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The Taliban are celebrating the defeat of the greatest military the world has ever seen. Did the American military consider them to be a rag-tag bunch of midievil warriors? If so, that just added to their shame.
But for the Taliban, it is a sign that Allah was definitely on their side and gave them the victory. This just confirms in their minds that jihad is the way for good Muslims to go. It will strengthen their movement and with all the weapons, the thousands of Humvees, the Blackhawks, the millions of small arms, bombs, bullets, etc., etc., they have a right to celebrate, this will be celebrated as a great historical event for centuries.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, no one is being blamed for this catastrophe. In the eyes of many in the executive branch, the whole thing was a complete success. 20 years of keeping the inventory of death flowing put kazillions of dollars in many pockets. The deaths, the life-long injuries, the homeless veterans are just the price of getting filthy rich. This is Deep State!
Taliban hold mock ‘funeral’ for NATO, take Black Hawk helicopter
for joyrides, and show off loot at Kabul airport after US retreat
31 Aug, 2021 18:28
Crowd carries makeshift coffins draped in NATO, US and UK flags during a pretend funeral on a street in Khost, Afghanistan August 31, 2021. © Reuters / ZHMAN TV
After nearly 20 years of fighting against the US in Afghanistan, the victorious Taliban posed with captured American gear at the Kabul airport, held a mock funeral for NATO in Khost, and flew a Black Hawk helicopter over Kandahar.
The last US troops left the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, just before the clock struck midnight local time. On Tuesday morning, Taliban fighters strolled through the airport they now controlled, littered with debris, posing for photos with the captured vehicles, aircraft and equipment.
Taliban leaders reviewed a “special forces” unit, equipped with weapons and gear captured from the US-trained Afghan army, on the Kabul runway.
“It is a historical day and a historical moment.... we liberated our country from a great power,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, adding that the past two decades should serve as “a big lesson for other invaders, a lesson for the world.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby acknowledged on Tuesday that a lot of US equipment with “a lethality component to it” has fallen into Taliban hands, but said it doesn’t pose a threat to the US or neighboring countries.
“These are not the kinds of things that the Taliban can make great strategic use out of,” Kirby told reporters.
Right. Well, certainly you didn't!
The Taliban thought otherwise, however, showing off at least one newly acquired Black Hawk helicopter in the skies over Kandahar in a couple of videos. The second clip caused some confusion on social networks, as more than a few American commentators claimed the figure dangling from the helicopter was someone being executed.
Intersting now... the Flag Pole which held and represented all the NATO nations at the military side of Kabul Airport. A symbol of utter failure!
The “Talib Times” account that posted the video said no such thing, however. On closer look, the man seemed to be a Taliban fighter joyriding on a rescue harness.
Meanwhile, in the southeastern city of Khost, a crowd of Taliban supporters held a mock “funeral” for the ousted occupiers, carrying coffins draped with US, NATO, British and French flags, as well as some banners of the defeated Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – now replaced by the white flag of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate.
The US withdrawal turned into a mad scramble to evacuate just over 6,000 US citizens – along with tens of thousands of Afghan civilians – on August 14, when the Taliban took over Kabul without a fight and the Washington-backed government collapsed. It also turned tragic last week, when up to 200 Afghans and 13 US troops died at the entrance to the airport, in a suicide bombing claimed by the terrorist group ISIS-K.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that some US citizens could not reach the airport and were left behind. The State Department was tasked with negotiating their safe passage out of Afghanistan.
7 Taliban fighters killed in clashes with Panjshir valley resistance,
as challenges remain for new rulers after US exit
31 Aug, 2021 15:50
The Taliban has lost at least seven fighters as the Islamist group, which now controls most of Afghanistan, clashed with resistance fighters from Panjshir valley amid efforts to consolidate power and form a government.
On Tuesday, representatives from the main anti-Taliban militia, the National Resistance Front (NRF), claimed that Taliban troops had been repelled after trying to enter the Panjshir valley, the only one of the 34 provinces which remains completely outside their control. The province’s most southwestern point sits just 50 miles north of Kabul.
Fighting took place at the western entrance to the valley after the Taliban attempted to move against NRF positions Monday night, said Fahim Dashti, a spokesman for the militia loyal to local leader Ahmad Massoud. He added that eight Taliban fighters were killed, and the same number were injured, according to Reuters. The NRF only sustained two injuries.
Another member of the resistance movement, Bismillah Mohammadi, who served as a minister under ousted President Ashraf Ghani, put the number of Taliban dead at seven. “Last night, the Taliban attacked Panjshir, but were defeated with 7 dead and several wounded. Our people should not worry… This homeland will be liberated,” he tweeted, adding that the enemy had retreated with heavy casualties.
The Taliban has not commented on the losses as Afghanistan’s new rulers reportedly continue to seek a negotiated settlement while attempting to form a government in Kabul.
Ali Nazary, head of foreign relations for the NRF, has said the group is not interested in the Taliban’s proposals as it falls far short of their demands.
“The problem is that they are unwilling to make any concessions. And we’re unwilling to accept any type of political system that isn’t inclusive,” Nazary was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
Local leader Ahmad Massoud Massoud is the son of famed mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who held off Soviet advances four decades ago. The NRF claims to have a force of several thousand, with their number swelled by the remnants of the Afghan Army. Politicians in Panjshir claim their forces also have military hardware such as helicopters, the WSJ said.
The group remains committed to protecting the population of over 170,000 people, mostly from the Tajik ethnic group, who inhabit the valley. It is believed that neighboring Tajikistan is supporting Massoud’s forces, after military helicopters from Dushanbe were spotted in the valley.
Last week it was reported that local militias in neighboring Baghlan had evicted Taliban members from three districts, only for one to be recaptured soon after. The Taliban now claim to have recaptured all three. Amid ongoing local resistance, Taliban rulers also reportedly killed popular folk singer Fawad Andarabi in Baghlan province. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the AP that the group would investigate the incident.
While the Taliban has sent significant forces to the area, it is clear that the Islamist group still faces considerable armed opposition. IS-K (Islamic State Khorasan), the splinter jihadist group which now operates in Afghanistan, claimed nearly 30 Taliban members were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul last Thursday, an event that also highlights the breadth of opposition the Taliban faces.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Taliban celebrated the complete withdrawal of US troops from the country, firing ammunition into the air after the last American plane left Kabul airport.
Speaking later on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference that the Taliban would form a government in the coming days. The Islamist group have vowed to form an inclusive government, although many are doubtful that the promise will be fulfilled.
The Taliban seem to have a desire to form a legitimate government that can function on the world theatre. Whether that is possible while imposing Sharia Law is difficult to imagine.
One thing is for sure, the Religion of Peace will not bring peace to Afghanistan any time soon. All three elements in this new war are Muslims, even Tajikistan.
Panjshir Valley, AFG
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