Michael Hughes
July 19, 2024
Afghanistan was not at the forefront of mind for most American voters in 2020, but four years later the situation is much different. With less than four months until the U.S. presidential election Afghanistan is at the center of attention, but not about go-forward policies. It is all about the past. The fall of Kabul is still alive as a hot political issue, revived time and again by the Republicans, a fiasco the Biden administration wants to bury, and most Afghans likely want to forget.
Family members of thirteen U.S. troops killed in the 2021 Kabul terrorist attack took to center stage at the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week to chastise Biden for his handling of the Afghan withdrawal. Cynical no doubt, but an impressive political stunt by the Republicans, and devastating for the Biden campaign. Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a hot convention speech said he was disgusted by the “incompetent” rush from Afghanistan and suggested Biden is unfit to answer the proverbial “3:00 a.m. phone call” during a national security crisis.
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Khaama: According to reports, seven individuals were injured in an explosion caused by a grenade blast during the Muharram ceremony at the Imamzadeh Yahya shrine in central Sar-e-pol province. Local residents stated that an unidentified individual threw a grenade near the ceremony before sunset on Friday, July 19th. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. However, typically, ISIS-Khorasan Province targets gatherings of Shia Muslims. 
The National (UAE): Mohammad Samim Faizad is the only Olympic athlete training for the Games inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Faizad is part of a six-strong Afghanistan squad heading to Paris, including three women who are not acknowledged by the Taliban government. 
