Day: August 31, 2021

Situation Report: Questions swirl over Biden administration’s reliance on Taliban cooperation – Center for Security Policy

BY Kyle Shideler and Fred Fleitz

SEE: https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/situation-report-questions-swirl-over-biden-administrations-reliance-on-taliban-cooperation/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

As ISIS-K continues to target U.S. troops following the suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul which killed 13 American soldiers and more than a hundred Afghan civilians, doubts regarding Biden Administration’s reliance on the Taliban are beginning to pick up steam.

An August 28 drone strike in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province reportedly killed a Taliban a “facilitator” involved in planning attacks against Americans.  It is unknown whether these ISIS-K members were involved in the Kabul airport bombing.  The Biden administration has been criticized for refusing to release their names.

On August 29, a U.S. drone strike targeted a pick-up truck loaded with what the Pentagon says were ISIS suicide bombers. Secondary detonations from explosives in the vehicle reportedly killed 10 nearby Afghan civilians. Family members of the civilians speaking to the Los Angeles Times, however, allege their vehicle was improperly targeted by the drone and not struck by a secondary explosion.

Allegations that the drone strike may have been misdirected led to questions about the quality of intelligence capability available to the U.S. in Afghanistan during the on-going withdrawal. Some observers expressed concern that the U.S. may be relying on the Taliban for intelligence on ISIS.

Hudson Senior Fellow Rebecca Heinrichs asked on twitter, “Are we relying on the Taliban to tell us when/where to strike?” after a Taliban spokesman made an announcement regarding the U.S. attack. ISIS-K later launched a rocket attack targeting the airport, but without any casualties.

Questions also have been raised about whether drone strikes will have any real effect on reducing terrorist threats to the Kabul airport before U.S. forces withdraw on August 31 because the Taliban released thousands of ISIS-K members from the Bandar airbase prison.  This essentially flooded Kabul with Islamist terrorists determined to kill American citizens who will not be deterred by U.S. drone strikes.

The willingness of the Biden Administration to rely on the Taliban to provide security has come under increasing fire, particularly following a  Washington Post article which alleged that the Taliban offered to allow the U.S. to provide security for the city of Kabul during the evacuation. The Biden Administration reportedly declined:

In a hastily arranged in-person meeting, senior U.S. military leaders in Doha — including McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command — spoke with Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban’s political wing. “We have a problem,” Baradar said, according to the U.S. official. “We have two options to deal with it: You [the United States military] take responsibility for securing Kabul or you have to allow us to do it.” Throughout the day, Biden had remained resolute in his decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan. The collapse of the Afghan government hadn’t changed his mind. McKenzie, aware of those orders, told Baradar that the U.S. mission was only to evacuate American citizens, Afghan allies and others at risk. The United States, he told Baradar, needed the airport to do that. On the spot, an understanding was reached, according to two other U.S. officials: The United States could have the airport until Aug. 31. But the Taliban would control the city.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration continues to demonstrate other priorities besides the evacuation of American citizens and the most-at-risk Afghan personnel. While getting accurate numbers on the total number of Americans and Afghan Special Immigration Visa holders evacuated so far has been difficult, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby told reporters of the 122,000 evacuees from Kabul of them only 5,400 were Americans.

Despite claims by the Biden Administration that all Americans who wished to do so would be able to evacuate, multiple stories have emerged of U.S. citizens or green card holders being denied entry at the Kabul airport by Taliban fighters or receiving messages that the evacuation is over. There are estimates that over 1,000 Americans will be left behind when U.S. forces withdraw tomorrow.

Moreover, the U.S. government reportedly handed over a list of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies to the Taliban as part of their effort to facilitate their movement through checkpoints, raising concerns the Taliban would use the list to exact retribution or take American hostages.  After seeming to acknowledge this list last week, Secretary of State Blinken denied it yesterday in news interviews.

BREAKING: Last U.S. Plane Leaves Kabul, All Military Personnel Are Out; BUT SEVERAL HUNDRED OR MORE AMERICANS WERE LEFT BEHIND

BY STACEY LENNOX

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2021/08/30/breaking-last-u-s-plane-leaves-kabul-all-military-personnel-are-out-n1474366;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

NBC has confirmed with the Department of Defense that the last Air Force transport plane carrying U.S. troops has left Kabul, Afghanistan, hours ahead of the official August 31 deadline. The chaotic exit cost 13 American lives, 180 Afghan deaths, and scores of injuries.

In a press briefing, General Kenneth McKenzie said, “I am here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans. The last C-17 lifted of from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30th, this afternoon at 3:29 p.m. eastern time. The last manned aircraft is now clearing the airspace above Afghanistan.”

There are still several hundred Americans in the country, according to NBC. As of this morning, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward was in touch with American citizens unable to get to the airport. According to Andrea Mitchell, none of the last five planes to leave Hamid Karzai International Airport contained any Americans. Rescue operations ended after the American drone strike of a car allegedly filled with explosives and headed for the airport in Kabul earlier today.

Related: Dan Crenshaw, Lara Logan Bring the Most Disturbing Reports Out of the Kabul Airport Yet

The administration has said the rescue operations would continue. A State Department memo issued earlier today in cooperation with dozens of other nations set the expectation that these evacuations will continue. However, it is not clear how the NATO countries plan to accomplish future missions with no diplomatic presence.

When the last plane went wheels up, the Taliban officially took control of the country. Earlier, members of the radical Islamist group were seen flying Black Hawk helicopters abandoned in the hasty evacuation of Bagram Air Base. The Taliban publicly promised amnesty for Afghans who worked with U.S. and coalition forces. Whether this is a commitment they intend to keep will remain to be seen.

WATCH General McKenize’s announcement:

North Korea Restarts Weapons-Grade Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor Halted Under Trump

BY STEPHEN GREEN

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2021/08/30/north-korea-restarts-weapons-grade-yongbyon-nuclear-reactor-halted-under-trump-n1474197

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

North Korea apparently has restarted the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium, that had been shuttered since 2018.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that “since early July, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor,” according to a report late Sunday in the Wall Street Journal.

The IAEA called the move “deeply troubling,” and in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Yahoo! News reminded readers on Monday:

In 2019, North Korea said it would shutter the Yongbyon reactor and additional facilities if the United States provided sanctions relief, but the offer was rejected by then-President Donald Trump, who said it didn’t go far enough.

That was two years ago. Apparently, under Presidentish Joe Biden, North Korea feels freer to re-start its nuclear weapons program.

I’m far from the only one saying so.

Still reeling from the ongoing deadly chaos he set loose in Afghanistan, Biden has been accused of giving North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un a “blank cheque to rebuild North Korea nuclear programme.”

That’s according to Dutch European Parliament Member Michiel Hoogeveen, who “fears Mr Biden’s administration is guilty of a failure to understand the North Korean mindset which could increase the risk of future conflict.”

You have to wonder if South Korea, currently led by center-left President Moon Jae-in, was aware of what was going on at Yongbyon before scheduling this week’s meeting with US officials on increasing “humanitarian cooperation” with the North.

One doesn’t simply restart a nuclear weapons program overnight, so it’s likely that the North Koreans have been working to do so since long before Biden’s botched bugout—but after last year’s election results were known.

Whether it’s the Taliban blitzing through Kabul, North Korea’s nukes, China’s newly aggressive anti-American propaganda, or the rebirth of ISIS, America’s enemies sense weakness in the White House.

Where we’ll be tested next is anyone’s guess.

Report: Pentagon Had Advanced Intel on ‘Mass Casualty Attack’ at Kabul Airport Attack But Failed to Stop It

BY MEGAN FOX

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/megan-fox/2021/08/30/pentagon-had-advanced-intel-on-mass-casualty-attack-at-kabul-airport-attack-but-failed-to-stop-it-report-n1474200;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Politico has released bombshell information, obtained through a confidential source at the Pentagon, angering top military officials.

The informant gave copies of detailed notes from three conference calls to Politico that showed military brass knew that a deadly attack was coming 24 hours before the suicide bomb at Kabul airport and was unable to stop it. Politico reported:

Speaking from a secure video conference room on the third floor of the Pentagon at 8 a.m. Wednesday — or 4:30 p.m. in Kabul — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin instructed more than a dozen of the department’s top leaders around the world to make preparations for an imminent “mass casualty event,” according to classified detailed notes of the gathering shared with POLITICO.

During the meeting, Gen. Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned of “significant” intelligence indicating that the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate, ISIS-K, was planning a “complex attack,” the notes quoted him as saying.

Commanders calling in from Kabul relayed that the Abbey Gate, where American citizens had been told to gather in order to gain entrance to the airport, was “highest risk,” and detailed their plans to protect the airport.

Later that day, officials on another call decided to close the Abbey Gate by that afternoon. The closing plan was stalled when it was decided to leave the gate open to allow for British allies to continue evacuating their personnel through that gate. The delay was a deadly mistake. A suicide bomber entered Abbey Gate around 6 p.m. on Thursday and detonated a bomb that killed almost 200 people, including 13 U.S. military personnel.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby had no statement to make about why the gate closure was delayed so long after the recommended deadline but did take time to criticize the press for digging into what happened leading up to the deadly attack.

“This story is based on the unlawful disclosure of classified information and internal deliberations of a sensitive nature,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement. “As soon as we became aware of the material divulged to the reporter, we engaged Politico at the highest levels to prevent the publication of information that would put our troops and our operations at the airport at greater risk.

“We condemn the unlawful disclosure of classified information and oppose the publication of a story based on it while a dangerous operation is ongoing,” he continued.

An unnamed official spoke with Politico anonymously and said that the threats were serious, numerous, and impossible to avoid.

“U.S. forces at HKIA were aware of and accounting for a variety of threats, and exercising extreme vigilance,” the official said, using an acronym for the Kabul airport. “We took numerous actions to protect our forces and the evacuees, but no amount of effort will completely eliminate the threat of a determined enemy.”

Relationships with the Taliban as allies to help get the evacuation going faster haven’t panned out and Taliban militants have held up convoys of evacuees needlessly.

On the call, Vasely also described how NATO allies were having problems with the Taliban obstructing an earlier convoy, including Swedes, Danes, Dutch and other personnel.

Despite the tensions, the military continued relaying to the militants precise details about timelines for the withdrawal and the processes for getting American citizens through the gates, Vasely said, according to the call notes. They also allowed the Taliban to operate buses picking up people for evacuation, he added.

Military officials do not believe that the Taliban was colluding with ISIS in carrying out the attack, but a lack of trust between U.S. Forces and the Taliban contributed to communication problems.

“The ability of [the Taliban] to protect us and assist in pursuing [American citizens] and other groups — that willingness will decay, and we’re seeing leading edge indicators of that today,” McKenzie said on the Wednesday morning call. “We do need the agreement of the [Taliban] to pursue our principal objectives of getting out [American citizens] and other priority groups.”

McKenzie then offered a grave prediction about the success of the evacuation effort.

“We’re not going to get everyone out. We’ll get 90-95 percent,” McKenzie said. The call notes did not specify if he was talking about American citizens, or everyone who wanted to evacuate.

It is clear that the Biden administration and our military brass botched this withdrawal worse than anyone could have imagined, and the chaos that ensued led to the inability of our institutions to protect our military members, Americans overseas, our Afghani allies, and civilians on the ground in Kabul. Will anyone face the music for this hatchet job?

Video: Trump Speaks to Hannity About Biden’s Afghanistan Disaster~”The most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to our country.”

Former President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Sean Hannity recently about Joe Biden's catastrophic foreign policy debacle in Afghanistan, and why he says "it's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to our country." Check out the video below:

Doctors Refuse to Provide Care for Unvaccinated COVID Patients

BY RISHMA PARPIA

SEE: https://thevaccinereaction.org/2021/08/doctors-refuse-to-provide-care-for-unvaccinated-covid-patients/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Doctors throughout the United States are refusing to treat patients, even seriously ill patients, who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine.1 2 This comes at a time when there are a rising number of COVID-19 Delta variant cases occurring throughout the United States, with some hospitals in certain states being overwhelmed by the new cases.3

Jason Valentine, MD, a physician at Diagnostic and Medical Clinic Infirmary Health in Mobile, Alabama is one doctor that will not treat unvaccinated patients. He said:

We do not yet have any great treatments for severe disease, but we do have great prevention with vaccines. Unfortunately, many have declined to take the vaccine, and some end up severely ill or dead. I cannot and will not force anyone to take the vaccine, but I also cannot continue to watch my patients suffer and die from an eminently preventable disease.

He added:

Therefore, as of October 1st, 2021, I will no longer see patients that have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. If you wish to keep me as your physician, documentation of your vaccination will suffice. If you wish to choose another physician, we will be happy to transfer your records.4

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who are vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines can still get infected with the virus, known as “breakthrough cases,” which also means there is a risk vaccinated persons can transmit the infection to others.5

Doctors in South Florida Protest in Response to A Surge in Unvaccinated Patients

Seventy-five doctors recently participated in a symbolic walkout of a hospital in Palm Beach Gardens and other hospitals and medical offices in South Florida. All of the doctors were off-duty.6 The doctors who were part of this protest said that the majority of COVID-19 cases they are witnessing in their hospitals are among unvaccinated patients. The protest was to draw the attention of the public to get vaccinated.7

“We are exhausted. Our patience and resources are running low and we need your help,” said Rupesh Dharia, MD of Palm Beach Internal Medicine.8 “The vaccine still remains the most effective and reliable way to stop this madness,” said Leslie Diaz, MD of Jupiter Medical Center.9

NBC News reported that on July 30, 2021, 38 states had confirmed a total of 125,682 breakthrough cases. Breakthrough cases are when  vaccinated individuals contract the virus.10

COVID-19 vaccination does not guarantee against hospitalization or death. Of the breakthrough COVID-19  cases in Massachusetts, 445 cases resulted in hospitalization and 106 in death. Of the cases in Minnesota, 514 fully vaccinated people ended up going to the hospital and 57 died.. Of the COVID-19 cases in Tennessee, 272 required hospitalization and 39 died.11

University of Washington Medical Center Denies Organ Transplants to Unvaccinated Patients

The University of Washington Medical Center is denying organ transplants to patients who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital has refused to publicly answer questions and will not directly acknowledge that it even has such a policy.12

A news report found that UW Medicine removed a 64-year-old patient from the heart transplant waitlist. The patient, Sam Allen of Monroe, Washington, said he was on the list for two and a half years. The hospital made the decision after they learned the patient refused to get the COVID-19, telling him they would consider adding him back to the waitlist should he satisfy their “compliance concerns.”13

Allen said that three leaky heart valves impact the blood pumping into his lungs making it difficult for him to breathe, which played a role in why he refused to wear a mask in the medical facility. After he told his cardiologist that he wouldn’t get vaccinated, he received a letter dated June 7, 2021 informing him that he was removed from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list for a heart.14

Allen wrote a letter back to UW Medicine saying:

As a person who has spent much time and money at UWMC as a heart failure patient, I am being told I cannot get care for my condition unless I take an injection that has shown to cause cardiac problems. It seems that a wise choice would be to not make a panic move and run to get injected with the experimental gene therapy until more is known.15

Doctor Refusal to Treat Patients Conflicts with  Hippocratic Oath

Medical doctors refusing to treat patients who decline the COVID-19 vaccine raises the question of a doctor’s commitment to the Hippocratic oath and the ethical issues surrounding equal treatment. The modern version of the Hippocratic oath require doctors to all treat patients equally to the best of their ability and with compassion.16

According to Danielle Weatherby, JD, associate professor of law at the University of Arkansas, private doctors do have the right to legally refuse to treat patients in non-emergency situations for a variety of reasons, as long as the denial is not based on the person’s sex, religion or national origin. She adds:

The analysis becomes more nuanced when the patient’s refusal to vaccinate is rooted in their alleged deeply held religious beliefs.17

Other doctors believe that refusal to treat unvaccinated patients shows loss of professional and ethical standards in medicine. Aaron Kheriaty, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California Irvine stated:

The logic employed here would never be applied elsewhere in medicine. Doctors try to help patients be responsible for their health; and we try to persuade them to make healthy decisions, to be sure; but we don’t abandon them when they make medical or health-related decisions that we don’t condone. Doctors treat the sick because they are sick, and simply because they are fellow human beings in need of care; we do not blame the sick for their plight.18

“A blanket condemnation of all the unvaccinated is unwarranted and unworthy of the profession of medicine,” Dr. Kheriaty said.19

If you would like to receive an e-mail notice of the most recent articles published in The Vaccine Reaction each week, click here.

Click here to view References:

1 Planas A, Radnofsky C. Alabama Doctor Pledges To Stop Treating Unvaccinated Patients. NBC News Aug. 20, 2021.
2 Collman A. 75 doctors from South Florida hospitals staged a symbolic walkout to protest a surge in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. Business Insider Aug. 24, 2021.
3 Planas A, Radnofsky C. Alabama Doctor Pledges To Stop Treating Unvaccinated Patients. NBC News Aug. 20, 2021.
4 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Possibility of COVID-19 after Vaccination: Breakthrough Infections. Aug. 23, 2021.
5 Collman A. 75 doctors from South Florida hospitals staged a symbolic walkout to protest a surge in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. Business Insider Aug. 24, 2021.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Strickler L. Breakthrough Covid cases: Data shows how many vaccinated Americans have tested positive. NBC News July 30, 2021.
11 Cáceres M. Vaccinated Americans are Being Hospitalized for COVID and Dying. The Vaccine Reaction Aug. 15, 2021.
12 Rantz J. Rantz: UW Medicine pulls heart transplant patient from list after refusing COVID vaccine. MyNorthWest.com Aug. 20, 2021.
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid.
15 Ibid.
16 Mehtalia J. COVID-19: An Alabama doctor is refusing to treat unvaccinated patients. Is he right? In.News.Yahoo.com Aug. 21, 2021.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.