(2021-08-18). Afghanistan: Longest US War Continues to a New Stage. dissidentvoice.org The longest of the United States' "forever wars" in Afghanistan was supposed to end August 31 after President Biden extended his predecessor's withdrawal date from May of this year. But what will be ending is not clear; certainly not the imperial mission of the world's superpower. If the US determines that it cannot impose its …
(2021-08-18). Political recovery is already visible in Afghanistan. asiatimes.com 
The explosion of life is unstoppable. The first buds were sprouting no sooner than Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul on Sunday, without telling anyone, carrying a massive loot of ill-gotten wealth stolen from his people. And the green shoots of political recovery are appearing. Tense and urgent care is needed. The region is rallying. Pakistan has taken …
(2021-08-18). US Senator's tweet over Taiwan provokes Chinese threats of war. wsws.org The US debacle in Afghanistan has brought forth panicked calls in Washington for the US to shore up its prestige internationally by aggressively backing its allies and confronting its rivals—chiefly China.
(2021-08-18). The U.S. and Afghanistan: Exit the paper tiger. fightbacknews.org The images are searing. Helicopters ferrying diplomatic personnel from the U.S. Embassy while plumes of black smoke billow from the building. Taliban fighters with heavy artillery parade through the thoroughfares of provincial capitals. The International Airport, still under U.S. control, is in chaos as collaborators try storm planes to flee the country. In the space of a few weeks the puppet government collapsed, and its figureheads have vanished. The decades of occupation have come to an end. Those that fought to end it now sit at the former president's desk. | The U.S.-led occupation of Afghanistan was never…
(2021-08-18). Afghanistan: Mirage Of The Good War. popularresistance.org Rarely has there been such an enthusiastic display of international unity as that which greeted the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Support for the war was universal in the chanceries of the West, even before its aims and parameters had been declared. nato governments rushed to assert themselves 'all for one'. Blair jetted round the world, proselytizing the 'doctrine of the international community' and the opportunities for peace-keeping and nation-building in the Hindu Kush. Putin welcomed the extension of American bases along Russia's southern borders. Every mainstream Western party endorsed the war; every med…
(2021-08-18). UK Gov't Pledge to Resettle 20,000 Afghans Slammed as 'Not Meeting the Scale of the Challenge'. sputniknews.com The UK Parliament is being recalled from summer recess for Wednesday's debate on a response to the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban capitalized on the withdrawal of US and NATO troops to carry out a lightning-fast advance. As the Islamist militant group entered the capital Kabul, Western nations stepped up evacuations from the country.
(2021-08-18). Afghanistan and the defeat of the US military. greenleft.org.au The US "war on terror" was portrayed as a just response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist atrocity, writes Rupen Savoulian. This rationale stands exposed as utterly hypocritical.
(2021-08-18). Afghanistan only the latest US war to be driven by deceit and delusion. juancole.com 
By Gordon Adams | — In Afghanistan, American hubris — the United States' capacity for self-delusion and official lying — has struck once again, as it has repeatedly for the last 60 years. This weakness-masquerading-as-strength has repeatedly led the country into failed foreign interventions. The pattern first became clear to me when I learned on …
(2021-08-18). UK will only accept 5,000 Afghan refugees this year, as Home Secretary Patel urges other nations to share burden. rt.com 
The UK government is ready to take up to 20,000 Afghan refugees over five years — but only 5,000 in the next 12 months — as London calls on other countries to assist relocation efforts following a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
(2021-08-18). Why did a military superpower fail in Afghanistan? nationofchange.org This external approach, based on military occupation, to promote democracy in occupied foreign countries was "doomed to fail."
(2021-08-18). Facebook Censorship Police Nix Anything Related To New Taliban Government Of Afghanistan. moguldom.com Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan following the July 6 drawdown of U.S. military troops, social media platforms have been struggling with how to handle content about the new government. Anything Taliban-related is becoming a no-no on Facebook. The Taliban is considered by most other governments to be an oppressive regime, especially toward women. A Facebook executive said the …
(2021-08-18). Fall of US puppet regime in Afghanistan staggers French government. wsws.org In an emergency prime-time national address, President Macron defended French involvement in the war, which was overwhelmingly opposed by the French people.
(2021-08-18). Talibanned? Social media wrangles with accounts deemed 'terrorist' as Taliban returns to power in Afghanistan. rt.com 
YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have come down on opposing sides of the free speech debate, for once unable to agree upon whether to ban the Taliban as a 'controversial' entity, after the Islamic group took over Afghanistan. | Facebook, which claims it has blacklisted Taliban-linked groups under its "dangerous organizations policy" for "years" due to US Treasury Department sanctions, does not plan to alter its approach now, a spokesperson declared on Tuesday. Instead, Facebook will defer to the "authority of the international community." | This policy holds for its subsidiary corporations Instagram and WhatsApp…
(2021-08-18). Turkey in talks with U.S., NATO to keep troops in Afghanistan. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkey takes necessary measures for safety of troops in Kabul: Minister Turkey has around 600 troops deployed at the airport….Turkey is continuing talks with the United States and other NATO countries about the management of the airport, Akar said, reiterating Turkey's will to continue its mission.
(2021-08-18). Biden Is Right to End the War in Afghanistan. otherwords.org The scenes from Afghanistan are heartrending. | I can't imagine the desperation of someone who clings to a military airplane as it takes off, as Afghan refugees attempted to in Kabul. Nor is it possible to dismiss the fears of Afghan women, as a faction that once executed them for seeking jobs or education comes back to power. | But in light of the precipitous collapse of the country's 300,000-man army and political leadership, it's also impossible to dismiss President Biden's conclusion that the war was never going to be winnable. | "If Afghanistan is unable to mount any real resistance to the Taliban now," Bide…
(2021-08-18). An Afghanistan Apportionment. counterpunch.org American media and other politicians, and the people they pay to say things, are locked up tight with the demise in Afghanistan. How could anyone let this happen? Who's to blame for these precipitous — they claim — events? What awful chaos at the airport! The answers are as vacuous as the questions. Two decades of American sacrifice was too few years for them.
(2021-08-18). "There is No Military Solution." Time to Get Real About It. counterpunch.org "There is no military solution to the conflict." That was the conclusion reached by the Biden administration earlier this year, which set into motion the plans for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of August. Nearing the termination of this process, in a few short days we witnessed the collapse
(2021-08-18). An Afghan socialist talks occupation, war, and the future facing his country. peoplesworld.org 
The following interview is with an activist described as "a comrade of the Left from Afghanistan" whose name, for safety reasons, was withheld from publication. It first appeared in the Communist Party of Britain's International Bulletin. It has been edited for clarity and length. Some of the questions concern the "current government of Afghanistan"—a government …
(2021-08-18). Afghanistan's "Color Revolution": Who Is Ali Ahmad Jalali? globalresearch.ca "Regime …
(2021-08-18). In OtherWords: August 18, 2021. otherwords.org The rapid collapse of Afghanistan's government was harrowing, but not surprising. | This week in OtherWords, I argue that President Biden is right to stand by his decision to end the war — but wrong to place all the blame for its failure on Afghans. The U.S. has been at war in the country for not just two decades, but nearly four. More war won't clean up the mess we made, but we must still help the ordinary Afghans living with the consequences. | On the domestic front, Rebekah Entralgo looks again at the federal infrastructure package and argues that it needs to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocume…
(2021-08-18). Six Things You Need to Know About Afghanistan and the Taliban. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-18). The Return Of The Taliban 20 Years Later. popularresistance.org In recent years, the United States has failed to accomplish any of the objectives of its wars. The US entered Afghanistan with horrendous bombing and a lawless campaign of extraordinary rendition in October 2001 with the objective of ejecting the Taliban from the country; now, 20 years later, the Taliban is back. In 2003, two years after the US unleashed a war in Afghanistan, it opened an illegal war against Iraq, which ultimately resulted in an unconditional withdrawal of the United States in 2011 after the refusal by the Iraqi parliament to allow US troops extralegal protections. As the US withdrew from Iraq, i…
(2021-08-18). US Government Lied For Two Decades About Afghanistan. popularresistance.org "The Taliban regime is coming to an end," announced President George W. Bush at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on December 12, 2001 — almost twenty years ago today. Five months later, Bush vowed: "In the United States of America, the terrorists have chosen a foe unlike they have faced before. . . . We will stay until the mission is done." Four years after that, in August of 2006, Bush announced: "Al Qaeda and the Taliban lost a coveted base in Afghanistan and they know they will never reclaim it when democracy succeeds. . . . The days of the Taliban are over. The future of Afghanistan belongs to t…
(2021-08-18). Cable Anchors on the Afghan Withdrawel. counterpunch.org All the cable anchors join in depicting the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (which is to say, the defeat of the U.S. in the war) as a tragedy. Is it not heartbreaking that the U.S. spent $800 billion in military expenditures in Afghanistan during the war, and another $200,000 billion in Pakistan? And that it spent
(2021-08-18). Afghanistan: So What Do the Filthy Commie Peaceniks Say Now? dissidentvoice.org 
Afghan villagers stand over bodies of civilians during a protest in the city of Ghazni, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2019. An airstrike by U.S.-led forces in eastern Afghanistan killed at least five civilians. (AP Photo/Rahmatullah Nikzad) So, people get hurt when you stop waging wars, and peace is dangerous, and . . . …
(2021-08-18). Fact Check: Rep. Barbara Lee Was Only Member Of Congress To Vote No On Military Authorization In Afghanistan. moguldom.com Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA 13th District) was the only member of Congress to vote against the war in Afghanistan and for doing so, she was called a traitor. On Sept. 14, 2001, three days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the U.S., the California Democrat cast the lone "no" vote against giving President George …
(2021-08-18). Russian General Shpak: The Whole World is Watching how Shamelessly the US Abandons its Allies. orinocotribune.com On Monday, August 16, Russian General Georgy Shpak commented on the shameless and ruthless way in which the United States "dumps its allies." He made this comment in regard to the recent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban after the withdrawal of US troops. | In an interview with Russian news agency RT, Colonel Shpak addressed the recent events in Afghanistan, a country mired in despair after the sudden takeover by the Taliban, just after US forces withdrew from Afghan territory in defeat, after 20 years of unsuccessful occupation. | General Shpak, a veteran of the Afghan-Soviet war (1979), stated that "the wh…
(2021-08-18). What Israel hopes to gain from America's Afghan disaster. electronicintifada.net Bennett may push Biden for more belligerence towards Iran.
(2021-08-18). Advocates Call on Biden Admin to Move Faster on Resettling Afghan Refugees. democracynow.org 
President Joe Biden has allocated $500 million in new funds for relocating Afghan refugees following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The U.S. had already vowed to help evacuate over 80,000 Afghan civilians who qualify for special immigrant visas and face possible retribution from the Taliban, such as translators and interpreters for the U.S. military or NATO, but critics say the Biden administration needs to move faster and expand refugee resettlement from the country. There is already a backlog of more than 17,000 Afghan nationals and 53,000 of their family members awaiting visa approval. "This entire backl…
(2021-08-18). The Spoils of War: Afghanistan's Multibillion Dollar Heroin Trade. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | Written by The article below was first published in 2005. Below is a detailed update followed by the original 2005 article. | Author's Note and Update | The US opioid crisis broadly def…
(2021-08-18). Ex-Official Matthew Hoh, Who Resigned over Afghan War, Says U.S. Mistakes Helped Taliban Gain Power. democracynow.org 
"The only thing more tragic than what's happened to the Afghan people is that in a few days America will have forgotten Afghanistan again," says Matthew Hoh, a disabled combat veteran and former State Department official stationed in Afghanistan's Zabul province who resigned in 2009 to protest the Obama administration's escalation of the War in Afghanistan. He says much of the U.S. media coverage has been filled with "complete lies and fabrications," despite decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. "You see the same people who've been wrong about this war trotted out over and over again," says Hoh, a senior fe…
(2021-08-18). Decades of Disaster: Biden Is Right to End the War in Afghanistan. commondreams.org "The stench of corruption wafting up from Louis DeJoy's office is so thick seagulls are flying in from the Jersey Shore and circling overhead."
(2021-08-18). GOP State Officials Take Step Toward Overseeing Elections in Georgia's Heavily Democratic Fulton County. commondreams.org Now our obligation is to those Afghans living with the consequences of our four decades of intervention.
(2021-08-18). Afghan debacle prompts bitter recriminations from UK military, Tories and Labour. wsws.org The failure of the US-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is an unmitigated disaster for the political, corporate and financial elite, which has relied on its "special relationship" with the US to assert its own imperialist interests in the world arena.
(2021-08-18). Washington's War in Afghanistan Is Over. What Happens Now? zcomm.org President Biden was right to withdraw US troops. But we should have no illusion that this will end the war for Afghans…
(2021-08-18). Advocates Urge Biden to Move Faster to Resettle Afghan Refugees. truthout.org 
President Joe Biden has allocated $500 million in new funds for relocating Afghan refugees following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The U.S. had already vowed to help evacuate over 80,000 Afghan civilians who qualify for special immigrant visas and face possible retribution from the Taliban, such as translators and interpreters for the U.S. military or NATO, but critics say the Biden administration needs to move faster and expand refugee resettlement from the country. There is already a backlog of more…
(2021-08-18). Lessons from Afghanistan: War is Only Good for Those who Profit from it. orinocotribune.com By Yves Engler — Aug 16, 2021 | With the Taliban quickly taking control of all major Afghan cities—including the capital, Kabul, and the presidential palace it houses—we should be asking: what was the point of all that bloodletting? | More than Canada's biggest military deployment since World War II, more t…
(2021-08-18). Malalai Joya: We need aid, not war machines. greenleft.org.au The situation in Afghanistan is critical, writes Malalai Joya. For ordinary people, especially for women, this means more suffering. Progressives are in more danger than ever.
(2021-08-18). Afghan-Australians call for peace, asylum. greenleft.org.au A passionate crowd of 1000 mostly Afghan-Australians and young people marched on Parliament House, calling for peace in Afghanistan. Anne McMenamin reports.
(2021-08-18). Afghanistan: A New Pivot in the Greater Middle East? globalresearch.ca First published on August …
(2021-08-18). Ashraf Ghani Settles In United Arab Emirates After Fleeing Afghanistan With Helicopter Full Of Cash. southfront.org 
By Patrick Tsui/FCO, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani attending the London Conference on Afghanistan on 4 December 2014. | On August 18, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it is currently hosting former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his family on "humanitarian grounds". | Ghani resigned and
(2021-08-18). Taliban 2.0: Claims Of Rights For Women, Free Media, No Terrorism. southfront.org 
| DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK : | MONERO (XMR): 884Bz8UH63aYsjVdkfWfScRYWZGGNbjFL7pztqvWNSrtYT4reFSwyvkCj9KEGUtheHhhMUj87c…
(2021-08-18). Defining Change: Who Are The Taliban That Conquered Afghanistan? southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Written by Having taken control, the Taliban want the world to believe that they have become more pragmatic and inclusive in the twenty years since they brutally ruled Afghanistan. Whether true or not, will be determined by the group's attitudes towards jihadists a…
(2021-08-18). Despite Taliban's assurance, Afghans remain skeptical of their future. peoplesdispatch.org Apprehensions and doubts remain even after Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that no one would be punished for their past affiliations in Afghanistan, and women will be allowed to work and participate in public life…
(2021-08-18). "People Are Thirsty for Peace": Afghans Wary of Taliban as Group Vows to Uphold Rights. democracynow.org 
We go to Kabul for an update as the Taliban moves to secure control of Afghanistan. The group said Tuesday former government officials will not face retribution and that the rights of women and journalists will be upheld. The Taliban's rhetoric and the relatively restrained behavior of its fighters in Kabul are starkly different from how the group governed Afghanistan after seizing power in 1996, when it imposed draconian restrictions on everyday life. Despite the Taliban's pledges, many women across Afghanistan have not left their homes since the Taliban seized control over the weekend and as thousands of people…
(2021-08-18). Another Imperial 'East of Aden' Moment. strategic-culture.org We may not be devotees of their brand of liberty, nor are we prepared to emulate their peculiar ways, but their unconquerable spirit is something that in these dark and oppressive days we can all admire. | With unnerving rapidity, imperial contraction, much talked about over the recent years, now has palpably and visibly taken place in Afghanistan. The chain of events leading to it was lightning quick, and it is unlikely to leave anyone across the length and breadth of this earth unimpressed or unmoved. Future travellers from the antique land of Afghanistan surely will have tales to tell of the shattered visage o…
(2021-08-18). The Heat: Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. america.cgtn.com 
Evacuation flights from Kabul's airport resumed on Tuesday after the tarmac and runway were cleared of crowds. The Taliban have declared the war in Afghanistan is over and a senior leader said the group would wait until foreign forces had left before creating a new …
(2021-08-18). Headlines for August 18, 2021. democracynow.org Taliban Addresses Women's Rights, Press Freedom in First Press Conference Since Takeover, U.S. Continues Evacuations as Top Dems Pledge to Investigate Biden's Afghanistan Exit, Haiti Earthquake Death Toll Hits 2,000 as Survivors, Many Now Unhoused, Lashed by Tropical Storm, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Alabama Runs Out of ICU Beds; 3,000 NOLA Students and Staff in Quarantine, New Zealand Orders Lockdown After ID'ing One COVID Case, Tokyo Extends State of Emergency; Thai Protesters Demand PM Step Down for Mishandling COVID, India Bans Single-Use Plastics, But New Law Contains Major Loopho…
(2021-08-18). Protesting Settler Colonialism In The Neoliberal University. popularresistance.org During May's uprising in Palestine against the latest aggression of the apartheid Israeli state, a few students at the Piet Zwart Institute (PZI) in Rotterdam wanted to express their solidarity with the struggle. They hung a banner on the institute's building that read: "STOP THE ETHNIC CLEANSING; #SaveSheikhJarrah; Free Palestine." The action took place at a time when the vicious attacks on civilians in Gaza, the ultra-right-wing mob violence against Arabs in Israel and the forced evictions of the settler colonialist system in Jerusalem had resulted in a global show of solidarity. | A few hours after the banner…
(2021-08-18). The Palestinian Cause is Neither a Religious nor a Human Rights Cause. orinocotribune.com By Susana Khalil — Aug 15,2021 | The Palestinian cause is political, it is a cause of National Liberation. |