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On Sunday, an ABC news/Ipsos poll showed that about 84% of Americans agree that US troops should have stayed in Afghanistan until all Americans were able to evacuate the country, and 71% of Americans believe our troops should have stayed until all Afghan allies were evacuated. Sadly, that’s not what happened. The New York Times reported that “at least hundreds of US citizens and potentially thousands of green card holders... are stranded in Afghanistan.” CBS News reported that no American citizens made it out on the last five flights out of Kabul on August 31.

Jim Geraghty at National Review recounts the harrowing stories of some of the people the Biden administration left behind. Journalist Melissa Chen is part of “a 21st century Underground Railroad” trying to help our Afghan allies escape from Afghanistan. Her riveting account is here.

In addition to the heartbreaking human cost of the Biden administration’s disastrous departure from Afghanistan, there is also the infuriating cost of the tremendous amount of military matériel and other resources that were abandoned to the Taliban.

Reuters reported two weeks ago:

Another official said that while there are no definitive numbers yet, the current intelligence assessment was that the Taliban are believed to control more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including US Humvees, and up to 40 aircraft potentially including UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters, and ScanEagle military drones.

That report and others note that over time, the United States has provided Afghan forces with at least 600,000 infantry weapons including M16 assault rifles, 162,000 pieces of communication equipment, and 16,000 night-vision goggle devices. Machine guns, mortars, and artillery pieces were also left behind.

In addition to being used by the Taliban, this equipment could be sold to terrorist groups, to Russia or China, or to other bad actors, to be used against America and her allies.

Bryan Preston has more information on what was left behind at Bagram Air Base.

Will anyone face consequences for this disaster? President Joe Biden refuses to accept responsibility and calls the evacuation operation “a success.” None of the military or diplomatic or intelligence advisors to the President have resigned or been fired. Many of them should be shown the door.

One of the key people who should be held accountable for their central roles in this debacle is Colin Kahl, the civilian head of policy planning at the Department of Defense and number three man in the department. Senate Republicans unanimously opposed his nomination just four months ago, as Adam Kredo and Alana Goodman report at the Washington Free Beacon. Kahl, who served as Biden's national security adviser during the Obama administration, was known to be unfit for the Defense Department position. His nomination was rammed through the Senate on a party-line vote, despite Republican efforts to stop it.

The Jewish Insider reports on congressional endorsements by pro-Israel groups:

The Republican Jewish Coalition announced its initial batch of endorsements in April, backing first-term GOP House incumbents including Reps. Mike Garcia (R-CA) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).

Learn more about the RJC endorsees at the RJC PAC website.

Some Democrats in Congress are using antisemitism to further their progressive agenda and Jonathan Tobin calls out Democrat leaders for not responding:

The problem here is not just that the Squad has been lying about Israel and helping incite antisemitic violence against Jews as well as seeking to promote a conspiracy about Jewish influence. It’s that their fellow Democrats are still more offended by attempts to hold them accountable than they are by their antisemitism.

Further reading:

Danzig: “The Squad” pushes the formula for Jew-hatred and the Democratic Party keeps accepting it

JNS: Rashida Tlaib draws backlash over pressure on Israel to release body of slain terrorist

Foldi: Rashida Tlaib promoted a fundraiser for group tied to Hamas, Taliban

Tree of Life synagogue disputes Biden’s claim he visited after massacre

President Joe Biden on Thursday told Jewish leaders that he spent time at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after the October 2018 mass murder of 11 people there — but the synagogue told The New York Post he never visited.

Coming Soon: Local Events with Jonathan Tobin

Chances are you’ve read plenty of Jonathan Tobin’s excellent columns, which are frequently featured in the RJC's weekly e-newsletter. In October, the RJC will host a series of local in-person events with Tobin, the Jewish News Syndicate's editor-in-chief. Dates in Pennsylvania and Florida are already on the calendar.

Watch your email for invitations to an event near you and join us for lively discussions about some of the most pressing concerns facing Jewish Americans.

Watch Now: Replay of Past Virtual Events

You can see recordings of many past RJC virtual events. Go to the RJC homepage and scroll down to the "RJC Live" section. There's a drop-down menu there to select the video you want to see.

RJC staff will return to their offices for in-person work starting September 13. Contact information for our offices can be found on our web site. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC.