Letter to the Editor: Thoughts on equipment, civilians remaining in Afghanistan

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I would like to point out a few things not addressed in a recent letter blaming President Donald Trump for the way the evacuation was handled (“Biden dealing with Trump’s decisions,” Sept. 19).

I also read the Doha agreement, and what the letter-writer wrote, for the most part, is true; however, the agreement pertains to military forces, which includes civilian advisers, support personnel, etc. The agreement is responsible for military forces. A commander accepts responsibility for all personnel, supplies and equipment under his or her command and accountable for its loss; this means equipment is part of the force. Fourteen months is plenty of time to remove personnel and equipment, and a commander would, for obvious reasons, unless he or she was ordered from on high to desert it.

Civilians not part of the military force are the responsibility of the Department of State, who had months to plan the notification of civilians wanting to leave and to coordinate transportation, both military and private sector, to see that civilians were given the chance and means to leave.

Bottom line: Civilians were not part of a military force and not a part of the Doha agreement. State dropped the ball. Would Trump and Mike Pompeo cut and run in the middle of the night? Not hardly!

Stan Lakey

Wilmington

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