A disastrous American exit

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 August 2021

⏱️ ? minutes

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Summary

As the United States left Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, the Taliban seized control of the country in a matter of weeks. President Biden defended the withdrawal Monday afternoon while Americans and vulnerable allies remained in limbo in Kabul.

The Taliban seized the Afghan capital Kabul Sunday morning, restoring the insurgent group’s grip over Afghanistan after they were removed from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001, and kept at bay for about two decades during America’s longest war.

Kabul bureau chief Susannah George explains what it’s like to be in the city in such a dramatic moment of transition. “Once the Taliban took over Kabul, the security forces in the entire city melted away overnight,” she says.

Meanwhile in Washington, Pentagon reporter Dan Lamothe on the military calculus for withdrawing from Afghanistan, and the efforts to safely resume evacuations.

With the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, we want to hear from veterans or anyone who was involved in the war effort — whether you’re American, Afghan or served in the coalition. If you had friends or family members serve, we’d also like to hear your perspective on how the war affected you. Tell us your stories.

Transcript

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0:00.0	On Monday morning, Americans woke up to a horrific scene unfolding at the Kabul airport.
0:15.4	Desperate people surrounded planes as they tried to take off begging to be let on board.
0:22.6	Crowds tried to block the runway, clinging onto the side of a U.S. military plane as it started
0:27.7	moving.
0:28.7	A video showed what appears to be someone falling from the air as a plane takes off.
0:35.6	All in a frantic attempt to escape Afghanistan.
0:42.3	From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports.
0:45.5	I'm Martin Powers.
0:47.5	It's Monday, August 16th.
0:56.9	Kabul has fallen.
0:58.8	The Taliban has taken control of the capital.
1:01.7	The Afghan president has fled.
1:03.5	And more U.S. forces are being sent in to protect the airport and evacuate foreign citizens
1:08.4	and Afghan allies.
1:10.3	Later on the show, we'll hear how the Biden administration is trying to salvage this crisis.
1:14.9	I am president of the United States of America.
1:19.4	The buck stops with me.
1:21.8	But first, we take you on the ground in Kabul where we're seeing those heart-wrenching
1:25.9	scenes of desperation.
1:33.1	What happened today at the airport is very different from the kind of worst-case scenarios
1:38.5	that people were fearing in the lead up to the end of the U.S. trip control.
1:45.3	In that, I don't know if you guys can hear that in the background.
	...

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