livingston
20×102mm Vulcan
Internal State Department Cable Warned of Kabul Collapse
July memo shows that administration officials were cautioned about Taliban’s quick advance
The classified cable represents the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent and Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it.
The cable, sent via the State Department’s confidential dissent channel, warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces, and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation, the two people said.
The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban, one of the people said.
www.wsj.com
July memo shows that administration officials were cautioned about Taliban’s quick advance
The classified cable represents the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent and Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it.
The cable, sent via the State Department’s confidential dissent channel, warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces, and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation, the two people said.
The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban, one of the people said.
WSJ News Exclusive | Internal State Department Cable Warned of Kabul Collapse
State Department officials serving in Kabul sent an internal memo to Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning of the potential collapse of the capital soon after the Aug. 31 troop withdrawal deadline.