Afghan refugees at an airbase in Qatar. (Photo: Confidential Source/The Uprising)
The situation at the Kabul airport literally became explosive on Thursday as two suicide bombers and gunmen who have been linked to the militant group Islamic State staged attacks that killed at least 60 Afghans and 12 American troops. I just published a new piece for New York magazine on a controversial rogue congressional trip to the airport and have spent the past few days reporting on the situation in Kabul.
Please join me in the comments below to discuss this story and everything else I’ve heard about the chaotic Afghanistan exit including unofficial rescue operations, how the evacuation has led to a dangerous situation for refugees in Qatar, and the major issues with media coverage of the withdrawal.
This is a major moment in American history. I would love to answer your questions and hear your thoughts!
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Thank you for this reporting! There are so many issues to tease apart and examine after this evacuation is as complete as it can be. I'm sure that there will be Congressional review, mostly around the anticipation of the collapse and how we adjusted evacuation plans as events developed. Currently, though, I just hope that we'll do what needs to be done for the Afghans that we can help out of the country.
An amazing story from the inside. It is so difficult to navigate the strategical and political agendas….so much suffering….so much bloodshed. Just a really sad set of circumstances. Thanks for this opportunity to hear what is happening on the ground.
after reading your informative piece in NY Mag and imbibing other coverage, I’m sad. i appreciate the coverage, i appreciate your work, i just have not other comment besides being sad.
I think Matthew Yglesias said it best, but I'll paraphrase. The armchair quarterbacks (whether motivated by genuine concern or CYA for a botched 20-year failed mission) apparently want us to leave while ramping up and evacuate everyone while eliminating all risks. In other words, there is plenty of finger pointing with a complete absence of coherent tactical alternatives. There was a lack of planning to be sure, but Moulton and Meijer's trip was absurd and ineffective. Neither were on the forefront of developing solutions.Say what you will about Kinzinger, but he's raising funds to help the refugees. Organizing food and water shipments would be a hell of a lot more productive than flying into war-torn Kabul.
One major thing I would like to highlight from this story is the fact that a looming question here seems to be how we will treat the refugees who do manage to get flights out. The above photo is of packed conditions at an airbase in Qatar where refugees are being. Moulton and Meijer visited this airfield and Moulton told me, Afghans there are crowded “in 120-degree heat literally sheltering under aircraft wings, which is not safe, by the way.”
“They’re in hangars, some of them are just on the tarmac, and it’s crazy,” he said.
He further claimed they don't have adequate food and water. That wasn't exactly denied by the White House.
We've moved over 100,000 people out of Afghanistan. One of the major questions about what happens next is where we are going to put them and what type of conditions they will be held in.
I started the story. I can’t finish right now because I find seth’s comments irritating. What is it he thinks Biden shoukd have done. Do they expect the Taliban to line the streets and salute as we leave? We occupied a country for 20 years. We knew we couldn’t win an armed conflict there 10 years ago. The Taliban is resurgent. They want us out. Usa told folks not to go there and to get out. We’ve evacuated 100,000 people. What?! What more could be done?
Thank you for this reporting! There are so many issues to tease apart and examine after this evacuation is as complete as it can be. I'm sure that there will be Congressional review, mostly around the anticipation of the collapse and how we adjusted evacuation plans as events developed. Currently, though, I just hope that we'll do what needs to be done for the Afghans that we can help out of the country.
An amazing story from the inside. It is so difficult to navigate the strategical and political agendas….so much suffering….so much bloodshed. Just a really sad set of circumstances. Thanks for this opportunity to hear what is happening on the ground.
after reading your informative piece in NY Mag and imbibing other coverage, I’m sad. i appreciate the coverage, i appreciate your work, i just have not other comment besides being sad.
I think Matthew Yglesias said it best, but I'll paraphrase. The armchair quarterbacks (whether motivated by genuine concern or CYA for a botched 20-year failed mission) apparently want us to leave while ramping up and evacuate everyone while eliminating all risks. In other words, there is plenty of finger pointing with a complete absence of coherent tactical alternatives. There was a lack of planning to be sure, but Moulton and Meijer's trip was absurd and ineffective. Neither were on the forefront of developing solutions.Say what you will about Kinzinger, but he's raising funds to help the refugees. Organizing food and water shipments would be a hell of a lot more productive than flying into war-torn Kabul.
One major thing I would like to highlight from this story is the fact that a looming question here seems to be how we will treat the refugees who do manage to get flights out. The above photo is of packed conditions at an airbase in Qatar where refugees are being. Moulton and Meijer visited this airfield and Moulton told me, Afghans there are crowded “in 120-degree heat literally sheltering under aircraft wings, which is not safe, by the way.”
“They’re in hangars, some of them are just on the tarmac, and it’s crazy,” he said.
He further claimed they don't have adequate food and water. That wasn't exactly denied by the White House.
We've moved over 100,000 people out of Afghanistan. One of the major questions about what happens next is where we are going to put them and what type of conditions they will be held in.
I started the story. I can’t finish right now because I find seth’s comments irritating. What is it he thinks Biden shoukd have done. Do they expect the Taliban to line the streets and salute as we leave? We occupied a country for 20 years. We knew we couldn’t win an armed conflict there 10 years ago. The Taliban is resurgent. They want us out. Usa told folks not to go there and to get out. We’ve evacuated 100,000 people. What?! What more could be done?