Tragic Testimony

| March 9, 2023


U.S. Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews

“During and After the Fall of Kabul: Examining the Administration’s Emergency Evacuation from Afghanistan.”

The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee held its first hearing Wednesday on the United States’ precipitous troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, “One of the worst foreign policy failures in American history.”

On the panel is a U.S. Marine who was deployed there during the chaotic withdrawal in August 2021 and was badly injured in the subsequent IED blast. His testimony is devastating.

Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews recounted to the Committee how his team deployed to Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, and were tracking a man who intelligence officers believed was a suicide bomber “throughout the entirety” of the day leading up to the explosion.

Poetrooper sends.

Marine Sniper: I Was Denied Permission to Take Out Kabul Airport Suicide Bomber

Spencer Brown

After many long months without oversight or accountability for President Joe Biden’s disastrous and deadly withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the House of Representatives’ Republican majority is finally doing what the preceding Democrat majority never did: hearing from those whose lives were forever changed on the front lines of the chaos in Afghanistan at the end of two decades of U.S. involvement.

Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a sergeant in the United States Marines, was in Kabul as the Biden administration’s haphazard withdrawal took place. He was at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) watching the chaos unfold, and he was one of the hundreds of individual wounded when a suicide bomber attacked one of the airport’s gates where hundreds of individuals were waiting to be screened for evacuation.

In an emotional opening statement to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Vargas-Andrews told his story, one that the Biden administration never highlighted and Democrats in Congress apparently didn’t want on the record.

On August 26, 2021, Vargas-Andrews was in position at HKIA when he noticed suspicious individuals outside the gate to the airport as thousands of people were attempting to flee Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban, fearful for the future and what retribution anyone who’d helped American forces over the previous twenty years would face.

“I requested engagement authority when my team leader was ready on the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System,” Vargas-Andrews said, testifying in his personal capacity. “The response: leadership did not have the engagement authority for us — do not engage.”

Townhall

The hearing comes seven months after the committee’s then Republican minority published an interim report examining the withdrawal, characterizing it as a “strategic failure” and criticizing the administration for not adequately preparing for the Taliban takeover. The white House responded to that report stating it was “riddled with inaccurate characterizations, cherry-picked information, and false claims.”

These falsehoods and inaccuracies were not actually identified by White House reps. ISIS terrorist Abdul Rahman al Logari, who had been freed from prison at the abandoned Bagram Airfield when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, detonated the bomb that killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians.

Category: Afghanistan

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Friend

I am not a crier but reading the story brought me to tears…God bless our military service members…

KoB

Would be nice if there is full exposure to the nefarious activities of the domestic enemies of our Republic, but as past history has shown us, the UniParty will protect its own. How much more evidence is needed? “…at this point, what difference does it make…”

Fed up yet?

USAF_Rigger

Long since fed up with them. Long since.

ninja

“Gold Star Moms Enraged After Wounded Marine’s Shocking Testimony On Kabul Suicide Bombing”

https://www.foxnews.com/media/gold-star-moms-enraged-wounded-marines-shocking-testimony-kabul-suicide-bombing

“US. Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who was wounded while he was stationed at Kabul’s Abbey Gate, gave tearful testimony claiming he was never explicitly granted permission to shoot a suspected ISIS member.”

“Pointedly, we asked him for engagement authority and permission,” Vargas-Andrews told the committee. “We asked him if we could shoot. Our battalion commander said, and I quote, I don’t know, end quote. Myself and my team we asked very harshly, ‘Well, who does?’ Because this is your responsibility, sir. He again replied he did not know, but would find out. We received no update and never got our answer. Eventually, the individual disappeared.”

“To this day, we believe he was a suicide bomber,” he continued.”

“Two Gold Star mothers, Shana Chappell and Paula Knauss Selph, reacted to the emotionally-charged testimony on “Fox & Friends First.”

“Chappell and Selph both demanded accountability from the Biden administration for the chaotic exit that took the lives of their children.”

“After listening to everybody talk, I’m hoping that we do actually get some type of accountability… I don’t get my hopes up too much because . . . I don’t want to make this political, so I just don’t get my hopes up too much,” Chappell said.”

“Strohmier then asked her what accountability would look like.”

“This administration being removed,” she replied.”

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timactual

“This administration being removed,” she replied.”

Why? Did Biden or anyone in the Biden administration deny permission to shoot?

11B-Mailclerk

Yup. Because, you know, the thing he is, is CinC. Thus owns it.

timactual

I have heard that theory. Just another version of “passing the buck”, except uphill. Wish I had thought of that when I was in the Army; blame my CO or any other superior I disliked for my screwups.

5JC

Like I said, they shouldn’t have been there. As soon as Biden made his own plan he owned it. But the leftist media will never hold him accountable for any of his idiocy.

5JC

As usual the leftist media cares not when their boy is threatened. Close and ranks and protect the Dims is all that matters. Defecate on everyone else.

ninja

Never Forget.

Rest In Peace.

Salute.

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SFC D

My anger over the abandonment of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul had subsided over time.

It’s back. Fuck Joe Biden and all his enablers, those in his family and in government.

KoB

I’ll just stick this right here…for…reasons…

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KoB

And this one right here…jus’ sayin’

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KoB

Taken from the headlines “Trainwreck”

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Steve1371

And he doesn’t work for us.

timactual

Well, you had better fuck Donald Trump et al., too. It was him,after all, who began the withdrawal and implemented a good part of it. Trump also, by the way, castigated Biden for delaying the withdrawal past Trump’s May end date.

11B-Mailclerk

Yup. Trump had a plan to do it, including addressing all the gear. Biden fucked it all up. Bigly.

Biden owns this.

timactual

“Trump had a plan to do it, including addressing all the gear”

Show me.

5JC

Trump was right. If they had left, nobody would have died.

On July 8th 2021 Biden said they HAD to do it the way he did to save American lives. In fact the opposite was true. Him dragging his feet allowed the Taliban to point to the US violating the agreement and gave them time to rally and conduct an offensive.

Biden was, is and remains forever a moron.

timactual

“Trump was right. If they had left, nobody would have died.”

???
Who is “they”?

Biden is, indeed, a moron. Also a liar, bully, etc. Holding him solely responsible for the Afghan withdrawal, however, is just silly (to be polite).

USMC Steve

Not even close. There was an actual plan there, that was being adhered to. Right up to the point where that socialist democrat mental midget took over and ratfucked it all to hell.

We get that you are a never Trumper. See a shrink about that by the way.

timactual

“There was an actual plan there,”

Show me. And if there was a plan, who exactly created this plan? Trump himself? The Whitehouse staff? Who, exactly decided to place the sole evacuation point from A’stan within walking distance of 4,000,000+ wannabe refugees? What was the Trump plan (and who created it) for extricating the rear guard from that airfield?

“We get that you are a never Trumper…”

You get shit. Typical. Anyone who dares contradict the “it’s Biden’s fault!” narrative is, of course, a rat-fink-commie-pinko-never-Trump-dumbass. I can only envy your keen analytic skills and unsurpassed knowledge of the commenters and comments on this site.

SFC D

Trump’s plan, good or bad, became irrelevant after Joe’s inauguration. Swing and a miss there.

timactual

” became irrelevant”

Why? Surely the military minions tasked to execute that plan didn’t burn all the copies of it and flush their memories, did they?

And, as you probably know, the term “Trump’s plan” is not technically accurate. He, the commander, may have given an order, but we all know it was subordinates at lower levels in the Chain of Command who actually created and executed the plans (plural) necessary to carry out that order.

Twist

Trump’s plan had an out. If the peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan Government failed then the withdraw agreement became null and void. The peace talks failed yet Biden kept us in the withdraw agreement. This is 100% on Biden.

timactual

“yet Biden kept us in the withdraw agreement.”

And Trump did too, while he was still in office. He even criticized Biden for not sticking to the May deadline after he left office–in April or May, I think.

Anonymous

Same ol’ stuff, different day:
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Last edited 1 year ago by Anonymous
Hatchet

Take Heart America. Canada did the same thing, it was just a..much quieter debacle.

timactual

I am still puzzled about why the withdrawal was “precipitous” when it took over a year to plan and implement.

5JC

I know you are puzzled.

When you change a plan suddenly without good reason and violate an agreement with an enemy you enter into dangerous ground.

poetrooper

What is even more puzzling, Tim, is why you’re defending that whole clusterfuck, one of, if not the worst, retrograde operations in American military history.

Please tell us what it is about it you find so admirable… 🤔 

5JC

Worse than Chosin? TF Faith? Doubtful.

It was bad though, but it could have been a lot worse, no thanks to demento.

poetrooper

Poe knew someone would bring up Korea and the multiple retrograde operations there, which is why he qualified his statement with “one of, if not the worst”.

Afghanistan, in terms of lives lost, of course not: Afghanistan in terms of equipment lost, assuredly; (yeah, I know, after WWII we left countless billions in equipment scattered around the globe but that was the result of a worldwide victory, not a capitulation.

Afghanistan in terms of national prestige and pride lost, not even close. The Korean operations were considered honorable and Chosin subsequently became a source of national pride and military lore.

Poe just doesn’t see that somehow happening with Joe Biden’s Beat Feat. EVAH… 🙄 

5JC

Corregidor and especially Bataan were much worse than Chosin. But we did annihilate the Japanese Empire in the end.

There was absolutely nothing good about the way we left Afghanistan, other than leaving, which we should have done back in 2011. I guess we had not destroyed enough of the US economy yet. Instead we spent a trillion dollars and nine years there for what exactly? If Trump had never been elected we probably would STILL be there.

timactual

“There was absolutely nothing good about the way we left Afghanistan, other than leaving,”

What?!?!
A moment of agreement?
I guess you are not all bad.

timactual

“the multiple retrograde operations there,”

LOL
I love me some good euphemism.

“Afghanistan in terms of equipment lost,…”

I don’t see how that loss could have been avoided unless you wished to leave the our Afghans armed and equipped with only some used AK-47s, a few used Toyota pickups, and even lower morale. The outcome was going to be the same, Trump or Biden, if we withdrew; we had lost, we were losing, we lost. The whole situation was a clusterfuck, not just the withdrawal.

timactual

Hell’s bells, fella. The withdrawal by the Marines from the Chosin area is gold-plated exemplar of good military leadership, discipline, courage, and competence. From Division level down, anyway.

Had the same level of competence, etc. been present at the same command levels in A’stan the withdrawal would have been a success.

timactual

*sigh*
I am not now, nor have I ever supported the way the withdrawal was executed. What I have been repeating for months now is that Biden does not bear exclusive responsibility for the Afghan clusterfuck. I agree completely that Biden, uh, lacks certain qualities desirable in a President, but even a superman in the Presidency could not accomplished a withdrawal by himself. The lower level military and diplomatic subordinates who were tasked to develop and carry out the withdrawal plans bear at least a significant part of the responsibility for the unsatisfactory outcome.

Biden did not make the plans for the security of the Kabul airport or its designation as the sole evacuation point. That decision was, no doubt, made by senior military officers.

I have read comments here commenting unfavorably on the micromanaging of military operations by civilians, operation Rolling Thunder being one example. Now, suddenly, micromanaging military operations seems to be a requirement and premier responsibility of our civilian President. Seems a bit inconsistent to me.

timactual

“not adequately preparing for the Taliban takeover.”

But I thought the Taliban was defeated, along with Al Qaeda. Why should anyone prepare for a takeover by a defeated enemy?

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

Is that you, Komrade Kommisar Lars?

Last edited 1 year ago by President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande
5JC

You are dumb thinking that then. Nobody ever said the Taliban were defeated.

USMC Steve

Naw, just another never Trumper who refuses to get help for it.

timactual

Some of you folks just have no reading comprehension or memory of what you have read. Truly impressive.

SFC D

Radical Islam will never be defeated. Ideologies aren’t defeated in the way nations are. They’re like viruses. Never completely eradicated, always lurking.

timactual

Yes. I know, and have said the same in several places for a number of years now. And it ain’t just “radical” Islam.

Blaster

It was hard to defeat them when they ran back across the Pakistan border every night.

Have you ever been to Afghanistan? It would seem not, judging by your assessment of the Taliban. I have 2.5 deployments there, and while I my no expert, I feel like I have a fairly good understanding of the country and the people.

There was also the problem of the rampant corruption of the Afghan government at all levels, both National and local. Hard t beat an unseen enemy that makes money and gets commitment from a people that will sell their own children for a $. The Taliban (religious ideology) would/will never be beaten, but we did a damn fine job of managing/containing their ability to operate.

BTW, the war in Afghanistan was going on for years when DJT took office. Does Obama hold any blame on your eyes? I was there under him and Trump. Seemed a little better to me under Trump, but you know what they say about opinions!

timactual

No, I have never been to A’stan.
Yes, I am (and have been) aware of the terrain, cultural, and other difficulties.
Yes, I am aware that we have been stuck in that quagmire since the Bush administration, and all share the blame.
No, I don’t think you get sarcasm.

Wireman611

The second we let politicians and lawyers conduct a war, we have lost. IMHO I believe this.

Anonymous

Covering one’s ass is more important than doing one’s job then, as shown by the senior twerp who required his permission to engage and then wouldn’t give it.

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

This top-down decision approach is what eventually led to the German Army’s downfall and defeat during WWII.
No leadership could make independent decisions based on the situation on the ground right there/right then.
The leadership had to pass their Questions up the chain of command, then wait for the proper leader to pass their answer back down again. By then, everything had changed, and the answer was irrelevant.
And heaven help any officer that thought and acted independently……

Such is dictatorship authoritarianism.

Sound familiar in today’s political partisan US military?

Don’t forget Sodamn Insane– his forces got their ass kicked for the same reason.

Exhibit A–the Normandy invasion. The staff was afraid to wake Hitler that morning.

“No leadership could make independent decisions”

In this case I think it’s more a matter of
No leadership could would make independent decisions.

Animal

Motherfuckers.