'Era-Defining Catastrophe': Edward Snowden Weighs In on Afghanistan

Afghanistan territories were overtaken by the Taliban shortly after the withdrawal of American troops in the country began, with the militants claiming control over Kabul on Sunday.

Ex-NSA employee and iconic whistleblower Edward Snowden, accused by the United States of espionage, on Sunday commented on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that the decision to withdraw the troops was right, but very late.

"Terrorists are criminals, not states. Declaring a fruitless war when we had the sympathy of the world—rather than an international police action—will be remembered as an era-defining catastrophe", Snowden said.

He also joked that "[A]fghanistan fell in like 10 days and here we are having used up our national quota of the word 'insurrection'".

For what it's worth, leaving is the right choice⁠—just made decades too late.

Terrorists are criminals, not states. Declaring a fruitless war when we had the sympathy of the world—rather than an international police action—will be remembered as an era-defining catastrophe.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) August 15, 2021

​Later, as reports cited defense officials saying that some 500 US embassy staff members had been successfully evacuated, Snowden raised eyebrows, pointing at the turmoil in the airport of Kabul as crowds of people struggle to leave the country.

There have been thousands of Afghan civilians trapped and panicking on the civilian side of the airport with their commercial jets unable to take off all night, and DOD is crowing about flying out just 500 people?
People that could be on that other side stamping emergency visas? https://t.co/N3kWrLHkEp

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) August 15, 2021

​Footage emerged online and quickly went viral showing "hundreds" of people rushing in the Hamid Karzai International Airport in an attempt to flee Afghanistan as helicopters gather to evacuate members of foreign diplomatic missions.

Reports suggest that commercial flights from Kabul have been suspended on Sunday after the Taliban* claimed control over the Afghan capital, but Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that these flights will continue.

Later in the day, the United States announced in a statement that it will controll air traffic in Kabul, while also raising its military presence in Afganistan up to 6,000 troops to assist in the evacuation of the Americans from the country.

*The Taliban is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries