HR McMaster, has criticized the “capitulation agreement” reached with the Taliban by the Trump administration

[Rogue Valley]

CNN Briefs

8/17/21
HR McMaster, Donald Trump’s second national security adviser, has criticized the “capitulation agreement” reached with the Taliban by the Trump administration – but also its implementation by the Biden administration, leading to the fall of the Afghan government and chaotic scenes in Kabul. “The Taliban violated this so-called agreement,” McMaster told NBC on Tuesday. “It was an agreement between us and the Taliban that was embarrassing. It was basically, you know, ‘If you don’t fire on us, we will not take action against you.’ And so we left kind of our Afghan allies hanging. “We did conduct some strikes during that period of time … but I think what is really heartbreaking about this is we abandon[ed] our allies and we actually empowered the Taliban on our way out, on the idea that we would have to adhere to an agreement that the Taliban was breaking. “Remember, after we signed that capitulation agreement, the Taliban intensified an assassination campaign, killing journalists, killing any women political leaders and judges, bombing, you know, girls’ schools, attacking a maternity hospital. I mean, do we really think that the Taliban was adhering to the agreement? Of course they weren’t. And we’ve seen that in dramatic fashion now.

McMaster, an army general celebrated for his roles in the Gulf and Iraq wars who also deployed to Afghanistan, was national security adviser in 2017 and 2018, before Trump fired him. He is now a member of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. “Telling them that we’re going to withdraw, making concession after concession with the Taliban, not even allowing the Afghan government to participate in what became our capitulation agreement with the Taliban. You know, forcing the Afghanistan government to release 5,000 of the some of the most heinous people on Earth who immediately went back to terrorizing the Afghan people.” All that, he said, meant the rapid fall of Afghanistan “should not have come as a surprise at all”.

McMaster is correct. The Taliban began a murderous campaign against the Afghan people before the ink had dried on the late February 2020 US/Taliban deal signed by the Trump administration. Always seeking personal gain above all else, Trump wanted an Afghan "peace agreement" in his back pocket before the November 2020 US election. The Trump administration didn't care about all the Afghan corpses because the Taliban were leaving US soldiers alone during their murder campaign. The Talibs knew the Trump administration would seek to avoid conflict with them no matter the provocation. During this period, the Taliban planned rapid assaults on the provincial and regional capital cities as the US departed. The Taliban were also assisted by intelligence from the Russian GRU, the Pakistani ISI, and China's MSS.

This is the mess Joe Biden inherited. In addition, the Trump administration offered no assistance whatsoever to the new incoming administration during the presidential transition period. That said, Biden owns what has enfolded in Afghanistan during the past two weeks. The internal blame game is going on now between the administration, the US intelligence community, the Pentagon brass, and the State Department. The Biden administration knew this catastrophe could happen, but considered it unlikely. Still, they should have had contingency plans in place for a worst-case scenario. They say they were prepared, but I call BS. If they had been prepared for everything, evacuating Kabul wouldn't resemble the infamous Saigon exit. Heads should roll in Washington. And Biden has been hiding out at Camp David as this unfolds while VP Harris was hobnobbing in Singapore and Vietnam. Bad optics for both.

‘They were sitting on their hands’: Insiders say Biden’s team wasted precious time on evacuating Afghans

“If you want excuses, there are plenty to choose from, but they’ll be little comfort to the dead,” a State Department official said.

www.politico.com

 

[Lutherf]

I think this is a key point that needs to be made. Everything that went wrong with Afghanistan can and should be tied directly back to Donald Trump, the Trump family and the people that supported him either directly or indirectly through their silence. America can no longer tolerate the incompetence, hatred and pure stupidity that Trump brought the world.

Now with that out of the way, I sure feel better about my life and the life of every other citizen of this planet. Knowing that I have no responsibility for anything and that all ills are purely and completely the fault of Donald Trump, a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I finally understand freedom and an confident that in the coming days the Democrats will bring me my food, care for my illnesses, shelter me from heat, cold and damp, and bring joy to my every waking moment. I am equally comfortable in knowing that the people of Afghanistan will soon know that same freedom.

 

[NWRatCon]

This is the mess Joe Biden inherited. In addition, the Trump administration offered no assistance whatsoever to the new incoming administration during the presidential transition period. That said, Biden owns what has enfolded in Afghanistan during the past two weeks. The internal blame game is going on now between the administration, the US intelligence community, the Pentagon brass, and the State Department. The Biden administration knew this catastrophe could happen, but considered it unlikely. Still, they should have had contingency plans in place for a worst-case scenario. They say they were prepared, but I call BS. If they had been prepared for everything, evacuating Kabul wouldn't resemble the infamous Saigon exit. Heads should roll in Washington.

I agree with the entire post, and McMasters' take, but I wanted to highlight this portion. I would have done it differently. We were right to go in, we are right to leave. It was the parts in between that were seriously botched.

 

[roughdraft274]

I think this is a key point that needs to be made. Everything that went wrong with Afghanistan can and should be tied directly back to Donald Trump, the Trump family and the people that supported him either directly or indirectly through their silence. America can no longer tolerate the incompetence, hatred and pure stupidity that Trump brought the world.

Now with that out of the way, I sure feel better about my life and the life of every other citizen of this planet. Knowing that I have no responsibility for anything and that all ills are purely and completely the fault of Donald Trump, a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I finally understand freedom and an confident that in the coming days the Democrats will bring me my food, care for my illnesses, shelter me from heat, cold and damp, and bring joy to my every waking moment. I am equally comfortable in knowing that the people of Afghanistan will soon know that same freedom.

 

[Rogue Valley]

I think this is a key point that needs to be made. Everything that went wrong with Afghanistan can and should be tied directly back to Donald Trump, the Trump family and the people that supported him either directly or indirectly through their silence. America can no longer tolerate the incompetence, hatred and pure stupidity that Trump brought the world.

Now with that out of the way, I sure feel better about my life and the life of every other citizen of this planet. Knowing that I have no responsibility for anything and that all ills are purely and completely the fault of Donald Trump, a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I finally understand freedom and an confident that in the coming days the Democrats will bring me my food, care for my illnesses, shelter me from heat, cold and damp, and bring joy to my every waking moment. I am equally comfortable in knowing that the people of Afghanistan will soon know that same freedom.

You've defended Trump tirelessly since 2016. Nice satire though.

 

[Lutherf]

You've defended Trump tirelessly since 2016. Nice satire though.

Yeah? Do you REALLY believe that every one of you that's been sucking up Democrat propaganda like it's oxygen for the past 15 years will catch that satire or will you all just scratch your heads wondering why you didn't come up with the plan first.


Let me be really clear about what happened in Afghanistan over the past couple of months. The Joe Biden, Democratic think tank, propagandist assholes that figured merely opposing Trump and undoing everything he did was some kind of "mandate" was proved to be the incompetent, short sighted, witless douchebags that they actually are. The Democrats and their supporters proved to the whole ****ing world that America is utterly useless, and probably an outright liability, as an ally. They proved that America is all about American political optics and preservation of the American political class no matter what the fallout for those that the political class built their careers on.

 

[Rexedgar]

Yeah? Do you REALLY believe that every one of you that's been sucking up Democrat propaganda like it's oxygen for the past 15 years will catch that satire or will you all just scratch your heads wondering why you didn't come up with the plan first.


Let me be really clear about what happened in Afghanistan over the past couple of months. The Joe Biden, Democratic think tank, propagandist assholes that figured merely opposing Trump and undoing everything he did was some kind of "mandate" was proved to be the incompetent, short sighted, witless douchebags that they actually are. The Democrats and their supporters proved to the whole ****ing world that America is utterly useless, and probably an outright liability, as an ally. They proved that America is all about American political optics and preservation of the American political class no matter what the fallout for those that the political class built their careers on.

Biden screwed the pooch and the execution of the US withdrawal falls squarely on his administration.

Where was the transition cooperation between the incoming and outgoing administrations? Oh, that’s right, Trump was stamping his feet and holding his breath trying to overturn the 2020 election results. How many meetings were there?

As to undoing the prior administration’s policies……https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/04/23/trump-obama-foreign-policy-226708

 

[mrjurrs]

I agree with the entire post, and McMasters' take, but I wanted to highlight this portion. I would have done it differently. We were right to go in, we are right to leave. It was the parts in between that were seriously botched.

I am sick to death of the brass's takes. They've never wanted any deployment to end, it seems like they are doing their best to create job security not national security. It was the military that trained and equipped the Afghan Army, how come they never said it was so weak?

 

[Mr Person]

I think this is a key point that needs to be made. Everything that went wrong with Afghanistan can and should be tied directly back to Donald Trump, the Trump family and the people that supported him either directly or indirectly through their silence. America can no longer tolerate the incompetence, hatred and pure stupidity that Trump brought the world.

Now with that out of the way, I sure feel better about my life and the life of every other citizen of this planet. Knowing that I have no responsibility for anything and that all ills are purely and completely the fault of Donald Trump, a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I finally understand freedom and an confident that in the coming days the Democrats will bring me my food, care for my illnesses, shelter me from heat, cold and damp, and bring joy to my every waking moment. I am equally comfortable in knowing that the people of Afghanistan will soon know that same freedom.

^^
You gotta love it that on a board full of lefties rightly criticizing Biden for yanking troops before we got all the others out and the current resulting crisis, he's still so dead set on following his orders to attack the left that he'll simply ignore what they say and make some shit up to attack.

As if...what...you either have to fully support or fully defend someone? Loyalty to Master?



The fact that you finally have a little something to attack Biden for doesn't make Trump's or anyone else's blunders re: Afghanistan any less blundery

 

[Fletch]

CNN Briefs




McMaster is correct. The Taliban began a murderous campaign against the Afghan people before the ink had dried on the late February 2020 US/Taliban deal signed by the Trump administration. Always seeking personal gain above all else, Trump wanted an Afghan "peace agreement" in his back pocket before the November 2020 US election. The Trump administration didn't care about all the Afghan corpses because the Taliban were leaving US soldiers alone during their murder campaign. The Talibs knew the Trump administration would seek to avoid conflict with them no matter the provocation. During this period, the Taliban planned rapid assaults on the provincial and regional capital cities as the US departed. The Taliban were also assisted by intelligence from the Russian GRU, the Pakistani ISI, and China's MSS.

This is the mess Joe Biden inherited. In addition, the Trump administration offered no assistance whatsoever to the new incoming administration during the presidential transition period. That said, Biden owns what has enfolded in Afghanistan during the past two weeks. The internal blame game is going on now between the administration, the US intelligence community, the Pentagon brass, and the State Department. The Biden administration knew this catastrophe could happen, but considered it unlikely. Still, they should have had contingency plans in place for a worst-case scenario. They say they were prepared, but I call BS. If they had been prepared for everything, evacuating Kabul wouldn't resemble the infamous Saigon exit. Heads should roll in Washington. And Biden has been hiding out at Camp David as this unfolds while VP Harris was hobnobbing in Singapore and Vietnam. Bad optics for both.

‘They were sitting on their hands’: Insiders say Biden’s team wasted precious time on evacuating Afghans

“If you want excuses, there are plenty to choose from, but they’ll be little comfort to the dead,” a State Department official said.

www.politico.com

Biden spent his first month in office signing EO's to overturn everything Trump did. Except this. Why is that? The great Joe Biden, the master of foreign policy with 50 years of experience took one look at this withdrawl and jumped on board. Biden F'ed this up. Not Trump.

 

[Fletch]

^^
You gotta love it that on a board full of lefties rightly criticizing Biden for yanking troops before we got all the others out and the current resulting crisis, he's still so dead set on following his orders to attack the left that he'll simply ignore what they say and make some shit up to attack.

As if...what...you either have to fully support or fully defend someone? Loyalty to Master?



The fact that you finally have a little something to attack Biden for doesn't make Trump's or anyone else's blunders re: Afghanistan any less blundery

You didnt read the OP did you...

 

[NWRatCon]

I am sick to death of the brass's takes. They've never wanted any deployment to end, it seems like they are doing their best to create job security not national security. It was the military that trained and equipped the Afghan Army, how come they never said it was so weak?

We actually don't know that they didn't. Deployments are political decisions, not military ones. I have attended these briefings. Commanders rarely - very rarely - recommend deployments, and very rarely resist withdrawals. But once in, they want to be effective. And when withdrawing (again, a political decision), they want to take into consideration second and third order effects. We are seeing those in living color (NEOs -Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations - power vacuums, loss of equipment, change in regional balances of power, diplomatic considerations, etc.). Ending a deployment has ramifications. That's the real world.

 

[jnug]

McMaster sure as shit is correct.

 

[Lutherf]

Biden screwed the pooch and the execution of the US withdrawal falls squarely on his administration.

Where was the transition cooperation between the incoming and outgoing administrations? Oh, that’s right, Trump was stamping his feet and holding his breath trying to overturn the 2020 election results. How many meetings were there?

As to undoing the prior administration’s policies……https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/04/23/trump-obama-foreign-policy-226708

Cooperation in the transition? Seriously? The whole Democrat platform was "**** Trump!". What cooperation would you have accepted? If Trump and his people told you today was Tuesday you'd go running off to CNN just to get the message out that it was actually Friday and Trump lied again.

 

[Integrityrespec]

CNN Briefs




McMaster is correct. The Taliban began a murderous campaign against the Afghan people before the ink had dried on the late February 2020 US/Taliban deal signed by the Trump administration. Always seeking personal gain above all else, Trump wanted an Afghan "peace agreement" in his back pocket before the November 2020 US election. The Trump administration didn't care about all the Afghan corpses because the Taliban were leaving US soldiers alone during their murder campaign. The Talibs knew the Trump administration would seek to avoid conflict with them no matter the provocation. During this period, the Taliban planned rapid assaults on the provincial and regional capital cities as the US departed. The Taliban were also assisted by intelligence from the Russian GRU, the Pakistani ISI, and China's MSS.

This is the mess Joe Biden inherited. In addition, the Trump administration offered no assistance whatsoever to the new incoming administration during the presidential transition period. That said, Biden owns what has enfolded in Afghanistan during the past two weeks. The internal blame game is going on now between the administration, the US intelligence community, the Pentagon brass, and the State Department. The Biden administration knew this catastrophe could happen, but considered it unlikely. Still, they should have had contingency plans in place for a worst-case scenario. They say they were prepared, but I call BS. If they had been prepared for everything, evacuating Kabul wouldn't resemble the infamous Saigon exit. Heads should roll in Washington. And Biden has been hiding out at Camp David as this unfolds while VP Harris was hobnobbing in Singapore and Vietnam. Bad optics for both.

‘They were sitting on their hands’: Insiders say Biden’s team wasted precious time on evacuating Afghans

“If you want excuses, there are plenty to choose from, but they’ll be little comfort to the dead,” a State Department official said.

www.politico.com

McMaster forgot to include that the original agreement formed by the Trump administration required that the Taliban disarm, participate in meetings with the Afghan government and form a coalition government.

 

[mrjurrs]

We actually don't know that they didn't. Deployments are political decisions, not military ones. I have attended these briefings. Commanders rarely - very rarely - recommend deployments, and very rarely resist withdrawals. But once in, they want to be effective. And when withdrawing (again, a political decision), they want to take into consideration second and third order effects. We are seeing those in living color (NEOs -Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations - power vacuums, loss of equipment, change in regional balances of power, diplomatic considerations, etc.). Ending a deployment has ramifications. That's the real world.

I'm not talking about starting deployments, I'm talking about ending deployments. In McMasters case, he is still advocating retaining a force in Afghanistan.

We should have been out the week we killed obl. The resulting Taliban takeover, which almost certainly would have occurred, would be over.

Real world? We've got way bigger national security concerns than Afghanistan.

 

[Lisa]

I agree with the entire post, and McMasters' take, but I wanted to highlight this portion. I would have done it differently. We were right to go in, we are right to leave. It was the parts in between that were seriously botched.

Geo.W.Bush and Cheney got us involved in an unwinnable war in Afghanistan in October of 2001 and Trump bungled any chance of a stable exist or future for the people of Afghanistan, so Biden did what he could do and got us out of a war that we could not win and a country that is very unstable. I would have liked to see a stabilizing force of UN peacekeepers put there for 1-2 years so the government had a chance and may people could leave, but even then there is little else that could be done. The next question is what will happen to the people of Afghanistan(grim) and the country will descend into chaos and the cycle will begin again. Violence will spread to Iran and Pakistan and maybe Russia once again will be forced to intervene to maintain regional stability.

Religious fundamentalism is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Rexedgar]

Cooperation in the transition? Seriously? The whole Democrat platform was "**** Trump!". What cooperation would you have accepted? If Trump and his people told you today was Tuesday you'd go running off to CNN just to get the message out that it was actually Friday and Trump lied again.

What other outgoing President “needed some time” to accept defeat?

Trump needs ‘time’ to process loss, Top Republican says

The former GOP senator also said Democrats should tone down their rhetoric

www.independent.co.uk

By all means, had Trump been at the rudder, this would all have been so smooth……….

 

[Lutherf]

What other outgoing President “needed some time” to accept defeat?

Trump needs ‘time’ to process loss, Top Republican says

The former GOP senator also said Democrats should tone down their rhetoric

www.independent.co.uk

By all means, had Trump been at the rudder, this would all have been so smooth……….

Hmm....Clinton and the NeverTrumpers needed 3 years of Mueller and then, after they got his report, needed another year to explain how the investigation actually proved everything that it said didn't happen.

 

[Rexedgar]

Hmm....Clinton and the NeverTrumpers needed 3 years of Mueller and then, after they got his report, needed another year to explain how the investigation actually proved everything that it said didn't happen.

Is that a ‘straw man’ or a ‘red herring?’….

 

[NWRatCon]

What other outgoing President “needed some time” to accept defeat?

By all means, had Trump been at the rudder, this would all have been so smooth……….

I shudder to think ..

 

[NWRatCon]

Is that a ‘straw man’ or a ‘red herring?’….

It's a new dish... Herring a la Trump.

 

[Common Sense 1]

Biden spent his first month in office signing EO's to overturn everything Trump did. Except this. Why is that? The great Joe Biden, the master of foreign policy with 50 years of experience took one look at this withdrawl and jumped on board. Biden F'ed this up. Not Trump.

Yup... That is the truth! Nice job Fletch!

Remember what Obama said about Biden

“Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f things up,” Obama was quoted as saying.

 

[Rogue Valley]

McMaster forgot to include that the original agreement formed by the Trump administration required that the Taliban disarm, participate in meetings with the Afghan government and form a coalition government.

The Taliban never did any such things and the Trump administration knew it but didn't care.

They just wanted a bumper sticker for November - Trump gets US troops out of Afghanistan

 

[joluoto]

Afghanistan is a fiasco by four succesive administrations. The Trump- Taliban love deal was an utter disaster, but all four administrations have to share the guilt of not finding a way to win the war on terror.