Outrage Erupts After it’s Discovered US Officials Gave Taliban List with Names of Americans, Afghan Allies — Pentagon Official Says it Was Basically a ‘Kill List’

OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.

Joe Biden has been dubbed the “Surrender-In-Chief.”

The Biden administration has been outsmarted and outmaneuvered by the Taliban, leading to the tragic death of 13 U.S. service members at the Kabul airport.

Biden’s failure to understand the movement of the Taliban and provide effective preparation with the Afghan government has had devastating consequences.

“He’s the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces who’s just essentially surrendered to the Taliban,” Colonel Richard Kemp said.

“He shouldn’t be impeached,” Kemp continued. “He should be court-martialed for betraying the United States of America and the United States Armed Forces.”

Now we are beginning to learn how deep Biden’s incompetence really goes.

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport, Politico reports.

This choice has prompted major backlash and outrage.

The Taliban has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict.

Both lawmakers and military officials understand this was a horrible decision. The list of names immediately became a “kill list,” critics argue.

Three U.S. congressional officials said this decision was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan.

Instead, the entire evacuation process was effectively shut down after 13 U.S. service members were killed in suicide attacks.

“Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,” said one defense official, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.

“It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean,” the defense official added.

“There have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this, for example, this bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through,” he said.

“So, yes there have been occasions like that. To the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred and they have been let through.”

“I can’t tell you with any certitude that there’s actually been a list of names,” he added.

“There may have been. But I know of no circumstance. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, that here’s the names of 12 people, they’re coming, let them through. It could very well have happened.”

More from Politico:

Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban’s many checkpoints. But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials…

NSC spokesperson Emily Horne added: “It is unfortunate that the White House was not asked for comment or explanation on such a serious issue. Had Politico asked us we would have given the same answer the President shared with the nation today: that in limited cases we have shared information with the Taliban that has successfully facilitated evacuations from Kabul”…

The list issue came up during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this week, which turned contentious after top Biden administration officials defended their close coordination with the Taliban. Biden officials contended that it was the best way to keep Americans and Afghans safe and prevent a shooting war between Taliban fighters and the thousands of U.S. troops stationed at the airport.

After the fall of Kabul, in the earliest days of the evacuation, the joint U.S. military and diplomatic coordination team at the airport provided the Taliban with a list of people the U.S. aimed to evacuate. Those names included Afghans who served alongside the U.S. during the 20-year war and sought special immigrant visas to America. U.S. citizens, dual nationals and lawful permanent residents were also listed.