Biden in turmoil as blast in Kabul raises leadership questions ..............Some things in Biden's speech don't add up
Biden's address on Thursday was punctuated by several contradictions.
First, his vow to "complete the mission" of extracting from the country all remaining Americans and Afghans who helped US forces appears impossible, given that he is not planning to extend the deadline for withdrawal past Tuesday. His talk of carrying on trying to get America's friends out after US troops leave seemed to confirm he understands the impossibility of wrapping up that mission in four days. But getting Afghans out of the country without having US forces there will be even harder.
Secondly, Biden's capacity to strike back hard at ISIS-K is going to be far more difficult without US troops on the ground, or anywhere close to Afghanistan. His promise will be a first real test of what he calls "over the horizon" capabilities, presumably using air power or drones armed with missiles, to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a terror haven that could threaten US security. It also means US operations in the country are not ending, but are changing.
"We may be leaving Afghanistan. We are not quitting Afghanistan, the terror struggle and the counter-terrorism effort continues," CNN national security, intelligence and terrorism analyst Juliette Kayyem said on Thursday evening.
Biden to Kabul attackers: 'We will hunt you down and make you pay'
If nothing else, the attack exemplified the dilemma Biden faced when he was asked by allies to extend the deadline. By leaving, he may be unable to bring every American and thousands of allied Afghans out of the Taliban's clutches. But staying would expose US troops to even graver danger.
The bombing also laid bare the extreme weakness of the US position in Afghanistan. After fighting the Taliban for 20 years, American forces are now reliant on the same insurgents with no experience in providing security to prevent terrorist attackers reaching the Kabul airport -- an arrangement that failed disastrously before the bombings. But the President insisted it was not a mistake to rely on US enemies for help.
"It's not what you would call a tightly commanded regimented operation like the US military is, but they are acting in their interests," he told reporters after his speech............
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/27/politics/joe-biden-kabul-airport-terrorist-attack-afghanistan/index.html
