An internal State Department memo last month warned top agency officials of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the US’s August 31 troop withdrawal deadline in Afghanistan, a US official and a person familiar with the document told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
The classified cable represents the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent and Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it.
The cable, sent via the State Department’s confidential dissent channel, warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces, and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation, the two people said.
The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban, said one of the sources.
In all, 23 US Embassy staffers, all Americans, signed the July 13 cable, the two people said. The US official said there was a rush to deliver it, given circumstances on the ground in Kabul.
The cable was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of Policy Planning Salman Ahmed, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Blinken received the cable and reviewed it shortly after receipt, according to the person familiar with the exchange, who added that contingency planning was already under way when it was received, and that Blinken welcomed their feedback.
State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to address the cable, but told The Wall Street Journal that Blinken reads every dissent and reviews every reply.
“He’s made clear that he welcomes and encourages use of the dissent channel, and is committed to its revitalization. We value constructive internal dissent,” said Price.
The Biden administration has come under fire for his handling of the crisis in Afghanistan, where the Taliban overtook the capital Kabul this week, forcing the Afghani president to flee to the United Arab Emirates.
On Monday, Biden gave a speech in which he justified the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and said he “stands squarely behind” that decision.
On Wednesday, in an interview with ABC, the President insisted he doesn’t know how the US could have withdrawn from Afghanistan without “chaos ensuing.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan was “an unmitigated disaster.”
“Every terrorist around the world, in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, in Africa, are cheering the defeat of the United States military by a terrorist organization in Afghanistan,” he added.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Biden “chose a dangerous and dishonorable path in Afghanistan, and he has no one to blame for this debacle but himself.”
Former US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said that the US withdrawal – which allowed the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan – “gave the terrorists a win.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in which he accused Biden of showing “weakness” toward the Taliban.
Former President Donald Trump blasted Biden in an interview with Newsmax, saying, “It’s inconceivable that anybody could be so incompetent, stupid.”
“Use any word you want to use,” Trump added. “To imagine that you take out your military before you take out your US citizens, and the civilians and others that may be helped us to even think of that, it’s not something that can be believed.”
(c) 2021 Arutz Sheva, All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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You know they’re going to go through all of the usual denials but Blinken aside—the President supposedly gets morning briefings—even from the military. If our Intelligence operations haven’t fallen the way of everything else, Biden was in the know—and I am sure Blinken was too. They are in CYA mode now, so they have to pull out the Democrat playbook and run through the plays hoping to find one that works.
Blinken, Milley, and Biden aka—Winkin, Blinken, and Nod.
Asleep on the job and incompetent beyond words.
The PUPPET MASTERS receive the briefings first, before Joe or Kamel or anybody else !
If these three stay in office until 2024 we’re all toast. The only job they’ve done well is their “America Last” campaign
AND You can bet, NOT A ONE OF them will be ‘fired’ for negligence or gross incompetence…
Biden in the know? What does Biden know? NOTHING! If it wasn’t for Jill, senile Joe would still be wearing his depends from last year. This idiot needs a map to find his way around the White House, providing there’s someone with him to read the map. Biden has a lifetime of achieving NOTHING, but has the reputation of being the biggest idiot in politics, which he has earned. Senile Joe never has known anything.
The casting call is out for the redo of “Hogan’s Heroes”. As in all already successful and proven entertainment vehicles, we will substitute the original characters with culturally/intellectual/immoral/political/sexual oriented diversified members. The Biden administration has proven to be a shoe-in with their current membership and has the majority of votes ( and more and more are coming in!) to win the roles. But please—somebody try out for parts other that Sergeant Schultz. There are so many readings of “I KNOW NUSSING! I KNOW NUSSING! . . .NUSSING!”
ONCE again, Affirmative action, SHOWS ITS USELESS..
Anthony Blinken: Harvard and Columbia can be proud of graduating a weak, self serving elitist, who has no clue what goes on in the real world. Clown Blinken, who has sold out his Country and like Tucker said the other night, Blinken was broadcasting from his home on Martha’s Vineyard.
Supposedly, from one report i saw, MANY Of those we were training, that ‘graduated’, STILL COULD NOT SPEAK, Read or write english, or do simple math.
IF THAT WAS THE CASE, then WHO THE HELL GRADUATED THEM!!?!??!?!?!
It’s really hard to come to the acceptance and understanding that the Biden administration (Biden and his Apparatchiks) are so tone deaf and brick stupid as to not understand the consequences of their actions and in-actions in carrying out policy for the people of the United States. The other option (explanation) could only be they are purposely trying to destroy the viability of this country as it was founded. From the appeasement and virtual support of communist interests to the complete abandonment of control of aliens at our border, to finally this unbelievable screw up in Afghanistan, how are we supposed to rationalize? It has to be one of two things. Either these people are completely and totally and dangerously incompetent, or they are part of some massive conspiracy to take down the U.S. What other explanations are possible?
There needs to be a Congressional investigation and people need to be held accountable for this disaster.
In my opinion the word CATASTROPHE, by a totally incompetent, uncaring, weak administration should be thoroughly investigated ! I believe that a CRIME was committed, and the present administration was 100% responsible !
Cady. Exactly who the hell do you anticipate ACTUALLY DOING That investigation, that ACTUALLY RESULTS IN ANYONE being held to account?
SO FAR, every ‘congressional investigation’, that i have EVER SEEN COME UP, were NOTHING BUT wastes of time and money, AS NO ONE EVER got held to account.. NO MATTER HOW MANY FOLK WERE shown to have been grossly incompetent, or ‘at fault’.
the biden regime has a whole lot of people who should be flipping burgers at a fast food joint NOT running our nation into the ground.
Correction. THEY HAVE A LOT of folk, who should be placed against a wall, and GIVEN A FIRING SQUAD execution….
“The cable, sent via the State Department’s confidential dissent channel, warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces…..called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban…..said one of the sources.
In all, 23 US Embassy staffers, all Americans, signed the July 13 cable…..there was a rush to deliver it, given circumstances on the ground in Kabul.“
“Blinken welcomed their feedback.”
Congratulations on a job……done. This is the type of well thought out action you may expect for another three and a half years.
Ask yourself and family “What’s the worst that can happen in that time?” and prepare yourselves for that inevitable event to unfold.
THIS is what you get from a bunch of NO NOTHINGS who think that Diplomacy will solve everything!
Damn it, people (and I mean YOU VOTERS)…
KICK as MANY of these MORONS (including the House and Senate) OUT of Washington as SOON AS POSSIBLE!
November 2022 (and November 2024) can’t come soon enough!
That’s assuming we even get a chance to vote, in 2022…