As we reported last night, in a shameful message, the Biden government told American citizens trapped in Afghanistan that they would have to figure out a way to get to the Kabul airport on their own if they wanted to get out. This after telling them on Sunday to shelter in place, when Sunday was probably the last chance to get to the airport without having to go through the Taliban.

Of course, the problem with their instruction was that now the Taliban is ringing the airport and blocking all the entrances. So you would have to run a gauntlet to get into the airport.

The Biden team is saying that they worked out an agreement with the Taliban to let people past for a couple of weeks. But it’s unclear if that’s being being adhered to because who is willing to trust the Taliban?

Meanwhile, there are reports of the Taliban beating and whipping people along the road to the airport. According to photographer Marcus Yam, several people were wounded yesterday by the Taliban, including a woman and a child, as thousands tried to get to the airport.

There was a report that it was safe/secure to go to the North Gate. There was at least one report that some people were getting through with heroic efforts.

My Afghan Army officer friend and his family made it on base. It’s a huge relief. This is just one story. Let’s keep going. Hats off to all the folks that made this happen.

— Mike Jason (@mikejason73) August 17, 2021

But then Bill Roggio, editor of the Long War Journal and an expert on Islamic terrorism in the area, posted some very troubling scenes of what happened at the gate.

This is what it looks like outside the north gate at the airport in Kabul. I won't mention why this location is important. I will say that the @CENTCOM commander, who agreed to allow this airport to be the primary/only evacuation point, should be dismissed/replaced immediately. pic.twitter.com/yfvWRJaJ7n

— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021

I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating. You do not put your primary evacuation airstrip at an airport inside a city with 4.5 million people and an untold number of refugees. The U.S. military agreed to do this, and it owns what is now happening in Kabul.

— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021

Joe Biden, and perhaps more problematically, the military, who should have known better, closed Bagram air base which would have been a protected fortified place to get people out from. Why would you restrict yourself so? It’s madness and a colossal military blunder.

You do not need to be a West Point and War College grad, or a grand strategist to know this was a recipe for disaster. 2nd lieutenants know this plan is a dumpster fire. Our general officer class as a whole is rotten to the core and must be held accountable.

— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021

The Kabul evacuation fiasco should not be viewed in isolation. The general officers were complicit in the failure of Afghanistan at every step. Not understanding the enemy. Building the wrong ANDSF. The surge. Population Centric Counterinsurgency. Endorsing phony “peace process.”

— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 18, 2021

This is what it looked like. The very definition of a chaotic exit.

There is an Afghan joke – the hardest task is to get Afghans to wait in an orderly que. Kabul, Airport, North Gate. #AfghanEvac #kabulairport pic.twitter.com/0IaUD0dOik

— Matt Zeller (@mattczeller) August 18, 2021

So again, to Joe Biden, what are you doing to help and resolve this situation?