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After Putin’s Unhinged Screed, Russia Pulls One Of Its Many Triggers
By tom On Monday, February 21 st, 2022 · no Comments · In And more news stories ,News stories ,WritingBy Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON —In an hour-long plus rant, Russian President Vladimir Putin bemoaned historical grievances and declared Moscow would recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, territories in Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. Since the separatists don’t hold all the territory they claim, the recognition is essentially a de facto declarationRead moreConcerns of War Grow As Do Moves Toward War
By tom On Thursday, February 17 th, 2022 · no Comments · In And more news stories ,News stories ,WritingBy Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON — Moscow today formally rejected the U.S. and NATO proposals for security in Europe and a slew of officials on both sides of the Atlantic prepared for what seems to be some type of Russian invasion of Ukraine. “In the absence of the readiness of the American sideRead moreCrashed F-35 in South China Sea remains a military treasure hunt
By tom On Tuesday, February 15 th, 2022 · no Comments · In And more news stories ,News stories ,WritingBy Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON — The U.S.Navy has yet to pinpoint the exact location and depth of the F-35 that was involved in the January 24 accident, and thus, by extension, has not been able to secure that area in the South China Sea. The Pentagon has said it is not worriedRead moreBiden mum on land mine campaign promise as Pentagon opts to keep studying the issue
By tom On Monday, February 14 th, 2022 · no Comments · In And more news stories ,News ,News stories ,WritingBy Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is reviewing its landmine use policy, two years after the Trump administration lifted the geographic restrictions on where the weapons could be used. Just like it said it was doing last year. The Trump reversal in January 2020 lifted a ban on the U.S. military’sRead more“Make Them Pay” — Putin, Ukraine and the Ticking Clock
By tom On Monday, February 14 th, 2022 · no Comments · In And more news stories ,News stories ,WritingBy Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON — Vladimir Putin is a man who feels like he is running out of time. That is a prime calculation being used by Pentagon officials as they plot ways to check and then checkmate the Russian leader’s eagerness to unload on Ukraine. While each day brings new developmentsRead moreInspector General: A “definite disconnect that could have helped” on the deadly drone strike in Kabul.
By Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON – The drone strike that killed 10 innocent people in Afghanistan, including seven children, would have benefited from a variety of challenges to the momentum leading to the launch, doubts that if raised could have prevented the fatal error, Pentagon officials said Wednesday. There was a “definite disconnectRead moreCOVID Vaccinations Rise As Services Prepare to Ponder Thin Path To Exemptions
By tom On Thursday, October 28 th, 2021 · no Comments · In And more news stories ,News stories ,WritingBy Tom Squitieri WASHINGTON — COVID vaccinations rates among the active duty force continue to rise, even as each service branch begins the process of determining what exemptions — if any – to consider and evaluate for those declaring objections to the shot. Latest numbers show active-duty personnel with at least one dose is 96.9Read moreThe “Righteous” Civilian-killing Drone Attack Triggered By A Suspicious Toyota White Corolla, Which Make Up 90 percent Of The Cars In Kabul
By Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON — It was the white Toyota Corolla that caught the attention of Central Command, convincing them that was the vehicle carrying a terrorist bent on attacking Abbey Gate at Kabul airport. Perhaps their next clue was a man with a beard; both are beyond ubiquitous in Kabul specifically andRead moreSeptember 11 City Lights
By Tom Squitieri WASHINGTON — Almost every night, the lucky few who walked astride LBJ Memorial Gardens on the Pentagon side of the Potomac River dance in a view that never got old: the city lights of the nation’s capital, washing in pride and honor the monuments and memorials to Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson. ExceptRead morePentagon Adds Afghan Resistance to SOL List
By Tom Squitieri WASHINGTON — The Pentagon made it clear Thursday that the remains of the once-recognized Afghan government — now battling the Taliban from the Panjshir Valley — is on its own and not to expect U.S. assistance. “The US military mission in Afghanistan is over,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said when asked whetherRead moreAs Kabul Morphs to Saigon And Then Beirut, The Pentagon Works To Recreate Dunkirk. But There Will Be No Casablanca Endings
By Tom Squitieri Red Snow News WASHINGTON – The last frenzy days of the current chapter of America’s longest war are set to end after a few more sunsets over the Hindu Kush. Much will be left behind, beyond weapons, dashed dreams, and thousands whose lives now are in jeopardy. The rubble of relevancy andRead morePentagon To Americans Beyond Kabul: You Are S.O.L.
By Tom Squitieri WASHINGTON — The Pentagon made it crystal clear Wednesday that its mission in Afghanistan is to protect the airport and that Americans needing help to get to Kabul — especially those beyond the city limits — for possible evacuation are on their own. In military parlance, they are S.O.L. — the moreRead more
By Tom Squitieri
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon made it crystal clear Wednesday that its mission in Afghanistan is to protect the airport and that Americans needing help to get to Kabul — especially those beyond the city limits — for possible evacuation are on their own.
In military parlance, they are S.O.L. — the more common vernacular of the World War One phrase “Applicable to everything from death to being late for mess.”
That means the many Americans in cities like Mazar-i-Sharif, where a U.S. citizen was granted permission by the Taliban to leave but has no way to get to Kabul, are stuck.
“When I said, outside Kabul, I’m talking about, you know, relatively close by,” John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesperson, said. “I don’t want to set the expectation that — that we’re going to be able to fly all over the country to pick up people. You heard the Secretary himself say that we — we — there’s a — there’s a limit to the capability we have here.”
That fiat appears to run counter to President Biden’s promise of August 20 when he said, ”But let me be clear. Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.”
Asked if the U.S. is needing the goodwill of the Taliban to transport Americans to Kabul, Kirby said, “It’s the — it’s really more about the focus of the mission, which is protecting the airport, and that’s what the assets are — are largely there for. (We) were brought in to protect and safeguard that — that airport.”
The Pentagon has conducted three beyond-the-wire missions to bring Americans to Kabul airport. “They have been successful, but they have been of short duration and a short distance,” Kirby said. “So I want to make sure that I level set that because I — and I was glad for the chance to — to clarify that.”
The Pentagon says about 4,000 Americans and their families are among the 82,300 evacuees out of Kabul since the country fell to the Taliban. The State Department estimates there are about 1,500 Americans remaining in Afghanistan.