Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan

AFSOC Commander
This is the official page for Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. While the posts on this page are 100% his words, this page is a team effort.
(U.S. Air Force Military)
18h ·
Afghanistan.
If you've been part of AFSOC in the last 20 years, Afghanistan is almost certainly part of you. I spent the middle third of my career in and out of there between 2002 and 2011, with all the attendant highs and lows. From the very beginning to the very present, I have been responsible for sending countless Airmen into harm's way there, not all of whom returned to their families. In November 2003, I sent home the remains of my teammates and friends in the aftermath of the first fatalities I experienced as a commander. In May of 2011, we killed Osama bin Laden. Highs and lows...lows and highs...I've felt it all.
Like many, I struggle to make sense of it all. There will be history books written about everything from our tactics to our strategy and a host of unanswered questions swirling around in all our minds...all of it will be dissected under the cold, unforgiving light of retrospective assessment. I think I'm still way, way too close to be able to opine on any of this with any degree of certainty. However, there are a few things of which I'm certain.
First, the Airmen of AFSOC have done what they were asked to do magnificently. Valor. Sacrifice. Duty. All of it. I wake up every morning with a profound sense of gratitude to be associated with this command and the Airmen who comprise it. Even today, AFSOC forces continue to answer the call and loyally do the things they're asked to do in these chaotic, turbulent times. From Medal of Honor recipient MSgt John Chapman to the still-serving squadron commander currently on his 19th deployment, AFSOC Airmen have done their duty magnificently.
Second, there will be many hard days...months...years...ahead for many of us as we reflect--often with with deep ambivalence--on how we feel about our experiences in Afghanistan. We'll process this all while continuing to deal with the physical wounds, the neurocognitive wounds, the psychological wounds, and the moral wounds we've suffered along the way.
If, like me, you find yourself trying to put your own experiences into some context which will allow you to move forward positively and productively, I urge you to talk about it. For our still-serving Airmen and families, you can start with chaplains, psychologists, and physicians. For our teammates who have separated or retired since 9/11, there are resources available for you as well. While there is no "one size fits all" answer, there is a size which fits. If you can't find resources through the Preservation of the Force and Families program, the Veteran Affairs Administration, the local Chapel, the Mental Health clinic at your servicing Medical Group, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, or Military OneSource, ask your chain of command or message me directly and let us help you find the right avenue. We've been through too much together as an AFSOC team to try to process these very complex things on our own.
I expect I'm not alone in being reminded of the famous opening lines of "A Tale of Two Cities."
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
I don't know what it all means. But for now, the knowledge that doing one's duty is its own reward will have to be enough.

Cowboy's daughter wrote:AFSOC Commander
This is the official page for Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. While the posts on this page are 100% his words, this page is a team effort.
(U.S. Air Force Military)
18h  ·
Afghanistan.
If you've been part of AFSOC in the last 20 years, Afghanistan is almost certainly part of you.  I spent the middle third of my career in and out of there between 2002 and 2011, with all the attendant highs and lows.  From the very beginning to the very present, I have been responsible for sending countless Airmen into harm's way there, not all of whom returned to their families.  In November 2003, I sent home the remains of my teammates and friends in the aftermath of the first fatalities I experienced as a commander.  In May of 2011, we killed Osama bin Laden.  Highs and lows...lows and highs...I've felt it all.
Like many, I struggle to make sense of it all.  There will be history books written about everything from our tactics to our strategy and a host of unanswered questions swirling around in all our minds...all of it will be dissected under the cold, unforgiving light of retrospective assessment.  I think I'm still way, way too close to be able to opine on any of this with any degree of certainty.  However, there are a few things of which I'm certain.
First, the Airmen of AFSOC have done what they were asked to do magnificently.  Valor.  Sacrifice.  Duty.  All of it.  I wake up every morning with a profound sense of gratitude to be associated with this command and the Airmen who comprise it.  Even today, AFSOC forces continue to answer the call and loyally do the things they're asked to do in these chaotic, turbulent times.  From Medal of Honor recipient MSgt John Chapman to the still-serving squadron commander currently on his 19th deployment, AFSOC Airmen have done their duty magnificently.
Second, there will be many hard days...months...years...ahead for many of us as we reflect--often with with deep ambivalence--on how we feel about our experiences in Afghanistan.  We'll process this all while continuing to deal with the physical wounds, the neurocognitive wounds, the psychological wounds, and the moral wounds we've suffered along the way.
If, like me, you find yourself trying to put your own experiences into some context which will allow you to move forward positively and productively, I urge you to talk about it.  For our still-serving Airmen and families, you can start with chaplains, psychologists, and physicians.  For our teammates who have separated or retired since 9/11, there are resources available for you as well.  While there is no "one size fits all" answer, there is a size which fits.  If you can't find resources through the Preservation of the Force and Families program, the Veteran Affairs Administration, the local Chapel, the Mental Health clinic at your servicing Medical Group, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, or Military OneSource, ask your chain of command or message me directly and let us help you find the right avenue.  We've been through too much together as an AFSOC team to try to process these very complex things on our own.
I expect I'm not alone in being reminded of the famous opening lines of "A Tale of Two Cities."
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
I don't know what it all means.  But for now, the knowledge that doing one's duty is its own reward will have to be enough.

Pretty much the same as what Soviet veterans of the Afghan war went through. In the end, just consoling oneself with that they performed their duty is all that's left.

And to the next schmuck the coalition vets will be saying the same thing - "don't go there in the first place"

https://twitter.com/polarisnatsec/status/1426225950312837122

The U.S has difficulty maintaining an perimeter in the millitary section of the airfield:



Also, the U.S Service dogs have left Kabul.



Damn right, i would not leave without my/our dogs either.
Of course everyone crying on twitter in pakistan and afghanistan that the millitary prioritize our own service dogs over afghans.
that we should leave them there so people can take their place.

Ive seen how animals and dogs are treated in Afghanistan, i dont feel any pitty here.

In addition to the countless Afghanis cast aside to await their fate, the millions of Iraqis and Syrians whose lives were torn asunder under false pretense, there are thousands of American soldiers killed or wounded to fulfill the greed and lust for power of a totally corrupt and decadent ruling class. I often wonder if those signing up to "defend democracy" ever stop to examine the life choices of people like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Rush Limbaugh et al. No mistake that they all found an "anal fistula", a convenient marriage, or a never ending graduate school program to keep their own precious asses out of the firing line. Henry Kissinger famously referred to people in the military as animals - reflecting the conceit and arrogance of the intelligentsia towards those dupes dumb enough to serve. No, if you have a brain in your head in American society you go for the gold, literally: it's all about the money and one could argue it always has been. The ruling elite live rather closely to the model espoused by their favorite philosopher Leo Strauss which reduces in its simplest form to a hierarchical model of power requiring a certain level of complacency and a certain level of ignorance of each level of society vis a vis the levels above.

Biden's statement 'washing hands' of Afghanistan 'is one of most shameful in US history': Left and right-wing media unite in condemnation of America's 'chaotic retreat' and 'betrayal' of Afghan people
Wall Street Journal condemns Joe Biden 'washing his hands' of situation and slams his 'shameful' comments

CNN columnist says 'debacle of defeat and chaotic retreat in Afghanistan' is a 'political disaster' for President

Opinion writer in The Atlantic slams 'betrayal' of Afghan people and places the 'burden of shame' on Mr Biden

New York Post editorial says Mr Biden's claims that he 'inherited' Donald Trump's withdrawal plans were a 'lie'

UK Press also hits out at Mr Biden, with The Sun editorial criticising Mr Biden for 'ignored repeated warnings'

FT piece says 'abandonment of Afghanistan raises doubts over depth of US commitment to supposed allies'

Media outlets across the political divide in the US and Britain have united in their condemnation over Joe Biden's handling of the Afghanistan crisis amid what is being billed the biggest foreign policy catastrophe in 65 years.

Even Left-wing outlets such as CNN and The New York Times that would traditionally back a Democrat president have hit out at Mr Biden for his role in allowing insurgents to take Kabul after routing Afghan forces in just a week.

The Wall Street Journal condemned Joe Biden's statement 'washing his hands' of the situation, saying it should 'go down as one of the most shameful in history by a Commander in Chief at such a moment of American retreat.
As the crisis deepened, a CNN columnist said the 'debacle of the US defeat and chaotic retreat in Afghanistan' was a 'political disaster' for the US President and slammed his 'failure to orchestrate an urgent and orderly exit'.

And an opinion writer in The Atlantic said there was enough blame attached for the Afghanistan crisis to 'fill a library of books', condemning the 'betrayal' of the Afghan people as he placed the 'burden of shame' on Mr Biden.

Meanwhile a New York Post editorial said Mr Biden's claims that he 'inherited' his predecessor Donald Trump's withdrawal plans were a 'lie' and the situation is 'as humiliating an end as the rooftop scramble in Saigon in 1975'.

An opinion piece in The New York Times claimed that Mr Biden would 'go down in history, fairly or unfairly, as the president who presided over a long-brewing, humiliating final act in the American experiment in Afghanistan'.

A Washington Post column said the situation 'is on Biden, and it will leave an indelible stain on his presidency', while a piece in USA Today said 'this catastrophe is appearing on his watch, and he will have to take his lumps'.

Fox News ran a comment from Republican Senator Joni Ernst condemning the 'slap in the face to the thousands of men and women who served in this war' and a 'total abandonment of a country and its people' by Mr Biden.

Columnists in the British Press also hit out at Mr Biden today, with The Sun's editorial saying he 'ignored repeated warnings, then withdrew crucial air support for the Afghan army it has spent billions arming over 20 years'.

Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat wrote in The Times that it was the 'the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez' in 1957, while a columnist for the i condemned the 'betrayal of Afghanistan's people'.

The Financial Times said the 'abandonment of Afghanistan raises doubts over the depth of US commitment to supposed allies', while Mark Almond wrote in the Daily Mail that Islamist fundamentalism is now 'back on a roll'.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9897611/Media-America-Britain-react-Afghanistan-crisis.html



Almost all major checkpoints in Kabul were under Taliban control by this morning and Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority issued an advisory saying the 'civilian side' of the airport had been 'closed until further notice' and that the military controlled the airspace

Airbornewolf wrote:Damn right, i would not leave without my/our dogs either.
Of course everyone crying on twitter in pakistan and afghanistan that the millitary prioritize our own service dogs over afghans.
that we should leave them there so people can take their place.

On the face of it that might be an argument to object to

But I'm pretty sure any of those dogs did more to fight the Taliban than 99% of the Afghan army judging by the past 2 weeks.
So yeah.

Man, I am finding this hilarious.

Russia and mostly everyone here wanted us out of that place now that we left everyone is crying foul, just funny.

I thought US forces being there was bad

Isos wrote:Well everyone asked for stoping US wars over the world. They got it.

You can't blame US for leaving if you asked for them to leave.

Funny isn't it now that we won't be there to keep the Taliban in check everyone is suddenly crying bloody murder.

But when we were there or how they hated us for it, the hypocrisy is just hilarious.

flamming_python wrote:

Cowboy's daughter wrote:AFSOC Commander
This is the official page for Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. While the posts on this page are 100% his words, this page is a team effort.
(U.S. Air Force Military)
18h  ·
Afghanistan.
If you've been part of AFSOC in the last 20 years, Afghanistan is almost certainly part of you.  I spent the middle third of my career in and out of there between 2002 and 2011, with all the attendant highs and lows.  From the very beginning to the very present, I have been responsible for sending countless Airmen into harm's way there, not all of whom returned to their families.  In November 2003, I sent home the remains of my teammates and friends in the aftermath of the first fatalities I experienced as a commander.  In May of 2011, we killed Osama bin Laden.  Highs and lows...lows and highs...I've felt it all.
Like many, I struggle to make sense of it all.  There will be history books written about everything from our tactics to our strategy and a host of unanswered questions swirling around in all our minds...all of it will be dissected under the cold, unforgiving light of retrospective assessment.  I think I'm still way, way too close to be able to opine on any of this with any degree of certainty.  However, there are a few things of which I'm certain.
First, the Airmen of AFSOC have done what they were asked to do magnificently.  Valor.  Sacrifice.  Duty.  All of it.  I wake up every morning with a profound sense of gratitude to be associated with this command and the Airmen who comprise it.  Even today, AFSOC forces continue to answer the call and loyally do the things they're asked to do in these chaotic, turbulent times.  From Medal of Honor recipient MSgt John Chapman to the still-serving squadron commander currently on his 19th deployment, AFSOC Airmen have done their duty magnificently.
Second, there will be many hard days...months...years...ahead for many of us as we reflect--often with with deep ambivalence--on how we feel about our experiences in Afghanistan.  We'll process this all while continuing to deal with the physical wounds, the neurocognitive wounds, the psychological wounds, and the moral wounds we've suffered along the way.
If, like me, you find yourself trying to put your own experiences into some context which will allow you to move forward positively and productively, I urge you to talk about it.  For our still-serving Airmen and families, you can start with chaplains, psychologists, and physicians.  For our teammates who have separated or retired since 9/11, there are resources available for you as well.  While there is no "one size fits all" answer, there is a size which fits.  If you can't find resources through the Preservation of the Force and Families program, the Veteran Affairs Administration, the local Chapel, the Mental Health clinic at your servicing Medical Group, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, or Military OneSource, ask your chain of command or message me directly and let us help you find the right avenue.  We've been through too much together as an AFSOC team to try to process these very complex things on our own.
I expect I'm not alone in being reminded of the famous opening lines of "A Tale of Two Cities."
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
I don't know what it all means.  But for now, the knowledge that doing one's duty is its own reward will have to be enough.

Pretty much the same as what Soviet veterans of the Afghan war went through. In the end, just consoling oneself with that they performed their duty is all that's left.

And to the next schmuck the coalition vets will be saying the same thing - "don't go there in the first place"

As Alexander Mercorus said in one of the Duran videos, he remembers that before USSR left Afghanistan, they held military parade in Kabul and then left.  And then it took at least a year, almost two, for the Socialist government to collapse.

This mess going on now is a whole another level.

Isos wrote:Well everyone asked for stoping US wars over the world. They got it.

You can't blame US for leaving if you asked for them to leave.

Well, if the US wasn't a bunch of cock suckers, including its people such as Sieg, then the Taliban wouldn't have the power it has now to do what it did and does. It was them and their lackies in Pakistan that created them. The US should have fixed the mess but didn't and now fleeing. And all of those Afghani's who worked to help make their country better? Well, now they are open game.

I really do feel for those people.

Sujoy wrote:U.S military personnel opened fired on Afghan civilians at the Kabul international airport who were trying to flee Kabul, killing several Afghans in the process.

 

show proof of such claims.

JohninMK wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:
John come on you are better than this, We aren't going to start gunning down civis, we can remove them with non-lethal means if needed.

Don't make me laugh! I may be better than this but trapped US soldiers?

The non lethal means probably come to an end when the last Apache, used for blowing civilians off the runway as per Twitter video to clear a C-17 take-off path, has itself to be destroyed to prevent it getting into Taliban hands. A couple of C-17 trapped on the apron unable to move. What then? A F-15E strike or low pass down the runway? With no casualties?

How do you really think that 1000's of locals, in fear of their lives, being deserted by their allies will react once they realise that there is no escape. But the last representatives of the cause of their woe are about to?

How well does a running engine react to a, revenge for being left behind, blanket or similar thrown into it?

Anyway I love your "We aren't going to start gunning down civis" as if you haven't already in almost all ME countries you have set foot in.

As I said, the Taliban are your last hope.

Taliban aren't attempting to enter the airport, they are letting US evac.

And no C-17s will be left behind. Your post just isn't logical at all.

As for the people unless they try to get violent we won't shoot if they try to harm the aircraft then they would be fired upon. Russians would also shot to kill if someone tried to damage their aircraft. As for the people trying to jump on planes that's their own fault. Those planes will not stop for any reason, after all, you don't know if someone has a device or something.

Oh, spare me that "we killed innocents" BS, So have the Russians. I don't have a problem if you wanna criticize for that but apply the same standard to all.

Isos wrote:Well everyone asked for stoping US wars over the world. They got it.

You can't blame US for leaving if you asked for them to leave.

They literally handed the country to the Taliban. They did it intentionally. You really believe that the US is this incompetent ? I said it weeks ago when they shut the power off to the main air base and let looters run wild, they are going for maximum chaos. And maximum chaos is what we have. The Soviet regime lasted 3 years. The US regime didn't last 3 days because they didn't want it to.

The US military and diplmatic core is not this incompetent.

Backman wrote:

Isos wrote:Well everyone asked for stoping US wars over the world. They got it.

You can't blame US for leaving if you asked for them to leave.

They literally handed the country to the Taliban. They did it intentionally. You really believe that the US is this incompetent ? I said it weeks ago when they shut the power off to the main air base and let looters run wild, they are going for maximum chaos. And maximum chaos is what we have. The Soviet regime lasted 3 years. The US regime didn't last 3 days because they didn't want it to.

The US military and diplmatic core is not this incompetent.

Do you have proof of this besides some baseless twitter comment?

Aurora Intel
@AuroraIntel
·
6m
High-Res imagery via @Maxar
shows the chaotic crowds at #Kabul Airport, #Afghanistan earlier today at 1036 local time.

Hi res here https://twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1427288148804001793

SeigSoloyvov wrote:Man, I am finding this hilarious.

Russia and mostly everyone here wanted us out of that place now that we left everyone is crying foul, just funny.

I thought US forces being there was bad  

You intentionally collapsed the govt as you left.

Well, if the US wasn't a bunch of cock suckers, including its people such as Sieg, then the Taliban wouldn't have the power it has now to do what it did and does. It was them and their lackies in Pakistan that created them. The US should have fixed the mess but didn't and now fleeing. And all of those Afghani's who worked to help make their country better? Well, now they are open game.

I really do feel for those people

I'm not saying the situation is fair or good for them.

But I truely don't see why they are surprised Locals knew very well how talibans are strong and without US protection they would run the country.

US invading Afg made them stronger and it made their number grow very fast since they killed a lot of innocent which had young children or family members that were then attracted by talibans to fight them.

But even knowing this they wanted US to leave. They got it. There was no surprise about how things would end.

And I disagree with you. Talibans would have had the same power today if US didn't invade them. They were ruling the country before 2001.

Biggest error was to not support Massoud from the beggining against Talibans. I guess even Russia/USSR should have.

Backman wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:Man, I am finding this hilarious.

Russia and mostly everyone here wanted us out of that place now that we left everyone is crying foul, just funny.

I thought US forces being there was bad  

You intentionally collapsed the govt as you left.

AGAIN got PROOOOOF.

Actually proof, not some guy on Twitter saying that.

SeigSoloyvov wrote:
Oh, spare me that "we killed innocents" BS, So have the Russians. I don't have a problem if you wanna criticize for that but apply the same standard to all.

When have I applied a different standard to anyone? I never mentioned Russians.

JohninMK wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:
Oh, spare me that "we killed innocents" BS, So have the Russians. I don't have a problem if you wanna criticize for that but apply the same standard to all.

When have I applied a different standard to anyone? I never mentioned Russians.

Your comment clearly was worded like that's what we do, when frankly everyone does it, it's not unique to us.

Isos wrote:

Well, if the US wasn't a bunch of cock suckers, including its people such as Sieg, then the Taliban wouldn't have the power it has now to do what it did and does. It was them and their lackies in Pakistan that created them. The US should have fixed the mess but didn't and now fleeing. And all of those Afghani's who worked to help make their country better? Well, now they are open game.

I really do feel for those people

I'm not saying the situation is fair or good for them.

But I truely don't see why they are surprised  Locals knew very well how talibans are strong and without US protection they would run the country.

US invading Afg made them stronger and it made their number grow very fast since they killed a lot of innocent which had young children or family members that were then attracted by talibans to fight them.

But even knowing this they wanted US to leave. They got it. There was no surprise about how things would end.

And I disagree with you. Talibans would have had the same power today if US didn't invade them. They were ruling the country before 2001.

Biggest error was to not support Massoud from the beggining against Talibans. I guess even Russia/USSR should have.

you must be having a brain aneurism or you have reading comprehension issues.

No, the Taliban wouldn't have had thee strength if it wasn't for US funding them and helping Pakistan develop them in the 1980's.

Sattelite imagery taken by sattelites overhead Kabul at around 10:36 local time.

Nothing will change, all this screaming is window dressing. The anointed ones will be protected by media in US and EU and in the end nothing will change with the only possibility being some 'mid level' early retirements of some no longer useful actors. However, no one of any 'import' will be touched. It's how the game is played and will continue so.

Whatever. It had to be done. 

The Russian FM is saying that the Taliban is guarding the Russian embassy. We can already see the new balance of power taking shape.

https://twitter.com/5thSu/status/1427285540282408963?s=19