DI SPATC H E S| AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan’s grim future
Chaos in the the Western world’s closing act in Afghanistan portends ill for its people and regional and world security. By J. Paul de B. Taillon
“T
he first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgement that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish the kind of war on which they are embarking,” wrote strategist Carl von Clausewitz in his book, On War. For the soldiers and Marines who were assigned to the U.S. security force in Kabul during the August pullout from the country, their arrival hit many instantly and 50
full on. Fine fecal-laden dust covered their bodies and gear. The heat and the 25-kilogram weight of the personal protective equipment (PPE) and the ensuing body sweat, combined with the scent of gun oil, was ever present amongst them and their comrades. Meanwhile, crowds of desperate Afghans sought sanctuary outside the airport security walls topped with barbed wire that separated them from the
hope of being included on the departure list for one of the flights that would take off before the withdrawal date of Aug. 31. It was on this date that the United States would finally clear out of Afghanistan. For those soldiers and Marines undertaking their respective duties to secure this airport, many had not witnessed the events of 9/11. For those born after 9/11, they were now witnessing, indeed participating, in a historic moment — the FALL 2021 | OCT-NOV-DEC
AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transports 823 Afghans from Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 15, 2021 after the U.S. military withdrew from the beleaguered country.
