Admiral Kirby's Response to Americans Stranded in Afghanistan? "Americans Get Stranded… All The Time"

On October 7, 2001 the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan, in response to the terror attacks of 9/11. Today, August 31, 2021 – nearly 20 years later – the U.S. has no presence in Afghanistan. In fact, the only Americans left in Afghanistan are abandoned Americans.

To take us down memory lane, let’s not forget President Biden stating over and over again that he was committed to making sure our troops stayed in Afghanistan until we got all of the Americans out:

We will rescue the Americans. . . . I think you are going to see they’re going to get out. Any American who wants to get home will get home. . . . I have instructed the military, whatever they need, if they need additional force, I will grant it. . . . Our priority in Kabul is getting American citizens out of the country as quickly and safely as possible. . . . If there are American citizens left, we are going to stay until we get them all out.

It is safe to say that mission is incomplete and inexcusable. Americans were indeed left behind.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki about a week ago was extremely hesitant to call it like it is and use the word stranded. In a press briefing, she replied to a reporter clarifying this word:

First of all, I think it’s irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not. We are committed to bringing Americans who want to come home – home. We are in touch with them via phone, via text, via email, via any way we can possibly reach Americans to get them home if they want to return home. 

Sec. Psaki added:

I am just calling you [the reporter] out for saying that when we are stranding Americans in Afghanistan when we have been very clear saying that we are not leaving Americans who want to return home, we are going to bring them home, and I think that’s it’s important for the American public to hear and understand.

However, the Press Secretary for the Pentagon John Kirby has openly admitted that these Americans are stranded. When he was asked how diplomacy will be enough to get Americans out of Afghanistan, he responded: 

It’s not completely unlike the way we do it elsewhere around the world. We have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time and we do everything we can to try to facilitate safe passage.

Since when are Americans stuck stranded in various countries? To make matters worse, the U.S. is the one responsible for stranding them.

Finally, the truth came out and Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the number of Americans who are outright abandoned in Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban when he said:

We believe there are still a small number of Americans, under 200 and likely closer to 100, who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave. We’re trying to determine exactly how many. We’re going through manifests and calling and texting through our lists. And we’ll have more details to share as soon as possible.

Those 100-200 people who want to leave have told the U.S. government they want to leave and they can’t. The U.S. government has abandoned them, and now they are left in harm’s way with terrorists. 

ACLJ Senior Counsel Andy Ekonomou summed it up best:

We have poured 83 billion dollars’ worth of equipment into this campaign in the 20-year duration that it has existed. You’re going to leave and you’re going to make a decision. It has been made by the President to leave. But you should have a plan of action for an orderly withdrawal instead of the chaos we saw. And you certainly never never ever strand and leave Americans who want to leave behind, saying well we will get to them through diplomacy. Who are you talking about having diplomacy with? The Taliban? A vowed terrorist? People who execute people who cut their heads off and display it on television? You are going to negotiate with them about the return of the 200 or so and you don’t even know how many it is. . . . You should’ve known this number . . . when you made this decision. Not simply silly willy saying we're withdrawing and then the rest of it will work out through diplomacy with a group of people who are known terrorists. This is an outrage.

We have abandoned Americans behind enemy lines. There has to be accountability for the Biden Administration. This cannot be forgotten. We’ve just filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to hold this Administration accountable for their failure of a withdrawal strategy from Afghanistan and the Americans that were left behind as a result of it.

 Today’s full Sekulow broadcast is complete with even more analysis of President Biden’s abandonment of Americans in Afghanistan.

Watch the full broadcast below.