Reader’s Links for August 16, 2021

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

85 Replies to “Reader’s Links for August 16, 2021”

  1. Afghans climbing over plane tyres #Afghans #taliban #Afghanistan #kabulairport #latestkabul #shorts
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_XscWkVK2g

    Taliban Terror: People seen running behind plane
    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x83fzw3

    Panic in Kabul: Three stowaways ‘fall to their deaths from plane’ and five others are killed at airport as increasingly desperate Afghans climb on MOVING US Air Force plane and storm airbridges as they try to flee from Taliban
    At least five people have been killed at Kabul airport as thousands desperately try to flee Afghanistan
    Three stowaways reported to have fallen to their deaths after clinging to the wheels of an evacuation flight
    US troops fired warning shots in to prevent hundreds of civilians running onto the tarmac Monday morning
    To ‘avoid bloodshed’, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday night as the insurgents closed in
    Airport is the main point of evacuations out of Afghanistan, but all non-military flights have been grounded
    Taliban officials said they had received no reports of any clashes anywhere in the country, and declared peace
    The group controlled 90 percent of state buildings and fighters were told to prevent damage, an official said
    Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for Taliban’s political office: ‘Thanks to God, the war is over in the country’
    EU said foreign ministers would hold crisis talks on Tuesday as member states seek to evacuate their citizens
    Government forces collapsed without the support of the US military, which invaded in 2001 after 9/11 attacks
    The United States ultimately failed to build a democratic government capable of withstanding the Taliban
    WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9897201/Terror-Kabul-airport-Troops-fire-shots-air-desperate-Afghans-climb-airbridges.html

    • CNN: “Where’s The President?,” “No Indications That Pres. Biden Is Going To Address The Nation”

    • b>twitter @AKudej25

      CNN – Yesterday vs today

      https://twitter.com/AKudej25/status/1427225502817861632

      ============================

      CNN – Clarissa Ward describes life inside Taliban’s Afghanistan

      CNN’s Clarissa Ward describes life inside Afghanistan’s capital Kabul as Taliban fighters swarm the streets after entering the city’s presidential palace after former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

      https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/08/16/taliban-afghanistan-take-over-ward-pkg-newday-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/afghanistan-falls-to-the-taliban/

    • World must unite to combat ‘global terrorist threat’ in Afghanistan: UN chief

      António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, briefs the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan

    • Afghan citizens return home as border-crossing with Pakistan reopens

      Afghan citizens were seen returning to their home country through the Chaman-Bab-e-Dosti border crossing as Pakistan re-opened it following negotiations with the Taliban.

    • Families Storm Hamid Karzai International Airport amid Taliban soldiers shooting in the air

    • NEW INDIAN EXPRESS – UNSC calls for establishment of new, united, inclusive Afghanistan government; will carry on humanitarian efforts even after Taliban takeover

      The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting convened for the second time on the situation in war-torn Afghanistan in just over 10 days under India’s current UNSC Presidency.

      UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Monday called for the establishment through inclusive negotiations of a new, united, inclusive and representative government in Afghanistan with full women participation as it reaffirmed the need to ensure that the Taliban or any other Afghan group should not support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country.

      The 15-nation Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban took control, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and chaos, uncertainty and tragedy unfolded on the streets and at the airport as thousands tried to flee the ravaged nation.

      The Council meeting on Afghanistan was the second in just over 10 days, held under India’s current Presidency of the powerful UN body.

      After the meeting, Council members, in a statement, called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and “the establishment, through inclusive negotiations, of a new government that is united, inclusive and representative, including with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.” 🙂 🙂 🙂

      The Security Council members “reaffirmed the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan to ensure the territory of Afghanistan should not be used to threaten or attack any country, and that neither the Taliban nor any other Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country.”

      The Council members also called for an immediate end to the violence in Afghanistan, the restoration of security, civil and constitutional order, and urgent talks to resolve the current crisis of authority in the country and to arrive at a peaceful settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process of national reconciliation.

      Addressing the UNSC meeting, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the international community must be united and utilise all available instruments to ensure that “we must speak with one voice to uphold human rights in Afghanistan.”

      The Security Council statement underlined that institutional continuity and adherence to Afghanistan’s international obligations, as well as the safety and security of all Afghan and international citizens, must be ensured.

      The Council underscored that a sustainable end to the conflict in Afghanistan can only be achieved through an inclusive, just, durable and realistic political settlement that upholds human rights, including for women, children and minorities.

      India’s Permanent Representative to the UN and President of the Council for the month Ambassador T S Tirumurti, speaking in his personal capacity, said that as a neighbour of Afghanistan and a friend to its people, the current situation prevailing in the country is of “great concern to us in India.”

      “There are many unanswered questions We also hope that there is an inclusiv dispensation which represents all sections of Afghan society. Voices of Afghan women, aspirations of Afghan children and the rights of minorities must be respected. A broader representation would help the arrangement gain more acceptability and legitimacy,” Tirumurti said.

      The Council also expressed deep concern about the number of reported serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses in communities affected by the ongoing armed conflict across the country, and stressed the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice.

      They underscored the particular situation of vulnerability of humanitarian and medical personnel, interpreters and other international service providers.

      Reiterating their support to the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Council emphasised the importance of the safety and security of UN personnel as well as of diplomatic and consular personnel of UN member states.

      The members of the Security Council also called on strengthened efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, and on all parties to allow immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for UN humanitarian agencies and other humanitarian actors providing assistance, including across conflict lines, to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches all those in need.

      US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called on “all parties to prevent terrorism, and we must all ensure Afghanistan cannot ever, ever again be a base for terrorism.

      UK Ambassador to the UN James Kariuki said that the Taliban had pledged at Doha to engage in the peace talks in good faith but their “actions on the ground betrayed that promise.”

      China told the Council it hoped the Taliban in Afghanistan will unite with all parties and ethnic groups in the country “to establish a broad and inclusive political structure that suits its national conditions in order to lay the foundation to achieve lasting peace in the country.”

      Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing also spoke out in support of Pakistan’s request to speak at the Council meeting on Afghanistan and expressed regret that Islamabad was not allowed to participate in the meeting.

      “A few Council members said in their statement that they wish to see that a greater role is played by Afghan’s neighbours and neighbouring countries. We learnt that some regional countries and Afghan’s neighbours had made requests to participate in today’s meeting. It is regrettable that their requests were not granted,” Dai said.

      Reiterating their support to the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Council emphasised the importance of the safety and security of UN personnel as well as of diplomatic and consular personnel of UN member states.

      Addressing a virtual conference organised by Jerusalem-based non-profit organisation Media Central, Col.Richard Kemp, a former British Commander who led troops on the front lines of some of the world’s toughest hotspots, including Afghanistan and Iraq, said “Pakistan created the Taliban, funded the Taliban and supported the Taliban”.

      The brutal war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on Kabul before entering the city and taking over the presidential palace, forcing embattled President Ashraf Ghani to join fellow citizens and foreigners to flee the country.

      “Taliban would not have been able to sustain for 20 years without Pakistan’s support or carry out the campaign that they did or secure victory without it”, Kemp said.

      Yet, he cautioned that “the existence of a Jihadist state next door will also present great dangers to Pakistan”.

      “One of the biggest threats we considered during the Afghanistan campaign, or the threat of Taliban winning, was the potential for them taking over control, or getting access to some of the nuclear facilities or nuclear weapons facilities in Pakistan”, the former British commander said.

      This possibility arises from a highly complex relationship between the Pakistan government, the Taliban, the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, Al Qaeda and other Jihadists within Pakistan, he explained.

      “That’s the significant threat that shouldn’t be forgotten — of terrorists getting armed with nuclear material. I am not suggesting that they will necessarily use them as nuclear missiles but the material itself could be used to weaponise Taliban or Jihadists in Afghanistan”, Kemp explained.

      The former British army officer also accused Iran, China and Russia of supporting the Taliban while describing India as a possible constructive player in the region which is likely to be kept out of the developments.

      “Iran has also played a significant role in funding and equipping the Taliban and has directly contributed to this victory. They supported, assisted, funded and armed Jihadists, particularly to run the campaign to kill the US and British forces in Afghanistan”, Kemp alleged.

      He said China paid the Taliban to chase and kill rebel leaders and said that it would now look to “plunder” Afghanistan’s resources.

      “India is probably the only regional player that can play a constructive role in Afghanistan but is likely to be kept out by both Pakistan and China”, the former British commander said.

      “Russia and China will use Afghanistan as a weapon against the West, particularly the US”, Kemp said.

      Arguing that the “unconditional withdrawal” of the American troops made the current outcome in Afghanistan almost “predictable and guaranteed”, Kemp said the expedited withdrawal of the US forces by the President Joe Biden administration made the outcome even more swift.

      The decision to withdraw forces dampened the spirits of the Afghanistan government, whose forces already had an allegiance issue, made worse by corruption and irregular payment of soldiers, the Colonel said.

      The British commander also raised concerns that the development could lead to refugee problems that can come knocking at Europe’s door eventually and opined that he had no doubts that Afghanistan would go back to “dark, aggressive and violent rule like before” as the new lot was “nothing different than 2001”.

      Taliban’s return in Afghanistan would embolden Jihadists across the globe and Afghanistan would become a safe haven for them, he contended.

      Rubbishing Biden’s claims that one of the main reasons for the American troops withdrawal was to counter China and Russia, Kempt argued that it will “actually have the opposite effect”.

      The Jihadists would perceive the US as weaker and it would embolden them to go against the West and the US in particular.

      Also the countries we (the West) were hoping would come to our side would ask questions about our reliability, he said.

      “It will undermine the US’ prestige”, he concluded.

      Brig.Gen.(res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, an Israeli intelligence and security expert who has in the past served as the head of the research division in the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Division, and was Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs, argued on similar lines, stressing that American allies in the Middle East, including Israel, would find it difficult to rely on Washington’s assurances and the important lesson for them would be to focus on building their own capability to counter threats.

      “Taliban would not have been able to sustain for 20 years without Pakistan’s support or carry out the campaign that they did or secure victory without it”, Kemp said.

      https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/aug/16/unsc-calls-for-establishment-of-new-united-inclusiveafghanistan-government-will-carry-on-humanitaria-2345591.html
      =========================================
      JUST IN: U.N. Security Council on Taliban takeover of Afghanistan:

      “The members of the Security Council called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and the establishment, through inclusive negotiations, of a new government that is united, inclusive and representative.”

      https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1427344104812392452/photo/1

      ==================================================
      Afghanistan: Permanent Representative of Afghanistan addresses the Security Council

      • U.N. Chief: We Must Not ‘Abandon’ Afghanistan, Urges Taliban To ‘Protect Lives’

      • Norway and Estonia on the situation in Afghanistan

        The DPR of Norway, Mr Odd-Inge Kvalheim, delivered a joint statement on behalf of the penholders Norway and Estonia, together with the DPR of Estonia, Mr Andre Lipand on the situation in Afghanistan.

      • Pakistan tells UN it’s ready to accept Taliban-rule in Afghanistan | UNSC meeting on Afghanistan

    • CHANNEL PR4VD4 – Afghanistan: Several people reported killed at Kabul airport as Afghans try to flee Taliban takeover

      It’s a chilling image – dozens of people so desperate to escape Afghanistan that they cling to a US plane as it moves along the runway.

      At least five have been killed in the chaos at Kabul’s airport, now one of the only places not under Taliban control. Elsewhere in the country, the UN says it’s been getting “chilling reports” of human rights abuses as the Taliban takes power.

    • U.K. Troops Evacuate Eligible Afghans From Kabul for British Resettlement

      Britain’s Ministry of Defence released images showing the evacuation on Sunday of Afghan civilians en route to the UK.

      The images released on Monday showed a group of Afghans who were eligible to come to Britain under the government’s fast-track resettlement scheme that aims to help those who are seen as under threat from the Taliban because of their link with the UK.

      British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who served as a captain in the Scots Guard before entering politics in the late 1990s, has in recent days voiced regret at the sudden seizure of Afghanistan by Taliban militants.

      Wallace last week authorized the deployment of another 600 British troops to Afghanistan to help in the evacuation of the 4,000 or so U.K. nationals and Afghan allies who have helped over the past 20 years.

      The first flight of British nationals and embassy staff arrived at RAF Brize Norton, around 75 miles (120 kilometres) northwest of London, on Sunday night.

    • JULY 2021 – Hamid Karzai: US troops in Afghanistan has been ‘disastrous’

      Afghanistan’s former president says the presence of US troops in his country has contributed to the growth of terrorism and ISIS.

      Hamid Karzai said the West had failed in accomplishing its goals in the country because it ignored the wishes of Afghans.

    • Gov. Hogan says Maryland’s ready to accept Afghan refugees as Kabul falls further into the Taliban’s

    • ctv news – Trudeau: 500 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada

      Trudeau responds to the conflict in Afghanistan and how Canada will help aid refugees.

    • Nicolle D Wallace: 95% of the American people will agree with everything Biden just said.

    • Retired army colonel accuses Pentagon leadership of lying to Americans

      Retired Army Colonel Doug MacGregor discusses collapse of Afghanistan, arguing he ‘can’t think of anything worse’ on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’

  2. It’s a bit late for that, mr Johnson.. (see 8:15)

    Johnson says Afghanistan must not ‘become breeding ground for terror’ | Taliban in Kabul |World News

  3. Harrowing footage, a stowaway falling from a plane in Afghanistan.

    How People are Climbing to US Air Force C-17 Plane at Kabul Airport

  4. SGT Report – August 15, 2021
    Dr. Samuel White joins me from the UK to warn the world about the draconian and tyrannical push for mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports – a push Dr. White is actively fighting to stop, and he’s being targeted for destruction for daring to do so.
    https://www.bitchute.com/video/Mkl0XZGOL8VN/

  5. Moderna’s president on booster shots for immunocompromised

    Dr. Stephen Hoge, Moderna’s president, says COVID-19 vaccines are ‘really effective,’ but notes that the Delta variant ‘poses a substantial threat to all of the vaccines’ and the durability of immunity.

    + comments on the YT page

    • NYT – U.S. to Advise Boosters for Most Americans 8 Months After Vaccination

      Nursing home residents and health care workers will most likely be the first to get booster shots, as soon as September, followed by other older people who were vaccinated last winter.

      WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has decided that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster vaccination eight months after they received their second shot, and could begin offering third shots as early as mid- to late September, according to administration officials familiar with the discussions.

      Officials are planning to announce the administration’s decision as early as this week. Their goal is to let Americans who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines know now that they will need additional protection against the Delta variant that is causing caseloads to surge across the nation. The new policy will depend on the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of additional shots.

      Officials said they expect that recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorized as a one-dose regimen, will also require an additional dose. But they are waiting for the results of that firm’s two-dose clinical trial, expected later this month.

      The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents and health care workers, followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received.

      Among other worrisome signals, Biden administration officials are particularly concerned about data from Israel suggesting that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s protection against severe disease has fallen significantly for elderly people who were vaccinated in January or February.

      Some administration officials have viewed Israel as a kind of template for the United States because it started vaccinating its population sooner. Israel has almost exclusively used the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and it has a nationalized health care system that allows it to systematically track patients.

      The latest data from Israel, posted on the government’s website on Monday, shows what some experts describe as continued erosion of the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine over time — both against mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 infections in general and against severe disease among the elderly.

      https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/us/vaccination-booster-shots.html

      =========================================

      CBS – US To Recommend COVID Vaccine Boosters At 8 Months

      U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans.

    • Deutsche Pravda – Are booster jabs unfair to poorer nations in need of vaccinations?

      Studies show the protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines may fade over time.
      That’s why Germany has announced a booster jab campaign.

      The UK and France too. Israel is already going ahead.

      But the World Health Organisation says supplies should go to poorer countries.

      Is a third vaccination dose in wealthy nations really justified?

      There’s clearly vast inequality in the way coronavirus vaccines have so far been distributed around the world.

      While many wealthy nations have jabbed more than half of their populations, billions of people in poorer nations are unprotected.

      In Kenya, less than three percent of the population has been even partially vaccinated against Covid-19.

      In Africa, poorer nations are fighting a double-edged sword: The rapid spread of the highly infectious delta variant and lack of immunizations.

  6. Deutche Pravda – George W. Bush reflects on Angela Merkel’s legacy

    ( 27 min )

    “Merkel brought class and dignity to a very important position and made very hard decisions. She did what’s best for Germany, and did so based upon principle,” former U.S. President George W. Bush said in an interview with DW Washington Bureau Chief Ines Pohl ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s farewell visit to the White House on Thursday, July 15.

    The interview at the Bush family’s summer home in Maine was conducted as part of the DW documentary “Angela Merkel?– Navigating a World in Crisis,” which will be published on our DW Documentary YouTube channel in September, shortly before the federal elections which will determine Merkel’s succession.

  7. Apostate prophet explains that the Taliban could take over Afghanistan so quickly because the majority *wants* an emirate, wants sharia, wants to be ruled by the Taliban:

    The Taliban’s Conquest of Afghanistan