Newsweek Editor Makes His Ridiculous Argument About American Hostages in Afghanistan Even Worse

We’ve been reporting on the hostage standoff that’s been going on for more than six days in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan where the Taliban are not letting several planes leave. The planes are supposed to take out hundreds of SIVs and at least 142 Americans who are waiting in nearby locations.

We reported how disgusting it was that this situation stemmed from the State Department not clearing the planes right away and that now the Taliban was allegedly trying to hold up the U.S. for something as part of the negotiation to let the planes and the people leave.

Now, for most Americans the focus of the situation would be on getting their fellow Americans and out of the clutches of the hold of the Taliban.

But a Newsweek editor seemed upset that Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and other Americans were referring to it as a “hostage situation.” It seems obvious that when they wouldn’t let you leave and are reportedly trying to bargain for something to let you leave, that’s the very definition of a “hostage situation.” But not to Naveed Jamali, as we reported earlier. He was upset that anyone used the term hostage and tried to claim it wasn’t really a hostage situation, it was just the Taliban hadn’t granted clearance for the planes to leave. Yeah, no.

But Jamali wouldn’t let it go and continued to argue the point.

Also the PLANES are being denied clearance, not the PEOPLE. Yes that is a pretty big distinction.

— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) September 6, 2021

Actually, there’s no distinction at all.

Jamali even tried to suggest that calling them “hostage” was somehow being disrespectful to the one American hostage believed kidnapped by the Haqqani network early in 2020, Mark Frerichs.

When @RepMcCaul said the Taliban was holding hostages by stopping flights from leaving, he minimized an actual US hostage the Taliban has been holding for 2 years, and whom the US and his sister are trying to see returned. https://t.co/uqVfIX7FVO

— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) September 6, 2021

Yikes, is that a bad take. But thank you for reminding everyone that Biden left Frerichs behind too, without another thought.

But Jamali had a worse take. He suggested they weren’t hostages because they could travel overland, they didn’t have to fly by planes. And he even tried this argument out on Jesse Kelly.

Dear conservatives who don’t understand that Kam Air’s 6 aircraft are not the primary mode of travel out of Afghanistan: I present you evidence. https://t.co/lOouykTEdM

— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) September 6, 2021

When you don’t understand that air travel isn’t the only way out of Afghanistan. 👇🏽 https://t.co/VlLGQG3e6u

— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) September 6, 2021

Uh huh, hundreds of people overland through hundreds of miles of enemy territory with the Taliban going door to door looking for people and killing allies. You might be able to do it at great risk with a smaller group, but hundreds of people, many of them women, would be virtually impossible, at least as one group.

In any event, how does that change that the Taliban aren’t letting their planes leave? Of course that’s just a deflection.

People just couldn’t believe the shilling from Jamali.

They’re not allowed to fly out. Instead, they should travel the roads of a country that just had a coup and is currently fighting a bloody civil war.

Be honest about something cause I’ve always wondered this. Do you ever have a moment when you’re grossed out by what you do? https://t.co/wLJd1bPaD5

— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) September 6, 2021