Here’s video from ABC News showing that Taliban firing gunshots and gas to disperse a crowd at the Kabul airport:
Footage shows chaos near the Kabul airport on Tuesday night as gas is fired to disperse the crowd at the perimeter wall. https://t.co/MYRaUh0uJ5 pic.twitter.com/fpoBBMYBvR
— ABC News (@ABC) August 18, 2021
ABC News reports this is at a perimeter wall and I’m not sure which side of the airport this is happening. But I’d be willing to be there are Americans in the crowd who are getting dispersed.
I believe Milley said today that the American military are at certain gates, so I’m not sure if this is those areas or not.
Regardless, the situation on the ground there for Americans trying to get to the airport is not good. In fact this CNN reporter who is over there says it’s mayhem and chaos:
She said whether someone has their papers or not, it’s nearly impossible to get to the airport because it’s too dangerous and there’s no coherent system for even processing people.
Here’s what the editor of LongJournal had to say yesterday about this airport evacuation set up by the military:
This is what it looks like outside the north gate at the airport in Kabul. I won't mention why this location is important. I will say that the @CENTCOM commander, who agreed to allow this airport to be the primary/only evacuation point, should be dismissed/replaced immediately. pic.twitter.com/yfvWRJaJ7n
— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating. You do not put your primary evacuation airstrip at an airport inside a city with 4.5 million people and an untold number of refugees. The U.S. military agreed to do this, and it owns what is now happening in Kabul.
— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021
You do not need to be a West Point and War College grad, or a grand strategist to know this was a recipe for disaster. 2nd lieutenants know this plan is a dumpster fire. Our general officer class as a whole is rotten to the core and must be held accountable.
— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021
The Kabul evacuation fiasco should not be viewed in isolation. The general officers were complicit in the failure of Afghanistan at every step. Not understanding the enemy. Building the wrong ANDSF. The surge. Population Centric Counterinsurgency. Endorsing phony "peace process."
— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021