Top US diplomat who ran botched Afghanistan evacuation was picked after Kabul fell, given no plan: t

[mystery-ak]

 Top US diplomat who ran botched Afghanistan evacuation was picked after Kabul fell, given no plan: testimony
By Social Links for Caitlin Doornbos
Published April 4, 2024, 6:09 p.m. ET



WASHINGTON – The State Department official tapped to oversee the chaotic and bloody US evacuation from Afghanistan in August 2021 told congressional investigators he was sent only after Kabul fell to the Taliban and was given no plan, no insight into who qualified for evacuation and only a basic understanding of the mission’s goals.

Though Ross Wilson had been leading the US embassy in Kabul since January 2020, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman dispatched former Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass to help evacuate the capital city four days after the Taliban took control on Aug. 15, 2021, Bass told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a Jan. 22 interview, according to a transcript released Thursday.

Ten hours after receiving his assignment, Bass was on a plane knowing little about what he would face and having received almost no preparation, he recalled. Neither Secretary Antony Blinken, President Biden nor anyone on the National Security Council had reached out to him prior to his arrival in Kabul.

The testimony of Bass and others released Thursday painted a vivid picture of how a lack of planning by the State Department led to major challenges that may have been preventable.

more
https://nypost.com/2024/04/04/us-news/top-diplomat-who-ran-botched-afghanistan-evacuation-was-picked-after-kabul-fell-was-given-no-plan-testimony/

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Nobody, on either side, is being honest about what the real problem was.

The argument that the evacuation should have started earlier ignores the reality that we didn't want to start an evacuation before it was necessary for fear it would lead to a collapse in morale of the Afghan army.   So almost by default, the evacuation was going to end up being rushed.   The only way to have avoided that was to keep enough U.S. troops there to prevent a panic during the evacuation, but if you're keeping that many troops there, then you're really not withdrawing at all.

[mystery-ak]

CNN: Officials Saying They Came up with Afghanistan Evacuation Plans ‘From Scratch’ Contradict Biden Admin.’s Claims

Ian Hanchett 5 Apr 2024

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood discussed her report on transcripts of congressional testimony by State Department officials John Bass, James DeHart, and Jayne Howell where DeHart said that tactical operations to get important people to the airport were created “from scratch” and the Bass said that the evacuation “substantially exceeded…the scope and scale of what had been contemplated.” And noted that the descriptions contradict the rosier picture of the evacuation painted by the Biden administration.

Atwood said, “The chaos on the ground after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a reflection of the chaos behind the scenes from the State Department. … The officials painted a tumultuous picture of the evacuation, one testifying, ‘[W]e had to…create from scratch tactical operations that would get our priority people into the airport.’ He added, ‘[W]e were roughly as effective as we could be under the circumstances.’ Another saying he was never briefed on an established evacuation plan because, ‘we were already in the midst of executing an evacuation that substantially exceeded…the scope and scale of what had been contemplated.'”

She added, “Those descriptions a far cry from what the State Department said at the time.”

more
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/04/05/cnn-officials-saying-they-came-up-with-afghanistan-evacuation-plans-from-scratch-contradict-biden-admin-s-claims/

[Fishrrman]

I doubt there was much in the way of planning by the "administration".

As things started to crumble and fall apart, the only "plan" was "get us the hell out of here!"

At least the military on the ground held out and did the best they could...

[Timber Rattler]

THIS...is somewhat important too.

Sam Aronson, who served as a consular volunteer during the operation, said [Ambassador] Wilson acted as little more than the “public face of this evacuation, while, behind the scenes, you know, behind the curtain, was John Bass actually leading the evacuation.”

“He seemed overwhelmed,” Aronson added of Wilson. “His physical health did not seem great. His emotional health also did not seem great. And I did not get the vibe that he was a strong leader, or, at least at the time I was there, I do not believe he was exhibiting strong leadership.”

“State Department leadership sent in the correct officials to get the job done, but they were not able to necessarily remove the incorrect officials who were already in place,” he added.