Taliban begins choking off Afghan government

The Taliban has captured a major border crossing in Afghanistan, as they continue to make gains across the country.

This border crossing of Islam Qala is crucial to the country, bringing in by itself $20 million of monthly revenue for the country.

Image source – BBC News. Link here.

Other reports said Taliban fighters had seized five districts in Herat without a fight.

For those who missed it, this follows more than 1,600 Afghan security forces fleeing into Tajikistan. (Also without a fight.)

In short, things appear terrible in Afghanistan.

Barry R McCaffrey, a retired Four-Star US Army General, provided a solid summary of the situation in an interview. See below. (In short, it’s probably going to be terrible.)

Zerlina on Peacock @ZerlinaShow

What happens to the Afghan people when U.S. troops are gone? @mccaffreyr3: “We’re probably going to see a tragedy erupt on television as millions flee to surrounding countries … women go back to conditions of servitude, the institutions of the state come apart.”

Some Afghan officials continue to tout their army of 300,000, and their Air Force as well, but so far, that army has shown a distinct gift for surrendering and fleeing.

If you’ve seen ANY good news out of Afghanistan (and I meany any), please let me know in the comments below.

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In lighter news, robots and drones continue to be integrated into our armed forces, now reaching the ground level with even troops. (See below.)

Department of Defense 🇺🇸 @DeptofDefense

On the battlefield of tomorrow, learning to maneuver expeditionary modular autonomous vehicles will be a crucial skill. Today, the skill provides a tremendous advantage for @USMC Marines.

You can see the Marines in the video above using video game controllers, and I joked to a friend, “If war becomes a thing involving video game controllers, then we need to drop the draft age. Pronto. Because I’m pretty sure my 11-year-old stepson could smoke me about 99 times out of 100 on any game he currently has!” hahaha

But on a more serious note, robots and drones will reduce casualties in future conflicts and they’ll also give us a decisive edge. (They may even reduce civilian casualties.)

See just two examples below.

Reuters @Reuters

Military training became high-tech for 80 French cadets who took part in drills alongside robots

John Robb @johnrobb

"the robot is a semi-autonomous machine, with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, called the Jaguar.. it utilizes ... high-resolution cameras, transmitters, powerful headlights, and a remote-controlled PA system. " Military artifact export industry on the way.

interestingengineering.comIsrael’s Semi-Autonomous Robot With Machine Guns is Heading to the Gaza BorderThe new military robot is called the Jaguar and it can actually navigate its way to a designated area and even spot obstacles on the way.

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Semper Fidelis,

Stan R. Mitchell

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