US airstrikes pound Taliban positions as militants threaten key cities in Afghanistan

[Slammer]

5. Promises

So far we've evacuated 200 of the estimated 71,000 Afghan interpreters and their families from Afghanistan who we've promised to get out of the country (according to MSNBC and the number not updated by any who might have gotten out yesterday).

The administration has said they'll be flown out on commercial flights out of Kabul's airport. It averages 9 commercial flights a day out of the country and judging by the size of the airport, I doubt if any of the airplanes flying out of it seats over 150 people. In addition, two of the airlines are owned by countries which aren't friendly to the US and the interpreters wouldn't be safe traveling on them.

When we pulled our troops out, we abandoned the interpreters in place wherever they happened to be (and regardless of whether they happened to be near their families). The administration's position is that it is the interpreters' responsibility to collect their families and make their own way to Kabul.

On May 1st the Taliban controlled 73 districts, the government controlled 115 and the others were contested. Today, the Taliban controls 223 districts, the government controls 68, and the others are contested. It's on the verge of taking 17 of the 34 provincial capitals, has set up roadblocks on most of the roads in the country, and is executing interpreters when they're caught.

I don't think the administration wants to bomb things but having mass executions of US allies on video isn't a great legacy either.