Press reviews
The crisis in Afghanistan has turned into a catastrophe. Criticize commentators around the world “the pathetic and avoidable debacle” the troop withdrawals that have now claimed the dead. The press reviews.
According to the latest information, a total of 85 people were killed in the double attack at Kabul airport. There are at least 72 fatalities in the city’s hospitals, two former employees of the Afghan Ministry of Health told the AFP news agency on Friday. Many women and children are among the victims. More than 150 people were injured. According to the US Department of Defense, 13 US soldiers were also killed and 18 others injured in the double attack. “That completes the defeat in Afghanistan”says the daily newspaper “The time” (Belgium) – and hits the tone of most commentators. The international press reviews.
“The New York Times” (USA): What’s next?
“The heartbreaking scenes at Kabul airport should make one thing painfully clear: we cannot lead the whole country to a safe haven. Although the United States has a moral responsibility for evacuating Afghans, the evacuation and associated tragedies will soon be a thing of the past. The most momentous decisions in the days and weeks to come will be how we help the millions of Afghans who are left behind and how we deal with their new leaders.”
“Aftonbladet” (Sweden): It stays the same “America First”
“Joe Biden believes the sooner the United States leaves, the better. So better for the American people. He wants to end the so-called ‘longest war in the US’ at all costs. When Joe Biden took office, he said “America is back” after Trump’s presidency. But #America first ‘still applies in Afghanistan, the same policy that Trump pursued, in which the American people come first. (…) For the USA, the withdrawal means a great loss of prestige. The world didn’t like America first when Donald Trump was making politics. And it hasn’t become popular now either.”
“The world” (Spain): New impetus for terrorism
“The attacks in Kabul show the risks the end of the US mission entails. The Taliban’s takeover gives wings to jihadist terrorism. He now has an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan, which he regards as a reference. In addition, there is an inevitable feeling of helplessness, of strategic weakness, which can be traced back to the clumsy actions of (US President) Joe Biden since the beginning of the fundamentalist offensive. All of this has led to chaos, which is now also forcing the end of the evacuation efforts (…).
“The time” (Belgium): The defeat is complete
“The terrorist attacks at Kabul airport have made a chaotic situation almost uncontrollable. The further course of the evacuation mission is now even more uncertain. (…) The Americans want to continue their action until August 31, that is, by the deadline granted by the Taliban. However, this is made more difficult by the ever greater risks. Further attacks cannot be ruled out. (…) The USA and Europe would have to find new ways to influence the Taliban and politics in Afghanistan. However, under the circumstances, this is a nearly impossible task to accomplish. That completes the defeat in Afghanistan.”
“The Times” (UK): Biden under pressure
“This atrocity only underscores the full extent of the West’s defeat and the pathetic and avoidable debacle of the withdrawal. An operation started 20 years ago in response to the September 11th attacks on America ended with terrorists killing more Americans in Afghanistan. (…) The immediate consequence of the attack will be that Joe Biden will come under even greater political pressure.”
“The Telegraph” (Netherlands): Western failure
“The end of the evacuations from Afghanistan is the sad culmination of a grotesque failure by Western governments. The main culprit is US President Joe Biden, who blew the trigger without thorough preparation and made the world even more unsafe. This week, the US let the Taliban dictate its course of action. There is no other explanation for Biden’s decision to give in to the Taliban’s demands and not to extend the deadline for departure. (…) The result is now that thousands of people are trapped in the Taliban’s hell.”
“The print” (Italy): Attack throws the West back
“The bombs on the desperate huddled crowd at Kabul Airport are not just an egregious act of cruelty to which we have become sadly accustomed as a result of al-Qaeda and IS. They are a weighty political gesture that turns the clock back 20 years. They are wiping away the prerequisites for the American decision to withdraw from Afghanistan: the defeat and the uprooting of terrorism.”
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