The fall of Kabul: an iteration of the United States’ role in Saigon?

Aug 17, 2021 at 01:00 PM CDT

Shannon Longworth

fall kabul saigon

Following the United States’ withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban has continued to capture cities while people evacuate. As US troops airlifted Americans from the embassy, many compared the fall of Kabul to that of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.

Shannon Longworth

Shannon Longworth was an investigative reporter and anchor for Straight Arrow News from 2021 to 2023. She started her career on California’s central coast, then made her way back home working in the sprawling suburbs of New York City

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LONGWORTH: KABUL, 2021 OR…

THAT’S THE COMPARISON WE’VE SEEN FOR DAYS, TRENDING ON TWITTER.

BOTH SCENES OF DESPERATE EVACUATION WITH OTHER SIMILARITIES.

BUT IS HISTORY TRULY REPEATING ITSELF? HOW DO THE FINAL DAYS OF WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND VIETNAM COMPARE?

LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT.

AS THE US AIRLIFTED AMERICANS AND PROTECTED AFGHANS OUT OF THE EMBASSY

OVER THE WEEKEND, THE TROOPS’ PURPOSE WAS

THE SAME AS IT WAS IN 1975:

TO SAVE AMERICANS FROM THE CLUTCHES OF INSURGENTS…

THIS TIME, IN KABUL, IT’S THE TALIBAN,

WHO’VE OFFICIALLY TAKEN THE AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE.

IN SAIGON, IT WAS THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY.

IN BOTH CASES, THE U-S PULLED THEIR TROOPS, ESSENTIALLY OPENING THE DOOR FOR THOSE INSURGENTS TO TAKE POWER.

THE SURPRISING ELEMENT EACH TIME WAS THE SPEED WITH WHICH THE NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY

AND THE TALIBAN EACH CAPTURED CITIES.

QUICKLY RESULTING IN THIS CHAOTIC RUSH TO GET OUT.

THOUSANDS CROWDING THE AIRPORT IN KABUL, CLAMORING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESCAPE.

NOT UNLIKE THE SENSE OF DESPERATION IN VIETNAM.

ANOTHER SIMILARITY: THE US NEGOTIATED PEACE TREATIES WITH ITS ADVERSARIES ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO BEFORE WITHDRAWING ENTIRELY.

SO THESE ARE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE US’S FINAL DAYS IN AFGHANISTAN AND VIETNAM.

GOT IT STRAIGHT?

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS AND DON’T FORGET TO HIT THE STRAIGHT ARROW BIAS METER.

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