{"id":241481,"date":"2021-08-26T05:55:49","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T05:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=241481"},"modified":"2021-08-27T06:53:14","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T06:53:14","slug":"this-is-a-massive-f-up-team-organizing-private-flights-out-of-afghanistan-says-biden-admin-has-been-an-impediment-to-their-evacuations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=241481","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This Is A Massive F*** Up\u2019: Team Organizing Private Flights Out Of Afghanistan Says Biden Admin Has Been An \u2018Impediment\u2019 To Their Evacuations"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Jennie Taer \u2013 The Free Press Aug 23, 2021<\/strong><\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A team coordinating privately chartered flights out of Afghanistan exclusively told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they\u2019ve received no support from the Biden administration in trying to get Americans and vulnerable Afghans out of the country and that it\u2019s been an \u2018impediment\u2019 to their efforts.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Former Republican Virginia Congressman Scott Taylor described the lack of support from the administration as \u201cfrustrating\u201d and \u201ca massive fuck up.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Robert Stryk and Taylor are leading the effort and have received thousands of requests from those desperate to escape Afghanistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Biden administration has been an \u201cimpediment\u201d to a private effort to get people out of Afghanistan, Robert Stryk, who is arranging privately chartered flights to get Americans and vulnerable Afghans out of the country, exclusively told the Daily Caller News Foundation Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Brits and South Africans have been fucking awesome and heroic in getting people through the Mil Gate,\u201d Stryk told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Stryk, whose Washington-based lobbying firm was in 2017\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/efile.fara.gov\/docs\/6399-Supplemental-Statement-20180129-2.pdf\">paid<\/a>\u00a0by the government of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/20\/joe-biden-mental-fitness-republicans-jim-banks-elise-stefanik\/\">Afghanistan<\/a>\u00a0for \u201cUS Government affairs and commercial sector advice. Executive Branch and Legislative Branch Engagement; Defense consultation; strategic advice pertaining to extremism\/terrorism; and promotion of democracy and foreign direct investment,\u201d said he had reached out to the administration \u201cdozens and dozens\u201d of times and had yet to hear back.<\/p>\n<p>After reaching out to the White House, Stryk said he received a response acknowledging the request but got no follow up. Stryk said he started reaching out to the administration on Aug. 14.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I am witnessing everyday is the very best and the very worst of America,\u201d Stryk explained. \u201cI have seen the humanity of private citizens who are contacting me and pledging their time, monies, and in some cases their lives to bring our citizens and these Afghan patriots out of harm\u2019s way, while at the time personally experiencing the Biden administration\u2019s abject failure to protect its citizens and those Afghans that fought and worked alongside of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s morally reprehensible,\u201d Stryk said. \u201cIt\u2019s been the U.S. private sector who has stepped in to save the blood and treasure the Biden administration is leaving behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former Republican Virginia Congressman Scott Taylor, who served 8 years as a Navy SEAL, joined Stryk in coordinating the private evacuations from Kabul. He said they\u2019ve received thousands of requests from people trying to get out of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/18\/white-house-messaging-afghanistan-rapid-makeover\/\">Afghanistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s all hands deck. We are trying to help as many people as possible, including helping DOD\/State identify American citizens to get them out and helping those Afghans who stood with us. \ud83d\ude4f<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Afghanistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Afghanistan<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2u2g7Xhq9V\">https:\/\/t.co\/2u2g7Xhq9V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Scott Taylor (@Scotttaylorva) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Scotttaylorva\/status\/1428691032728821765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 20, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Taylor also echoed Stryk\u2019s frustrations with the administration. \u201cThe South Africans, the Brits, the Qataris, their ambassadors have been getting safe passage for people to the airport,\u201d Taylor told the DCNF, describing the lack of support from the administration as \u201cfrustrating\u201d and \u201ca massive fuck up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t get ahold of anybody,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cI understand that our country may be trying to control everything or maintain it, but in doing so, they\u2019re impeding things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd people are desperate and people are gonna die. People will die the longer this goes out, it\u2019s just gonna happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor said that he has received many requests from private donors wanting to help fund the flights and had offers from flight attendants wanting to staff the planes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_240882\" style=\"width: 370px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Afghans-scramble-to-get-on-an-airbridge-at-Kabul-airport.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-240882\" class=\"wp-image-240882\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Afghans-scramble-to-get-on-an-airbridge-at-Kabul-airport.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-240882\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Afghans scramble to get on an airbridge at Kabul airport. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere are so many people that want to help and honestly, I\u2019m very proud of the response of people who want to do anything,\u201d he said<\/p>\n<p>Regulus Global, which\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/regulusglobal.com\/who-we-are\/\">specializes<\/a>\u00a0in medical, humanitarian and national security missions, is supporting Stryk\u2019s and Taylor\u2019s effort with a database it created to track passenger visa and passport information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not waiting for the Biden administration to do that, we\u2019re doing it ourselves,\u201d Stryk said.<\/p>\n<p>The private flights are partially funded, charging some passengers the equivalent or less than the cost of a commercial airline flight, Stryk said.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration had\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/19\/biden-continues-charging-fleeing-americans-afghanistan\/\">informed<\/a>\u00a0Americans that they could possibly pay upwards of $2,000 for an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/23\/pentagon-wont-say-americans-evacuated-afghanistan\/\">evacuation<\/a>\u00a0flight out of Afghanistan. The State Department later backtracked on that, telling the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/20\/biden-wont-say-reimburse-evacuation-flights-afghanistan\/\">DCNF<\/a>\u00a0it will \u201cno longer\u201d charge Americans for the evacuation flights, but didn\u2019t say if it will refund those already charged.<\/p>\n<p>The difficulty for evacuees, however, is mainly the process of getting to Hamid Karzai airport, which is surrounded by chaotic crowds and Taliban checkpoints. The State Department\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/briefings\/department-press-briefing-august-18-2021\/\">said<\/a>\u00a0on Aug. 18 that safe passage into the airport for Americans was dependent on the Taliban.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan that same day issued a security\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/af.usembassy.gov\/security-alert-u-s-embassy-kabul-august-18-2021\/\">alert<\/a>\u00a0stating that the U.S. government couldn\u2019t \u201censure safe passage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/22\/us-afghanistan-withdrawal-cnn-jake-sullivan\/\">said<\/a>\u00a0Sunday that if the Taliban get in the way of safe passage, then the U.S. \u201cwill deliver a swift and forceful response.\u201d A day earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/af.usembassy.gov\/security-alert-embassy-kabul-afghanistan-august-21-2021\/\">instructed<\/a>\u00a0Americans not to go to the Kabul Airport without \u201cindividual instructions from a U.S. government representative,\u201d due to possible \u201csecurity threats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z8J8mMRx1J8\">said<\/a>\u00a0at a Monday press briefing that over 37,000 people have been evacuated from the Kabul airport since Aug. 14, including American citizens, foreign nationals, allies and vulnerable Afghans.<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan also addressed concerns as to why the administration cannot provide an exact number of Americans remaining in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Americans have come to Afghanistan over the years, we asked them to register with the embassy,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cMany have left without deregistering, others never registered\u00a0 at all, that is their right of course and it\u2019s our responsibility to find them, which we are now doing hour by hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued, \u201cIn the days remaining, we believe we have the wherewithal to get out the American citizens who want to leave Kabul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The White House maintains the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.<\/p>\n<p>Since Sunday Sullivan said that 28 U.S. Military flights have evacuated around 10,400 people and that 61 coalition flights have evacuated 5,900 people.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defense referred the DCNF to the Department of State, which \u201coff the record\u201d referred us to the Department of Defense. The White House didn\u2019t respond to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/biden-administration-continues-to-tell-fleeing-americans-to-pay-their-way-out-of-afghanistan-hours-after-telling-the-press-otherwise\/\">Biden Administration Continues To Tell Fleei<\/a>ng Americans To Pay Their Way Out Of Afghanistan, Hours After Telling The Press Otherwise<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/biden-administration-wont-say-if-it-will-reimburse-americans-who-were-charged-thousands-to-board-flights-out-of-afghanistan\/\">Biden Administration Won\u2019t Say If It<\/a> Will Reimburse Americans Who Were Charged Thousands To Board Flights Out Of Afghanistan<\/li>\n<li>Biden: \u201cThe Buck Sto<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/buck-stops-with-me-biden-says-they-gave-up\/\">ps With Me\u201d, Sa<\/a>ys Afghan Leaders Gave Up<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Support journalism by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/gf.me\/u\/zd6scy\">clicking here to our GoFundMe<\/a>\u00a0or sign up for our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/newsletter\/\">free newsletter by clicking here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampafp.com\/exclusive-this-is-a-massive-f-up-team-organizing-private-flights-out-of-afghanistan-says-biden-admin-has-been-an-impediment-to-their-evacuations\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>America\u2019s senile president seems unable to grasp that the situation in Kabul is now potentially worse than the fall of Saigon. His handling of the crisis is criminally incompetent <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-241481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Afghanistan","category-Current_Affairs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/39262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=241481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241482,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241481\/revisions\/241482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=241481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=241481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=241481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}