#DigitalDunkirk

#DigitalDunkirk is the effort being undertaken to save everyone America can from Afghanistan. It was a miracle that Dunkirk succeeded and the hope is that this will become another miracle.

Watching the fall of Afghanistan and the crazed evacuation has brought a range of emotions: relief that our engagement was ending, vindication as the Taliban did well, surprise as they advanced so quickly, and now frustration and shock at how poorly thought out the evacuation is. Along with a fair share of horror at what will become of those we leave behind.

I deployed to Afghanistan right after the original agreement was signed and also right as the pandemic was hitting full speed. This meant my time over there was borderline boring. My experience was completely different than that of the soldiers who deployed even a few years earlier. We didn’t do patrols and only interacted with the few locals who needed to come onto the FOB. I didn’t know our interpreter and only worked with him rarely when screening people for entry onto the FOB. I left Afghanistan figuring that it would likely be mired in civil war. The general impression was that the Taliban were more competent warriors than their Afghan National Army counterparts. One of those times where you hate to be proven right. However, I expected more of a fight, and perhaps the resistance shaping up in Panjshir province will turn into that fight. With all the new vehicles and gear the Taliban have it might be a short-lived fight.

No matter how I felt about our withdrawal though, I was unprepared for the scenes that occurred in Kabul. Apparently, the US put all our eggs in one basket and foolishly believed that life in Afghanistan would be just like it was before we left. Now, Americans are stranded behind enemy lines, and our allies and their families will be killed if they aren’t evacuated. It has really highlighted how poorly thought out the evacuation effort was and also how broken the visa process is. It’s not surprising but it is disappointing. I don't have the personal connection with Afghans that many do. But our shared humanity is what has drawn me to follow the situation closely. It is a humanitarian crisis which could've been prevented and is all the more tragic due to that.

Out of the chaos of Kabul though, a great many stories are emerging. One clear thread is that Americans are moving heaven and earth to get friends out. I think that has been the most humbling part for me to witness. Numerous private citizens are banding together to get anyone out that they can, because they know what awaits their friends if they are left behind. Veterans especially have been networking like crazy to get people out. They are going so far as to use satellite imagery to help people avoid Taliban checkpoints.

These days it is so easy to have no idea what is really happening if you’re not on Twitter or a 24/7 news junkie. (Twitter is an absolute garbage fire and strangely also the best place for national security news and open-source intelligence or OSINT). I hope these photos and the links throughout this article enlighten at least one person of the situation in Kabul.

See, the thing that people might not understand is what helping Americans in Afghanistan meant. During the war, it meant threats and and the chance of you and your family being killed. But at least then there was a chance of victory and a better world. Now that chance is gone. Getting out is these peoples' only chance of survival. The Taliban have started retributions outside of Kabul, and once the media stops paying attention they will start inside the city as well.

The world's superpower is left negotiating for more time with a terrorist organization. It truly will take a miracle to save everyone that the United States promised we would.

Further Reading:

The Afghans coming to America are not 'unvetted'

Ark Salus on the ground

US special operations forces race to save former Afghan comrades in jeopardy

A opinion piece from me that we should get everyone we can out.