Jen Psaki : “The Taliban also has to make an assessment about what they want their role to be in the international community.”

 

A CIA assessment months ago said Kabul could fall in six months, however, officials say, at this point that prediction has been cut in half. 

But the White House Wednesday maintained that the U.S. is cooperating with Afghan forces, implementing its "train, advise and assist approach."

"We are continuing and we will continue to provide close air support," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday. 

"Ultimately, Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have equipment, numbers and training to fight back," Psaki continued. "They have what they need." 

She added: "What they need to determine is if they have the political will to fight back, and if they have the ability to unite as leaders to fight back, and that is really where it stands at this point." 

President Biden has committed to withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, but Psaki maintained that he has made extensive requests for assistance and humanitarian assistance for those in Afghanistan through his budget proposals. 

"Our assistance, our partnership, does not end," Psaki said. 

As for the assessment that Kabul could fall within 90 days, Psaki said the White House is "closely watching the deteriorating security" in the region, and working to coordinate air strikes "with and in support of Afghan forces." 

"Afghan leaders need to come together, and the future of the country is on their shoulders," Psaki said, adding that the Taliban, on the other hand, needs to "make an assessment of what they want their role to be in the international community." 

Psaki, though, said the White House is taking the risk "seriously," and is watching it "closely." 

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s spiritual home of Kandahar, in southern part of the country, appears to be one of the next provincial capitals in danger of falling, and the the limited U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan by drones, B-52 bombers and AC-130 gunships in recent days have been concentrated there, in what officials call a last-ditch attempt to keep the city from falling to the Taliban. 

For my two cents I would add that, of all the dumb expectations that Democrats lay claim to holding, the absolute dumbest is the expectation that other countries will act on the world stage in ways that Democrats do when playing model U.N.

That ain’t the real world, Jen and Barry. And I’m not even sorry, because that would be dumb, terrible world.

The Taliban are bad guys, Jenny. We’re America. We kill bad guys, we don’t take them to the tolerance museum and ask them their favorite color.

Just because we don’t want to be the world’s police doesn’t mean we have to be the world’s most gullible chumps. Sanction, condemn, treat as terrorists. Maybe bomb now and then as a reminder.

But don’t give them pep talks for frick’s sake. Why do you need this explained to you?