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Since the Taliban are now the government they probably have access to the previous military employment databases so even if they erase their online lives, clean

Since the Taliban are now the government they probably have access to the previous military employment databases so even if they erase their online lives, clean up their phone... They might find who they are and punish them (torture, death) for working with the "enemy".

hef19898 5y ago
If the Taliban are really smart, they don't do any of that for quite a while. That would give them a ton of legitimation internationally.
- kunagi7 5y ago
  They're waiting for the remaining NATO and other western diplomats and personnel to leave. The evacuation is ongoing. They have the airport surrounded but they don't engage war against the NATO soldiers. So they try to look legit both inside and internationally. After the last NATO soldier leaves the airport who knows what will they do.
  - hef19898 5y ago
    True. Who knows what they do after that. The Afghan war was a mess basically from day one, the retreat is in a different league al together so. Quite embarrassing for the most powerful military alliance on the planet, too.
    - trhway 5y ago
      >Quite embarrassing for the most powerful military alliance on the planet, too. Not really. There is a reason Afghanistan is called "Graveyard of Empires". https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2001-11-01/afghanistan-graveyard-empires https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2001-11-... Judging by the history that i'm naturally close to and know well, i.e. Russia history, the drive to free your Motherland from foreign occupants is like 10-100x multiplier of force.
      - hef19898 5y ago
        Sure, still the pictures of fleeing NATO troops and personal is quite powerful. It certainly doesn't project strength.
      - bathtub365 5y ago
        It’s even more embarrassing that despite all of this history they had the arrogance to believe they knew better.
throwawaysea 5y ago
It is scary, depressing, and also incredible how comprehensively the Taliban is cementing their power and embedding themselves throughout the country. I am shocked they are sophisticated enough to implement biometric verifiable of political adversaries. Here are some other such news stories and social media accounts I read today about how the Taliban is pursuing control, many of which had photos and videos that made this tragedy feel very real to me: 1. The Taliban took over police stations and freed prisoners in virtually every town they captured. Many released were people jailed for terrorist activities or other crimes associated with fundamentalism, while others will simply welcome their liberators and join their ranks. 2. Taliban fighters went door to door confiscating weapons from private citizens, claiming they “don’t need them anymore”. Disarming the public ensures they will not face unexpected resistance. 3. A female journalist noted that overnight the town she was in changed, such that women were nowhere to be seen in the streets. There was also a clip of a female CNN journalist being asked to leave the immediate area because of her gender. 4. In Kabul, Taliban forcefully entered hotel rooms of foreigners, interrogated them, assaulted them if they resisted, examined/confiscated documentation, examined/confiscated electronics, and so on. 5. Taliban have begun questioning people to report on neighbors’ activities to identify US collaborators and members of the Ghani government. One woman tearfully spoke about how she’s afraid she and people she knows will be taken away from their family if people snitch. 6. Taliban have set up checkpoints controlling traffic within, into, and out of all significant towns and on all significant infrastructure. 7. The Taliban are testing out captured military equipment such as humvees, helicopters, and surveillance drones that the US left behind, to incorporate them into their military practice as soon as possible. 8. The Taliban have already begun forcing young girls to be married to their fighters in smaller towns.
dirtyid 5y ago
> probably have access https://twitter.com/AmandaMilius/status/1427338941074710533 https://twitter.com/AmandaMilius/status/1427338941074710533 >Guest on msnbc just said the taliban have “our biometric database” of everyone who worked for US and are using it at checkpoints. When / how did that happen? Was that a massive story at the time or wtf? They used AF as a testing ground for biometrics and this is how it ends up?

hef19898 5y ago

If the Taliban are really smart, they don't do any of that for quite a while. That would give them a ton of legitimation internationally.

kunagi7 5y ago
They're waiting for the remaining NATO and other western diplomats and personnel to leave. The evacuation is ongoing. They have the airport surrounded but they don't engage war against the NATO soldiers. So they try to look legit both inside and internationally. After the last NATO soldier leaves the airport who knows what will they do.
- hef19898 5y ago
  True. Who knows what they do after that. The Afghan war was a mess basically from day one, the retreat is in a different league al together so. Quite embarrassing for the most powerful military alliance on the planet, too.
  - trhway 5y ago
    >Quite embarrassing for the most powerful military alliance on the planet, too. Not really. There is a reason Afghanistan is called "Graveyard of Empires". https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2001-11-01/afghanistan-graveyard-empires https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2001-11-... Judging by the history that i'm naturally close to and know well, i.e. Russia history, the drive to free your Motherland from foreign occupants is like 10-100x multiplier of force.
    - hef19898 5y ago
      Sure, still the pictures of fleeing NATO troops and personal is quite powerful. It certainly doesn't project strength.
    - bathtub365 5y ago
      It’s even more embarrassing that despite all of this history they had the arrogance to believe they knew better.

throwawaysea 5y ago

It is scary, depressing, and also incredible how comprehensively the Taliban is cementing their power and embedding themselves throughout the country. I am shocked they are sophisticated enough to implement biometric verifiable of political adversaries. Here are some other such news stories and social media accounts I read today about how the Taliban is pursuing control, many of which had photos and videos that made this tragedy feel very real to me: 1. The Taliban took over police stations and freed prisoners in virtually every town they captured. Many released were people jailed for terrorist activities or other crimes associated with fundamentalism, while others will simply welcome their liberators and join their ranks. 2. Taliban fighters went door to door confiscating weapons from private citizens, claiming they “don’t need them anymore”. Disarming the public ensures they will not face unexpected resistance. 3. A female journalist noted that overnight the town she was in changed, such that women were nowhere to be seen in the streets. There was also a clip of a female CNN journalist being asked to leave the immediate area because of her gender. 4. In Kabul, Taliban forcefully entered hotel rooms of foreigners, interrogated them, assaulted them if they resisted, examined/confiscated documentation, examined/confiscated electronics, and so on. 5. Taliban have begun questioning people to report on neighbors’ activities to identify US collaborators and members of the Ghani government. One woman tearfully spoke about how she’s afraid she and people she knows will be taken away from their family if people snitch. 6. Taliban have set up checkpoints controlling traffic within, into, and out of all significant towns and on all significant infrastructure. 7. The Taliban are testing out captured military equipment such as humvees, helicopters, and surveillance drones that the US left behind, to incorporate them into their military practice as soon as possible. 8. The Taliban have already begun forcing young girls to be married to their fighters in smaller towns.

dirtyid 5y ago

> probably have access https://twitter.com/AmandaMilius/status/1427338941074710533 https://twitter.com/AmandaMilius/status/1427338941074710533 >Guest on msnbc just said the taliban have “our biometric database” of everyone who worked for US and are using it at checkpoints. When / how did that happen? Was that a massive story at the time or wtf? They used AF as a testing ground for biometrics and this is how it ends up?