle In Afghanistan

Just finished reading an account of the Battle of Combat Outpost Keating - The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper.

The book covers the founding of the Combat Outpost through its demolition and abandonment after the October 3, 2009 Battle of Kamdesh, when a force of 300 Taliban insurgents attacked the outpost of 60 Americans of Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment and Two Latvians and a handful of Afghanistan National Army members that almost entirely either ran away or joined the insurgents. Outnumbered 5 to 1, the Americans and Latvians held and defeated the attack.

8 Americans were killed, 27 wounded and over 150 Taliban were killed. The surprise attack was repulsed even after the Taliban managed to overrun a portion of the outpost.

The book points out the folly of the location of the outpost, established to house a Provincial Reconstruction Team - on a mainly unusable road in a valley dominated by three mountains controlled by the insurgents. The book then points out the greater folly of leaving the outpost open after it was decided that the road was not unusable because of its bad condition, and the constant insurgent attacks made it unusable as a PRT base even as soldiers at the base were continually ambushed, wounded or killed. Multiple commanders of the outpost were killed, including one by an IED assassination. Conditions at the base were beyond difficult and the hardships the men faced were grave indeed.

Politics and dithering caused the lack of sufficient troops in Afghanistan for the mission of combatting the insurgents, which is quite fairly pointed out to be the fault of both Bush and then later Obama.

Politics and dithering then compounded to lead to the battle, as the troops of the outpost would have avoided being there at the time of the attack had the closing gone ahead as scheduled, but a series of delays in the closing of the base during the feud between Obama and McChrystal occurred, leaving it vulnerable to attack even after the decision to close it had been made and announced (including to the enemy) but no definitive timetable set due to the political issues.

Interestingly, the book, written in 2012, notes that Bowe Berghdahl walked away from the base he was stationed on in June 2009, after leaving an angry email to his parents, and the efforts to search for him diverted needed helicopters and other assets needed to have shut down the outpost, delaying its closure until after the attack on October 3, 2009.

The book is a gripping read that tells of the amazingly heroic acts of troops stationed at the outpost, including many who won Medals of Honor for their actions at the Base such as Sergeant First Class Jared Monti, killed while on a mission near the outpost and awarded the medal posthumously for his gallantry that day, and Sergeant Clinton Romesha, and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter who earned their Medals of Honor in the Battle of Kamdesh itself. Take the time to read their citations and reflect on their outstanding acts of selflessness and bravery beyond all expectation.

In addition, nine other soldiers earned the Silver Star in the pivotal battle, and eight Distinguished Flying Crosses were awarded to the pilots that bravely risked themselves to provide vital air support to help beat back the attack.

Vividly written and detailed, the book is highly recommended for its detailed look at Combat Outpost Keating and its narrative of events from its founding through the Battle of Kamdesh, and its telling of the valor of the troops there whose stories certainly deserve to be read and remembered.

Some Brits Still Got It.

If you don't know, considering the media isn't covering it now that it's Obama's Good (and Forgotten) War, we're still fighting over there in Afghanistan, as are our allies the Brits.

A British medic was recently awarded the Military Cross for working to save lives under fire on two separate occasions in Afghanistan, and saving an Afghan soldier.

Even better in that Islam-dominated conflict, the medic is female:

The Telegraph: Female medic awarded Military Cross for bravery

The Daily Mail: 'Oh, Kylie! What did you do? Next time, please don’t...': What mother told Military Cross hero daughter who twice braved hails of bullets to tend war wounded

Both stories are worth reading and both give slightly different coverage of the events that led to L.Cpl. Kylie Watson being awarded the Military Cross for both saving lives and engaging the enemy while doing so.

Both stories clearly show that she deserves the award.

Nicely done indeed.

Don't Bring Coal To Newcastle, Or Guns To Kabul....

It's a surreal headline indeed from The Scotsman: Britons face gun charges in Kabul.

I could see it if the headline was "Afghans face gun charges in London", but the headline and accompanying story is a real head-shaker.

Being charged with transporting firearms without a permit in a country where everyone and their donkey carries at least one AK-47 is rather weird. But then again, truth is always stranger than fiction.

The Perils of a Catch and Release Combatant Policy

Fox News: NATO Kills Ex-Gitmo Detainee in Afghanistan

NATO and Afghan forces killed a former Guantanamo detainee who had become a key Al Qaeda affiliate after returning to Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.

Sabar Lal Melma, who was released from Guantanamo in 2007 after five years of detention, had been organizing attacks in eastern Kunar province and funding insurgent operations, NATO spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff said.

That brings us to over 151 detainees confirmed or suspected of returning to the fight after their being released from Guantanamo.

Catch and release of enemy combatants tends to present problems, but this one finally resulted in a happy ending.

Afghan Pro-Insurgent Protest Against Violence Leads to Violence

In the Afghanistan feel-good story of the day, after NATO forces on a raid killed 4 insurgents, a protest against the raid of 1,500 people turned violent.

The AP via Findlaw: Protest over NATO raid turns violent; 11 killed
Note in the article that the 4 "civillians" reported in the first paragraph as being killed were, according to NATO, shot after pointing weapons at NATO forces during the raid in the sixth paragraph.

The protest turned violent as some in the crowd started looting shops and throwing stones at a small German base in the city.

So the protest over the deaths of 4 insurgents led to the deaths of 11 of the protestors protesting.

Insurgent supporters of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan must be adepts of the new math.

Bin Laden threatens France, French change alert status to Surrender

Bin Laden demands France withdraw from Afghanistan

The French response:

France and the international community should begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the coming months to help push the country towards democracy, according to a senior French official.

I guess we won't have an accordion to go hunting with anymore.....

Books Worth Reading: Jawbreaker

I just finished reading Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander by Gary Berntsen.

The book is perhaps the most definitive account of the CIA's role in both the opportunities missed pre-9/11 to stop Al Qaeda, and for the initial stages of the Afghanistan Campaign after 9/11, written by the CIA's commander of the operation on the ground in Afghanistan.

Reading the book, you learn about the Clinton administrations gutting of the CIA's operational capabilities and the hesitant and indeed incompetent role of George Tenet - you'll read of opportunities and operations to capture or kill Bin Laden called off at the last minute for fear of casualties during the missions or political fall-out, the deliberate reduction in CIA operational capabilities and actions abroad and many other failings. Indeed, you can't help but also fault President Bush for keeping Tenet as the head of the CIA.

However, after 9/11 the book chronicles the incredible feat of about hundred and ten CIA agents, and 350 Special Forces troops and their Northern Alliance (and some Eastern Alliance) allies, coupled with massive air-power to defeat a Taliban and Al Qaeda army that outnumbered them over ten to one. Certainly a textbook study in joint CIA-military operations that has many lessons to be learned.

One of the greatest lessons from the book is that more American troops should have been used against Al Qaeda when they retreated into Tora Bora, and that Berntsen had requested that Rangers be sent in but is request was denied, and the lack of US forces on the ground in sufficient numbers at that stage in the war led to Bin Laden's escape. Indeed, throughout the book the failure of the CIA's 7th Floor (Where the executive offices of Tenet and his deputies were located) to listen to its people on the ground continued to hamper operations and America's security.

On the upside the invasion dealt a severe blow to Al Qaeda, destroying their terrorist infrastructure and training camps and killing thousands of Al Qaeda fighters. The book reveals a multitude of terrorist plots that were disrupted by the invasion, including a planned Al Qaeda Germ warfare attack, a planned attack on US, Israeli and other embassies in Singapore and many other Al Qaeda plots that were disrupted by the invasion. The foiling of these attacks were not covered well by the media, and this important result of the Afghanistan invasion should have received a lot more coverage and certainly shows the invasion was the correct course of action.

The book is the real deal, with just about every twentieth word or so marked as [deleted] by CIA censors, including entire sections of the book.

Jawbreaker is a real page turner and its compelling story of how a handful of extraordinary smart and brave CIA agents (including some very patriotic and capable Muslim Americans) and Special Forces troops should be read by everyone interested in our national security and in how this War on Terror has been fought and mis-fought, and lessons that need to be learned to protect this country in the future. If you haven't read it yet, you owe it to yourself to get a copy and read it immediately, you'll be glad you did.

Lawfare against Michigan soldier fails and justice prevails

Detroit Free Press: Green Beret from Michigan not guilty of murder in Afghan’s death

A military jury has found a veteran Green Beret not guilty of premeditated murder and mutilation in the death of an Afghan man.

Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Joseph Newell of Tecumseh, Mich., was charged in the March 2008 shooting in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

The 10-member jury began deliberating Wednesday after hearing nearly two hours of closing arguments.

Newell testified this week he shot the unidentified man twice with his rifle after the man lunged at him during questioning. Newell said he had stopped the suspected Taliban insurgent’s vehicle after it appeared he was watching the convoy and communicating with other Taliban.

Newell had faced a life sentence.

Good on the military jury for coming to the right result. The decision makers that put this soldier through a murder charge for self-defense in a combat zone need to get their PC rose-colored glasses off and be made to patrol for a month in the area where the incident occurred.

Tanks but no Tanks?

Canada may be updating its 20-year old Leopard C2 tank fleet by leasing 20 (yes twenty) Leopard C6 tanks from Germany. The main reason for the long-overdue replacement is that the C2 tanks lack air conditioning, making them unsuitable for operations in Afghanistan in the summer. This has the lib-left and the Toronto (red) Star all-a-flutter.

In Whether new or old, tanks just not for this war Star columnist James Travers opines that the tanks will not help win the hearts and minds of Afghanistanis and that's the vital point of Canada's participation.

Tanks, contra Travers, are an excellent force protection option and perfect for kicking Taliban ass and disrupting their actions, which is indeed a mission in addition to nation building that the lib-left in Canada dearly loves.

Travers undercuts his own arguments with the fact he reports that

It's no coincidence that Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor stressed this week that Canadian casualties have dropped since September when the nearly 30-year old Leopards were pressed into service. While the reasons for that happy decline have more to do with changed enemy tactics and limited winter fighting, any equipment that saves soldiers' lives is both welcome and a persuasive part of the continuing military campaign for more procurement.

Travers notes that the Tanks can be vulnerable to mines and antitank weapons - true, but the presence of a tank in a mutually-supporting combined arms unit can offer protection to the rest of the force while that force screens the tank from the mine and RPG threat, and reduces the overall threat that would exist if the tanks were not present.

Travers then states the long-held but erroneous belief that Tanks cannot operate in urban environments:

Designed for set-piece, Cold War confrontations, the 55-tonne behemoths are hardly the weapons of choice in the close and often urban encounters of today's hearts-and-minds wars.

(not that Afghanistan is completely full of cities, its not, but Travers seems to make you want to think with this objection that a city or village is the only place the tank would operate). Tanks can do well in Urban or village settings - read Thunder Run the story of how US tanks won the battle of Baghdad and helped bring a quick end to the Saddam regime - victory for armor in the ultimate urban environment.

Canadians in Afghanistan need tanks for protection and force flexibility. While Travers argues the touchy-feely objection that such tanks will be

weapons that alienate soldiers from the Afghans they must make friends.

In the best-case scenario, modern tanks will keep troops cooler and safer. In the worst, Canada will lease expensive weapons it decided it didn't need and lose a war that must be fought and won among the people.

The tanks aren't for nation-building but for defeating those who seek to prevent any nation-building or any progress at all beyond the level of medieval fundamentalist Islam in Afghanistan. The best way to win the "hearts and minds of the people" is to decisively defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda elements at every possible encounter - showing the people that they are no longer a viable threat. For that you want the best weapons available - including tanks.