At Pentagon, US Military Officials Bitter As They Watch Chaos In Kabul

Some officials criticized the US State Department, which has sole authority to grant visas to former interpreters, for waiting more than two months to begin the process for Afghans in fear of their lives.

The mood was sombre Monday in the corridors of the Pentagon, where US military personnel watched helplessly as chaos erupted at Kabul airport and privately criticized the slow pace of Joe Biden's administration in evacuating US-allied Afghans who fear Taliban retribution. Some criticized the State Department, which has sole authority to grant visas to former interpreters and other US military support staff and their families, for waiting more than two months to begin the process for Afghans in fear of their lives. Videos posted on social networks showed scenes of panic and fear in Kabul, including crowds running next to a US military transport plane as it taxies to take off, with some trying to desperately cling to its sides. "We warned them for months, for months" that the situation was urgent, said one military official, speaking on condition of anonymity.