Original title: The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan burned documents. Foreign media thought of the “Saigon Moment”: In 1975, the personnel of the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam were hoisted away by helicopter from the roof…
[环球网报道]According to CNN, as the Taliban captured more than half of the capital cities of Afghanistan, the spokesperson of the US State Department confirmed on August 13 local time that the US Embassy in Kabul has also begun to withdraw a large number of diplomats. Japan ordered the staff to destroy confidential documents and other “sensitive materials.”
CNN said on the 13th local time that it had obtained a “management notice” from the US Embassy in Kabul to employees, which instructed the staff to use incinerators, shredders and incinerators to destroy “sensitive materials.” The notice also stated that it is necessary to destroy “the emblem of the embassy or institution, the American flag and other items that may be taken away and improperly used in publicity activities”, and the facilities will provide “destruction support” every day.
In response, the US State Department spokesperson explained that the materials burned by the embassy in Kabul are part of the downsizing process, which aims to “minimize the traces of our various activities, including staffing, equipment, and supplies.”
CNN quoted a diplomat and reported that the local situation is an incredible challenge for American diplomats. They said that plans are changing every minute. RT mentioned that due to the destruction of documents, the U.S. evacuation operation is becoming more and more troublesome, which makes people hard to think of the “famous scene” when the U.S. left Vietnam in 1975-the Saigon moment. ↓
RT also mentioned that the New York Times quoted five unidentified current and former Biden administration officials on the 12th and reported that US State Department officials were worried about the safety of US diplomats and worried that the evacuation might become like the US in 1975. It was the same as the evacuation of Saigon in 2009-crowds were crowded on the top of the embassy, waiting to escape in a hurry by helicopter.
However, “you won’t see people being hoisted from the roof of the US embassy in Afghanistan. It is completely incomparable.” RT said.
RT said that Biden had previously insisted that the fear of similar situations in the Vietnam War by the United States was unfounded. “Not at all. Zero,” Biden said last month when asked about possible similarities with the withdrawal of troops from Saigon. “The Taliban are not South Vietnamese-North Vietnamese troops. They are not. They are not comparable in terms of capabilities. .”
But Biden’s words now seem less convincing.
“A few weeks ago, President Biden promised the American people that we will not have a Saigon moment in Afghanistan,” said Mike Rogers, a senior Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, in a statement on the 12th. “Now, we are watching President Biden’s Saigon unfolding in front of us at all times.” The congressman also predicted on the 15th that as more troops are sent to Afghanistan, the deadline for withdrawal will be missed.
Rogers also stated that Biden’s “sloppy” withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan put the lives of Americans at risk. He also added that the result is that the chaos in Afghanistan is not unexpected and that “the worst is yet to come.”
Ronald Neumann, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, also confessed that the US is in a “state of panic.” “The United States is now in a state of panic, almost a state of panic, trying to protect our own people and issuing so-called special immigrant visas,” Neumann said. He also said that because it is withdrawing troops rather than retaining a small stabilization force, the Biden administration now has to act in a hurry, dispatching the same number of troops under harsh conditions, and at the same time applying for a “special immigration visa” for its translators.
At present, the Taliban have announced that they have captured 18 provincial capitals in Afghanistan, more than half of the country’s 34 capital cities. The most recent area occupied by the Taliban is south of the capital, only 50 kilometers from Kabul. RT said that Kabul is the last fortress stationed by Afghan government forces.
In order to speed up the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, the US military was also dispatched. Pentagon spokesman Kirby said at a press conference on the 13th that the US military will send three more infantry battalions to Kabul in the next 48 hours, with a total of about 3,000 soldiers. These US soldiers will be mainly deployed at Kabul Airport to protect the safety of the evacuation operations. In addition, 1,000 soldiers will be sent to Qatar, and a combat brigade of about 4,000 soldiers will be deployed to Kuwait just in case. Kirby said that in view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around Kabul, it is prudent to implement this “limited temporary action”. He also said that the goal of the United States is to complete all evacuation by August 31.
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