In Joe Biden’s America, things just happen. No one is really running the country. That’s the attitude of much of the mainstream media. It’s especially true when it comes to Biden’s removal of all U.S. troops in Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. ABC’s Nightline on Wednesday devoted the entire show – 16 minutes and 14 seconds to the impact of the U.S. withdrawal. Total time spent on Biden’s decision? 16 seconds.
Reporting from the site of a deadly explosion that killed many young girls, reporter Ian Pannell explained, “This is not a battlefield. These are not soldiers. This is a school. These are children. Dozens of them dead. More than 100 hurt. Most of them girls who dared to get an education…. Once again the country risks a descent into chaos. Four bombings in just ten days pulling at the seams of a fragile nation.”
If you blinked, you might have missed it, but Afghan politician and women’s rights activist Fawzia Koofi singled out the Democratic president: “I think the unconditional withdrawal message that was announced by President Biden certainly emboldened the military extremists. They are preparing to come back in any ways they can. Not only Taliban, but other military extremist groups.”
That was it for the whole show. No mention of Biden's move by Pannell, the actual journalist of the piece. Instead, he described the chaos: “More than 1,700 Afghan civilians have lost their lives in the first three months of this year alone. And the threat of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS fester in the shadows. The Taliban signed a deal with the United States, but not with the Afghan government.”
Near the close of the show, Pannell spoke to optimistic young Afghan girls. But he warned, “But that future now at risk as U.S. troops withdraw from their country, opening the door for the Taliban to possibly regain control here.”
Who ordered the quick withdrawal? ABC doesn’t seem to know. Whether or not the U.S. should leave any troops in the country is a debated question. But the man in charge is responsible for the decision. His name is Joe Biden, but you wouldn’t know that on ABC.
On May 3, NBC reported on the Afghanistan withdrawal and somehow never mentioned Biden.
The spinning for Biden on ABC was sponsored by Lincoln and Dawn soap. Click on the links to let them know what you think.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Nightline
5/12/2021
BYRON PITTS: Tonight, as U.S. troops draw down from Afghanistan, the country grappling with an uptick in terrorism. The deadliest attack so far this year happening just days ago at a school, targeting girls. Here's ABC's Ian Pannell.
IAN PANNELL: This is not a battlefield. These are not soldiers. This is a school. These are children. Dozens of them dead. More than 100 hurt. Most of them girls who dared to get an education.
GIRL (through interpreter): Everyone was screaming and there was blood everywhere. I couldn’t see anything clearly.
PANNELL: But In Afghanistan, even that can get you killed in a war without boundaries. Once again the country risks a descent into chaos. Four bombings in just ten days pulling at the seams of a fragile nation.
…
PANNELL: But as America plans to leave, 20 years on, it's the Afghans who have done most of the suffering, most of the dying, and there's a real sense of foreboding about what the future now brings.
…
PANNELL: More than 1,700 Afghan civilians have lost their lives in the first three months of this year alone. And the threat of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS fester in the shadows. The Taliban signed a deal with the United States, but not with the Afghan government. And these local troops are now the last line of defense.
FAWZIA KOOFI: I think the unconditional withdrawal message that was announced by President Biden certainly emboldened the military extremists. They are preparing to come back in any ways they can. Not only Taliban, but other military extremist groups.
…
MADIHA: It's our generation. So we girls, we boys, that we are studying, we all are growing all together. We all will be educated. These are positive things. Our education will change everything.
PANNELL: But that future now at risk as U.S. troops withdraw from their country, opening the door for the Taliban to possibly regain control here.
