The situation in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly dire now that the Western allies have withdrawn from the country.
At the same time as the military presence is shrinking, the Taliban is advancing faster than anyone expected.
On Thursday, the Taliban took control of major cities Kandahar and Herat, they are closer than ever to Kabul.
The Pentagon is now sending 3,000 US troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate staff at the US Embassy in the capital.
At the same time that several countries are now withdrawing their citizens and soldiers from Afghanistan, Americans fear they will have to relive one of the greatest indignities they have suffered in modern history.
Taliban: Taliban fighters are patrolling here in Ghazni city, close to Kabul. Photo: AP / Gulabuddin Amiri
“The Fall of Saigon”
In April, US President Joe Biden announced that the Americans would withdraw from Afghanistan. This is without the Western allies succeeding in creating a stable situation in the country.
Many now fear a full-scale civil war once the Western Allies withdraw all their forces.
For the Americans, the failed mission brought back memories of the humiliating defeat in Vietnam.
The United States invaded Vietnam in 1955 with the aim of fighting the post-war communist regime.
After 20 years, the superpower was forced to put its tail between its legs and hastily evacuated the soldiers.
TAKEN CONTROL: North Vietnamese forces took control of Saigon on the day the Americans had to evacuate the city in April 1975. Photo: AFP
In April 1975, the capital, Saigon, in southern Vietnam fell.
Helicopters landed on the roofs of embassies to urgently evacuate soldiers and civilians as North Vietnamese forces rolled into the city with armored vehicles.
He directs us toward the worst humiliation
Donald Trump was the first to suggest that the US would end its military presence in Afghanistan, but it was Biden who announced in April that the entire US force would withdraw from Afghanistan by 9/11.
Biden is now under fire from Republicans and former members of the Trump administration for the force evacuation.
“President Biden’s decisions send us into a worse continuation of the humiliating days that surrounded the fall of Saigon in 1975,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. “President Biden now finds that the quickest way to end the war is to lose it.”
And asks Biden to send more US reinforcements to support the Afghan security forces.
Without it, the Taliban would be able to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by burning our embassy in Kabul.
THE PRESIDENT: Joe Biden stands by his position, and he thinks it’s right to get the United States out of Afghanistan. Photo: Susan Walsh
America’s longest war
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo believes the troop withdrawal strategy has failed.
– There seems to be a little panic going on. “I hope they have the right number of people to complete the job, and get there quickly,” Pompeo says.
For his part, Biden said he does not regret the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, noting that the United States spent billions of dollars on the operation, and that thousands of Americans lost their lives in what became the longest. Waging war in the United States.
Despite their withdrawal from the country, the United States continues to provide food and wages to the Afghan security forces.
American media reported that the evacuation process was 95% complete.
Norway is also closed
Several other countries are now evacuating their citizens from Kabul.
On Friday, Foreign Minister In Eriksen Soered announced that Norway will now temporarily close its embassy in Kabul.
Denmark, Finland and Germany do the same.
Asked by TV 2 whether this means that the NATO mission in Afghanistan has failed, Soreid stated that the evacuation is an admission that the deterioration around the security situation in the country is proceeding faster than expected.
– We expected it to become complicated with the withdrawal of international forces. But it went faster and is more extensive than we expected.
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