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Our Southern Border Is Vulnerable — to the Taliban
As if the debacle in Afghanistan were not enough, now we have to be seriously concerned with the threat to our own national security. Our southern border will provide the ideal entry for the Taliban, al Qaeda, or ISIS to wreak havoc right here at home. And now that they have been armed and empowered, we should be worried.
We’ve long been aware that the border has been vulnerable to potential terrorists:
Four foreign nationals, whose names match those on the terror watch list, have been stopped trying to enter the U.S. vis the southern border since October, a congressional aide familiar with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) information told Fox News.
That information shows that three migrants from Yemen and one from Serbia were picked up at the southern border by U.S. Border Patrol since the beginning of the fiscal year in October.
Only four? The Department of Homeland Security says these arrests are “extremely rare”; I guess that we are supposed to find that news comforting, although given the poor border security, no one knows how many other terrorists have actually found their way into the country. And how many terrorists do you need to bomb a building?
Now we face a whole new dilemma with the release by the Taliban of thousands of prisoners in Afghanistan. The prisons, which were part of Bagram Air Base, were taken over by the Taliban when we abandoned the base. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote to President Biden about the threat, referencing a video sent out by former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott:
‘These statements from a high-ranking Border Patrol official are frightening — especially as Americans are watching news coverage of thousands of prisoners, including many terrorists, being released by the Taliban in Afghanistan,’ he wrote to Biden. ‘Americans are now facing an unprecedented terrorism threat level in their own backyards.’
Since Biden doesn’t seem in touch with the disaster in Afghanistan, I suspect the last concern he might have is the potential of a terrorist attack in the United States. In fact, he may very well have become complacent about terrorism, since the dangers of terrorists crossing the border have been pointed out several times since Biden took office, and border security remains vulnerable. And we haven’t had a major terrorist attack in many years.
I might even ask if all of us have become complacent; so many other disasters have occurred during the Biden administration that we may feel far removed from the prospect of a terrorist attack.
Let’s hope Joe Biden doesn’t get a horrific commemoration of September 11—one he will regret.
Let’s hope the homeland is safe.
Published in Islamist Terrorism
Nothing new there. Between ms-13 and radical terrorists, Democrats haven’t feared any of those who engaged in drug trade, sex trafficking, or beheadings.
Biden has to be removed from office immediately.
The $85 billion worth of military equipment and arms that Biden gave to the Taliban poses an immediate threat to the entire world.
If he had blown up that equipment, I might see some sanity in him.
The United States needs to focus on that single fact, by itself.
Impeachment is far too long a process for this situation.
I wouldn’t fly in a plane if Biden were the pilot. I wouldn’t be operated on if he were the surgeon. I wouldn’t let him be a TSA agent. If he were a police officer, I wouldn’t give him a gun. I wouldn’t get on a bus he was driving. I wouldn’t give him the keys to a car.
Why you all hating on Biden. He still beats Trump, right? It’s a character issue. /sarc
At this point I’m not in the least afraid of the Taliban here. What are they going to do? Close Christian churches, close playgrounds and businesses, make us submit to unproven and ineffective medical invasions, or make us wear face coverings in public?
Okay. I feel a little better. My husband came home for lunch and is listening the guy who took over for Rush Limbaugh. He’s saying the same thing. We’ll worry about the replacements later. Biden has got to go. At least I’m not the only person seeing this.
Nah, you’re right. Probably not. Just a bomb here or there. Nothing serious.
Susan, I have a few questions about this.
What do you mean by “armed and empowered”? Are these separate categories, in your analysis? I’m trying to figure out whether by “empowered” you mean that they obtained equipment and material, or if you are referring to a morale issue.
On the issue of arms and materials seized by the Taliban, what do you foresee that they might use in crossing the southern border? Do you expect them to transport helicopters or artillery to Mexico, and then smuggle them across the border? Anti-air weaponry? Or just small arms like rifles?
Whatever such weaponry might be, has the Taliban, or other terrorists, had trouble in the past obtaining such weaponry?
If you’re thinking about heavy equipment, as a matter of logistics, how would the Taliban transport such material to Mexico, and then through Mexico?
They will easily get their small arms here. I don’t expect them to fly in heavy equipment. They feel empowered because they’ve “beaten us” in Afghanistan. I don’t think they’ve had problems getting weapons here; I suspect they had their focus elsewhere.
Edit: Their “victory” will also be seen as a recruitment tool, in Afghanistan. And here.
Marci, how does this material pose an immediate threat to the entire world?
The linked article says that there are 75,000 vehicles, over 200 airplanes and helicopters, and over 600,000 small arms and light weapons.
Where are they going to use these weapons? Do they have anyone who can fly, or maintain, the planes and helicopters? Do they have the fuel? Can they even maintain the vehicles?
If this is a threat to “the entire world,” how would the Taliban transport such material (and men) to America, or Europe, or Israel, or just about anywhere else? If, for example, they wanted to attack India, how would they get there? Afghanistan is a landlocked country, and its neighbors are:
Do you think that they going to attack any of these countries? My impression is that China, Pakistan, and Iran would crush the Taliban in short order, though Iran is probably the most vulnerable of these three. Would you shed tears over a war between the Taliban and Iran?
Regarding the other three central Asian countries, is there anything there worth conquering for the Taliban, even if they had the resources to do so? Do you think that Russia might respond at some point to such an attack?
I suspect the Taliban will do what we all do when trying to figure out equipment new to us: they will Google it.
In a networked world, getting help is easy.
The way our luck has been running lately, the instruction manuals probably contain Pashto translations.
Why do we lock up any weapons or military bases anywhere in the world?
OK, so it’s not an equipment or arms issue. Thanks. I think that this is accurate. The Taliban will, presumably, have access to more money now, which they might use to fund operations against the US.
You may be right about the recruitment tool issue, but in prior years, I’ve seen it argued that our presence in Afghanistan was also used a a recruitment tool. So this may be a wash.
Do you know whether the Mujahideen launched terrorist attacks on the Soviets, after their withdrawal? I really don’t recall one way or the other. Perhaps they will simply stay home and enjoy their victory.
We are dealing with Islamic radicals, and it’s hard to predict what they might do. That goes for the Taliban and others. If they’re thinking rationally, I think that they’d be more likely to avoid provoking us, as a sufficient provocation would lead to another devastating US response. They’re not necessarily going to be thinking rationally in this way, but that was true last year too.
I haven’t mentioned it, but I don’t disagree with the main point of your post. There is some increased danger of terrorism associated with a porous southern border, though I doubt that this risk has increased as a result of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. I don’t recall this presenting a significant issue over the past 20-odd years, meaning that I don’t remember any terrorist attack in the US launched by people sneaking over the border.
I do think that the border should be secured anyway. Build that wall!
We live in a different world. The Taliban of today is not the Taliban of 20 years ago; they may feel they have an axe to grind. The key point I want to make is that they don’t need hundreds of terrorists coming across the border; they just need a dedicated few.
Where in America can they bomb that isn’t already contributing to American destruction? Almost all the high profile targets are complicit with destroying our Constitution. I don’t want anyone to be killed, but if they are, at least some of them – probably most – are the type who laugh when our ex-CIA official retweets how unvaccinated Trump supporters should be sent to Afghanistan. When we have people like that in the highest places in our government -when we have a rogue FBI more interested in locking up their political enemies and calling them “insurrectionists”…my sympathy diminishes.
Which politician in power, were some Taliban agent choose to assassinate him or her, that would make America worse and not, well, a little bit better? I just hope they aren’t as smart as Bin Laden who spared Biden in his fatwa, since Biden alive is more destructive to the USA than dead. Ain’t that the truth…
I’m just trying to remain optimistic!
I can tell! In principle, I tend to agree with you, @franco. But then there are shopping malls, El-Hi schools, and other soft targets. We are long overdue for an attack, and I don’t trust the FBI to save us. Do you?
The shopping malls are pretty much gone from Covid terror. Public schools have become cesspits of propaganda and authoritarianism.
And no, I don’t trust the FBI one bit more than any proven criminal or liar.
The only reason I would be afraid for my country that terrorists gain entry is how the FBI and other government agencies will use the threat to curtail yet more of my freedoms.
We don’t know how much was our equipment and how much was equipment we had given or sold to Afghanistan. We can’t destroy what is theirs and destroying what was left for them would mean we would be blamed for the collapse of their military. Sort that out then deal with real numbers.
Clay and Buck are starting to find their stride. Their renaming of Psaki was a hoot, too.
Neither have the GOP Leadership & Establishment.
They are all a huge disappointment, and I think we can’t trust them. Period. Thanks, @wicon.
This is a link to a TownHall article. I am not knowledgeable enough about the military or the situation in Afghanistan to know if it actually is the threat it seems to me to be. Can you get in (it’s behind a paywall) and see what you think? If not, I can reproduce some of here. And Representative Jim Banks, the man being interviewed in the story, doesn’t mention that some of it may have belonged to the Afghans.
As Jerry pointed out earlier in the thread, the Taliban doesn’t seem to have the expertise to use it. But they certainly have friends who do. Even if it takes a couple of months for them to be able to use it. Even just selling the material would give the Taliban quite a lot of money to buy weapons they can use.
I’m interested to know what you think.
The Taliban will have no problems picking up arms and ammunition when they arrive, the Northern Mexico Cartels will see to their needs and will be paid well for their services. More chaos in the U.S. will better serve to improve the Cartel’s bottom line for their goods and services they offer. With the Biden ban on importation of small arms ammunition from Russia (which accounted for 40% of all ammunition sold in the U.S.), Biden has created a “black market” particularly for the Russian specific ammunition (i.e. 7.62X54R, 7.62X39, 5.45X39 just to name a few). Note that manufacture of these Russian specific ammo is not banned, and eventually U.S. ammo manufactures should be able to fill the gap, but not in the short term. But no worries, The Cartels will be able to fill that gap.
Interesting feature of Progressive OS 2021 is that coherence is missing. The only question is whether it is intentional or not. Progressives are generally urban and thus concentrated in high value terror targets. And yet their policies increase risk of harm in the areas they occupy and rule. And when repression does occur it is of the law abiding and not the scofflaws and terrorists. If intentional it is a sign of a criminal enterprise and not a political philosophy.
Nothing new in that and he mentions he was involved in the weapons transfer program. Since we had very little involvement in fighting the last 18 months, mostly air support and intelligence , I bet much of that was for the Afghanistan military. We could have flown out the c 130. Military members could have departed with their own weapons. I get the military can’t even tell you what they left re small items.
I don’t care how many rifles they left. Several of the usual suspect countries would have provided them rifles. We never give away our latest technology. Only concentrate on US stuff, especially sensitive stuff that can be exploited. I bet a lot of it left when Trump was drawing down.
He offers clues…dated information, not an accounting of what Taliban actually has now:
Okay. That’s reassuring. Much quieter than the other stories I have read. Thank you.
Watching Biden’s administration flail around, I’d have to say the people out front look like fools; they simply can’t get their act together. I’m beginning to think they are all incompetent. If the people behind the scenes are smart, they should be able to manipulate those out front, but they don’t seem to be able to do that. I don’t know what is scarier: blatant incompetence or a criminal enterprise. It would be helpful to figure this one out, @rodin.
The Democrats have been presenting us with a puppet show. Dealing with real things hasn’t been in their skill-set for decades. When you can just guide the media into helpful areas and have them ignore others, and when a crisis that was predicted is botched and you still expect them to go Baghdad Bob – they seem to have some scruples- then you have come to the end.
They can’t debate because they haven’t had to debate, they can’t govern because they don’t have to govern. Look at Democrat cities as the first bit of evidence. Their record of wars is not better and possibly worse than Republicans.
It’s a perfect satire that Milley just flew a as giant rainbow flag simpering acquiesce to the spoiled brats no sergeant would tolerate. Not because they are gay, but because the activists – a subset of gays – are simpering spoiled children who have somehow mixed sexuality with identity and turned it into a nasty political issue to fuel their unnecessary narcissistic rage.
Imagine Milley as a prisoner of war. They would need only threaten him with loss of officer barracks privilege…
Not totally. We just don’t know for sure,
The Taliban have a much lower carbon footprint than systemically racist Americans do. So it’s actually for the children.