Former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller speaks to Defense news.
Miller says some interesting things.
https://www.defensenews.com/video/2021/08/20/exclusive-former-secdef-discusses-afghanistan-with-military-times-full-interview/
I think he is being a little cagey about Afghanistan. What he says speaks for its self.
I think things are better than they seem. A lot of people are getting out. Air craft are not being fired on and run ways not being blocked or destroyed with artillery. The Taliban are honoring a deal to someone and I doubt that’s Biden. Someone made a very big threat or promised something worth far more than a kings ransom.
While the Taliban concentrate in Kabul they are weakened everywhere else.
I know the Australian planes going in and out are full but only carry half a load of Australians, the identity and nationality of the others on the plane are not disclosed. The same is true for other nations. The Taliban is focused on the Americans and ignoring the British and other NATO extraction efforts but these are taking Americans and afghans out.
Some have also noticed that some of the Taliban appear to be afghan army and commandos in Taliban uniform. Have they switched side? Were they always Taliban? Or is there a deception operation under way? Are these men manning key check points and escorting these people out? Miller says nothing about this but then he would not would he.
Its bad but that was predictable. There is an old adage: you can’t fight Islam with Islam. Where ever we have fought and won permanently we removed Islamic law, allowed conversion and protected the convert and within a generation there were few moslems left in Spain, Southern Italy, Greece, Ukraine, and India. This is not being done today in the middle east.
Miller seems to indicate that while the mess this week stared bad there some good signs and much more to do. The Taliban leadership are beating people up and robing them, reportedly, but they are letting them though to the exits. While all eyes are on the airports the roads out to Pakistan and Iran are open. Though the border itself have been opening and closing randomly as Pakistan runs into problems screening people or the bribe is not big enough.