@RealGenFlynn, [07.09.21 05:00]
What makes the United States a great nation is when we stand up for and protect our values instead of solely protecting our interests. A nation that only protects its interests will lose to a nation that loses site of its values.

Below is a summary from Lara Logan on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. Amrullah Saleh is a historic figure and someone who deserves great respect. His predicament is an American predicament. If we give up on freedom loving people because US interests in Afghanistan and the region are no longer a priority, we begin to lose site of and potentially give up on our values as a nation. Our values and not our interests are what makes America the greatest nation in the history of the world.

Decision makers in the USG have made horrendous decisions based on the wrong criteria. I pray they realize the errors of their ways.

The Pakistani Intelligence Services, (ISI), are fighting side-by-side with terrorists in the Pansjir Valley, targeting Afghans who want to live free of tyranny & do not support fear as a form of governing. Top of their kill list is the democratically elected leader of Afghanistan, AMRULLAH SALEH, who they want dead more than anyone else in the country. It is possible that as you slept, a great and principled leader was taken off the battlefield and out of the fight but written into the history books for all of time because he is there with his people & has refused many offers to leave.

This man has been a steadfast ally of the US for more than three decades. Many in the State Dept, military & intelligence services know the former Intel Chief well. So when they watch him fighting & leading Afghan government forces who have not given up & did not surrender, it is personal for many. These are not nameless, faceless Afghans to the US - we know SALEH and many of those fighting around him. So to stand by & do nothing to help, to further abandon those who fought alongside us week after week, year after year - in spite of all the risks and countless losses - that is a bridge of betrayal too far. It stains the conscience & the legacy of America & all who represent her & most Americans do not support this but their voices need to be heard.

To understand the nature of the man, here are some excerpts from my last interview with SALEH a few months ago in DC, when he was still the Vice President & a guest of President Joe Biden in Washington DC - I think it will be be obvious why we became friends over the years after I first interviewed him for 60 Minutes more than a decade ago when you see the measure of the man and judge his words and his character for yourself:

LARA LOGAN: It’s 20 years since 9/11. Where is Afghanistan now?
AMRULLAH SALEH: Afghanistan is in a stalemate situation. The Taliban are not defeated. They have not cut or severed ties with terrorist groups. They are boosted. But when it comes to their ideological gene, they are as radical and as irrational as they were before. Even more radical; they believe they have defeated the western armies.

LARA LOGAN: What do you mean, “More radical than before” ? Can you explain that?
AMRULLAH SALEH: Without showing any concession, they received a one-way concession from the U.S. in terms of withdrawal, and they have not agreed to enter into meaningful negotiations for settlement They are of the view that without changing ideology, without stopping violence, without stopping the challenging of global order, they are recognized.
LARA LOGAN: Well, they are, right - they have a de facto embassy in Qatar, thanks to the US and their allies there, where they sit down at the negotiating table with the Americans, the world’s superpower. So they’ve been given that defacto status.
AMRULLAH SALEH: I think that’s a mistake, that they are given those concessions without us collectively using our leverage to change them.

LARA LOGAN: So how do you begin to even negotiate if you’ve given up everything from the start?
AMRULLAH SALEH: The Taliban have not negotiated with us.

@RealGenFlynn, [07.09.21 05:00]
For two years they negotiated with United States and they secured the so-called Doha Agreement. But if you say, “How are we going to negotiate with them now?”, we are not retreating from negotiations because war is tragedy; it
is better than to use bombs, bullets, guns and violence.

LARA LOGAN: What is the relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda?
AMRULLAH SALEH: they were supposed to sever and cut their ties with Al Qaeda.
LARA LOGAN: But they haven't.
AMRULLAH SALEH: Ideologically, the difference between ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban is the difference between the taste of Coke and Pepsi. If you remove the labels, can you say which one is Coke and which one is Pepsi?
LARA LOGAN: How do you deal with that? Do you have to deal with them as one?
AMRULLAH SALEH: In Afghanistan,we deal with them as one, absolutely, because, when we capture an ISIS person, within minutes of interrogation, we find out that, you know, last month, he was Taliban, two years ago, he was Al Qaeda, now he is ISIS, because the- -the foundation is the same.

LARA LOGAN: You said to me once, “If the light goes out in America, it goes out everywhere.”
AMRULLAH SALEH: America is a respected country; it says what it means and it does what it says. If, God forbid, it says one thing and does another; we don’t want America to slide. We want America to remain a great power, because it stands for values, principles. This is a generous nation. You see compassion here. They share their wealth, food, knowledge. It’s open. They embrace you. You see humanity, pluralism. You don’t see much arrogance when it comes to human to human relationships. And if you imagine and visualize the day when this is gone, who will replace it? That is why America remaining a superpower - from a human perspective - it is truly in the interest of humanity.

https://t.me/RealGenFlynn