PITTSBURGH (Newsradio KDKA) - ‘It’s a mess, ain’t it, Sheriff?’ asks Deputy Wendell while surveying a desert murder scene. ‘If it ain’t, it’ll do till the mess gets here.’ responds Tommy Lee Jones’ character in ’No Country For Old Men.’
Unfortunately, that line bounced through my brain a lot last week as I read the latest updates of our hideously botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The scenes from this past week have been absolutely horrifying: The fall of Kabul. The erratic US exit of a 20-year war. Thousands of civilians running on an airport tarmac, some getting crushed under the wheels of cargo planes as they quickly took off or others falling off - losing their grip as their final opportunity at a new life climbed into the air. These are some of the images of the failing idea of democracy in Afghanistan. President Biden told the world that he was clear-eyed on this whole mess - that the buck stopped with him - as he blamed everyone else.
Among the images that were widely circulated was a photograph of the interior of a cargo plane. It was packed with people heading for somewhere, anywhere - just never back to that speck of chaotic, deadly real estate below.
Ultimately, many will be settled in the United States. Three military bases - Ft. Bliss (Texas), Ft. McCoy (Wisconsin), and Ft. Lee (Virginia) are preparing to take at least 30,000 Afghani refugees or evacuees. These are hopefully the helpers that assisted our military mission at times over 2 decades. Many were promised ‘America’ for their service. Ultimately, when you factor in their immediate family members, the numbers will be much higher - maybe 100,000+.
Look at the desperate images inside those cargo planes and on the tarmac: Are these the faces of people who helped us? Are some of these folks the double-crossers who planted IED’s against their American employer? Are all of these people being properly vetted? Most of them do not have any documentation. They simply fled.
For now, they are being flown to bases in Qatar, Bahrain, and Germany where their identities are intended to be sorted out. For only the third time in history, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the mobilization of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to aid in evacuation efforts. Six commercial airlines will help move people from various parts of Afghanistan to the interim staging bases, according to the Pentagon.
Once vetted in some form or fashion, many will reportedly board planes for Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia where they will be vaccinated against Covid-19 before their next step towards resettlement.
The images are heart-wrenching. Anyone who wants to come to the United States ‘for good’ because they were trying to set up democracy and believe in our ideals should be welcome. For some, It was part of the promise our government made in exchange for their assistance. But others may be coming ‘for bad.’
The Biden Administration claims these people, now stuck between nations, are being properly vetted before getting on those planes. Do we hope that every single one of them is the next Thomas Jefferson or Henry Kissinger or Booker T. Washington? Yes. But, unfortunately, there may also be a few like Khairullah Khairkhwa, who once reportedly intended to work as a CIA informant before fleeing into Pakistan. He remains a top Taliban commander.
In 2014, Khairkhwa and 4 others being held at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba were quickly traded for US Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl by President Obama. It was reported at the time that, as part of their release, the 5 promised to never indulge in active politics again. Time magazine reported that the 5 would live in ‘air-conditioned obscurity’ in Qatar for the remainder of their lives.
Those rosy proclamations did not last long. Within 3 years, the five that US Intelligence labelled ‘the hardest of the hardcore’ ended up joining the Taliban’s political office based in Qatar. They were among the terror network’s representatives attempting to make deals with the Trump and Biden administrations regarding Afghanistan. They also reportedly helped reunite insurgents. A spokesman for the Taliban has said that the organization will be more inclusive and tolerant this time around. Some media outlets and folks at the UN want to believe them. Do you?
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called the US withdrawal ‘imbecilic,’ stating that “The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours.”
Norbert Roettgen, chair of German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee calls the US withdrawal ‘a catastrophe.’ He stated that, “It’s a moral failure of the West - and the geopolitical consequences are still difficult to discern. It’s a breaking point.”
Fearing for Europe’s security in light of the abrupt and chaotic American exit, Johann Wadephul, a caucus leader in Berlin said, “We have to acknowledge that the United States will no longer be the policeman of the world.”
So, I ask the question: After 20 years of blood and treasure, did we export America’s ideals and democracy or are we importing the Afghanistan horror show? I guess time will tell.
Kevin Battle is Co-Host of the KDKA Radio Morning Show with Larry Richert. It airs M-F 5a-9a on Pittsburgh’s 100.1FM & AM1020 KDKA or on the free Audacy app. Ask your smartspeaker to: ‘Play KDKA.’