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August 22, 2021

 

Afghan woman goes into labor during US military flight, gives birth aboard plane at Ramstein Air Base While in labor, the woman began experiencing complications due to low blood pressure, AMC said. The aircraft commander descended to increase air pressure in the aircraft, a decision that helped stabilize and save the mother’s life, the AMC statement said. READ MORE

Biden says US-led evacuation from Kabul is accelerating President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others from the Kabul airport accelerated this weekend, although it remains vulnerable to threats posed by the Islamic State extremist group. READ MORE

For US military leaders, Afghan news strikes personal chord The photos and videos pouring out of Afghanistan hit a nerve, and triggered searingly vivid flashbacks to battles fought, troops lost and tears shed during their own deployments there. READ MORE   'Imbecilic': Ex-UK leader Tony Blair slams Afghan withdrawal “The world is now uncertain of where the West stands because it is so obvious that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in this way was driven not by grand strategy but by politics.” READ MORE   Taliban’s rhetoric of compromise carries echoes of its previous rise to power On Sept. 27, 1996, Taliban forces captured Kabul overnight, flooding in from all directions after a 15-day sweep of the country. (In August 2021, it would take 10 days.) The insurgent group was met with little resistance from government troops. "The apparent ease of the Taliban's military victory has baffled many observers here," The Washington Post's Kenneth J. Cooper wrote on Oct. 6, 1996. READ MORE

Crush at Kabul airport kills 7 as Afghans try to flee The British military on Sunday acknowledged at least seven deaths at the airport. Others may have been trampled, suffocated or suffered heart attacks as Taliban fighters fired into the air to try to drive back the crowds. READ MORE   Though young and healthy, unvaccinated father dies of COVID Medical officials say there is conflicting information on whether the delta variant makes people more severely ill or whether young people are more vulnerable to it, but it's clear the contagiousness means more young people and children are getting sick. READ MORE   Amid sharp criticism, Germany stumbles in late efforts to rescue Afghan support staff While other coalition countries are also scrambling to make rescues, Germany's process has been faulted for being particularly narrow in scope, initially only accepting those who had worked for its military or agencies during the past two years. Subcontractors were excluded. READ MORE   Congressional Gold Medal winner Fred Cheong Lee, who drew battlefield maps for Patton, dies at 96 Fred Cheong Lee, of Beaverton, who in 2019 was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in World War II during a time of severe discrimination against Chinese Americans, died at 96. READ MORE   Former Washington training center commander recalls early work in Afghanistan Retiring U.S. Army Lt. Col. Roger Gavriluk, the former Yakima Training Center commander, was brought to Afghanistan as part of a special forces group in response to disputes between rival warlords Ishmael Khan and Amanullah Khan in the south of Afghanistan. READ MORE   Former Marine, soldier traveling to raise awareness of veteran suicides helps save kidnapping victim A GoFundMe page maintained by Darren Hafford, a Dallas resident and veteran of the Army and the Marine Corps, says he's nearing the end of a fundraiser he began July 4 in Austin, Texas. Hafford plans as part of that fundraiser to do 50 push-ups at all 50 U.S. capitols in 50 days to raise awareness and funding to fight the suicide of combat veterans, according to the GoFundMe page. READ MORE

 

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