There's some very brave and capable Afghan special forces units and soldiers.

But if Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance of the Taliban now,

there is no chance that one year, one more year, five more years, or 20 more years,

the U.S. military boots in the ground would have made any

difference.

Here's what I believe to my core.

It is wrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan's own armed forces would not.

President Biden, more adamant than ever, that America's sustained military mission in Afghanistan is over.

We'll be joined this morning by a top voice at the Defense Department when Pentagon spokesman John Kirby joins us as chaos grips a country now ruled by

the Taliban. Plus, new developments overnight in the fight against COVID, the Biden administration

has decided that most Americans should get a booster vaccination. Eight months after they received

their second shot, we'll have the details on that just ahead.

Good morning, and welcome to morning, Joe. It is Tuesday, August 17th. And we're going to begin this morning with the chaotic scenes from Kabul's International Airport, where thousands of Afghans surrounded planes in a desperate

attempt to escape Taliban control. NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel has the latest

from Kabul. Tens of thousands of Afghans swarmed into Kabul airport, desperate to leave at any price. They burst through security,

climbed over walls, and spilled onto the tarmac, searching for any airplane that would take

them far away from Afghanistan, away from the Taliban. So many managed to cram into one plane, the pilot refused to take off.

People on board refused to disembark.

But it was across a barbed wire divide where it turned really ugly.

On the military side of the airport, American troops trying to evacuate U.S. embassy staff

found themselves overwhelmed,

suddenly battling crowds, firing warning shots.

...