Ishilove: Thanks. I'm more inclined to believe number three because the ease with which the Talibans took over is very suspicious.
This is a National Public Radio reporter that was based in Afghanistan. In 2016 she survived an attack on her convoy while she was over there. National Public Radio is a major US public broadcaster.
Ishilove: I don't understand the Afghans. The Americans and Russians trained you guys for 20 years and when the Taliban's came, you couldn't put up any reasonable resistance? What the actual fúck??!
There are very many reasons for that.
1) Some of the Afghan troops that were trained were killed and new ones took their place, so basically, it's not exactly like they've been training the same troops for 20 years.
2) Some of the Afghan Government troops are demoralised because their superiors are corrupt. When you are not paid, or are paid less than what you should get and when you know that foreign countries have made provision for you but your superiors have cornered those goods, then you become demoralised and less willing to fight.
3) Some of those troops might also be sympathetic to the Taliban.
The Lekki Phase 1 Second Gate is at Adewunmi Adebimpe Street, but the end of that road was previously just a bushy area. People who came into the estate through that gate and who wanted to go further into the estate had to use Ogungbe Crescent/Providence Road to reach Bisola Durosinmi-Etti Drive and this often caused an incredible traffic jam at the junction of the two streets. That traffic jam sometimes stretched all the way to the Expressway.
Alternatively, people could come into the Estate through Hakeem Dickson Road, but the junction between Hakeem Dickson and Bisola Durosinmi-Etti Drive was another area that was plagued by massive traffic jams.
The solution to the traffic jams was to simply clear the bush at the end of Adewunmi Adebimpe Street and to build a bridge over the canal, but that was never done until now.
This is the new junction between Adewunmi Adebimpe Street and Bisola Durosinmi-Etti Drive
At long last they are going to build a proper fire station.
The number of fire stations in Lagos have been inadequate for decades. The Fashola Administration addressed this issue by opening many new fire stations in the late 2000s and early 2010s. However, some of these stations (e.g. the Lekki and Onikan Stations) were basically temporary or make shift facilities.
You can see a red shed and a small bungalow in the third picture below. That was the fire station that was set up by the Fashola Administration, but now the government is planning to build a more befitting station.
However, there's still a big problem that needs to be addressed and that's the drainage system that runs across right before the Oniru Palace Road. The drain is covered with concrete slabs and these slabs break and fail quite often, especially because of the fact that heavy vehicles like tankers and trailer trucks often use the road in order to avoid paying tolls on the expressway.
They need to find a better way to cover the drain.
I hope this is the most recent version of the thread.
Dualisation
Pictures 1 & 2) They are dualising Akiogun Road (aka Oniru New Market Road).
Drainage
Pictures 3 & 4) At long last they are also constructing a proper drainage system beside the road. The road was resurfaced c2011 by LCC & Hitech as part of their corporate social responsibility after expanding and tolling the expressway and I don't know why they did not construct a proper drainage system at that time. I pitied pedestrians who had to walk down that road in the Rainy Season because there were always large puddles beside the road. Now it looks like things will be better for them.
The road serves as an alternative to the Lekki Epe Expressway.
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America
08/14/21
Joe Biden gets it wrong every time on foreign policy, and many other issues. Everyone knew he couldn’t handle the pressure. Even Obama’s Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, said as much. He ran out of Afghanistan instead of following the plan our Administration left for him—a plan that protected our people and our property, and ensured the Taliban would never dream of taking our Embassy or providing a base for new attacks against America. The withdrawal would be guided by facts on the ground.
After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent. That deterrent is now gone. The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America, or America’s power. What a disgrace it will be when the Taliban raises their flag over America’s Embassy in Kabul. This is complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence.
Afghanistan: Trump calls for Biden to resign, as Dominic Raab accused of 'going AWOL' with week-long holiday
The rapid collapse of Afghanistan's government means American officials are increasingly concerned about the potential for a rise in terrorist threats against the US.
Connor Sephton
Monday 16 August 2021 05:52, UK
The UK and the US are facing criticism over their handling of the deepening crisis in Afghanistan.
Donald Trump has called for Joe Biden to resign in the wake of the Taliban's takeover - describing the current situation as a "disgrace".
In a statement, the former president wrote: "What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary. It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history!"
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been accused of "going AWOL" after spending the past week on holiday abroad as the situation was unravelling.
Tom Tugendhat, a veteran and Conservative MP who now chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told the BBC that he does not know how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will respond - adding this is "the biggest single policy disaster since Suez".
Government officials have said that Mr Raab is personally overseeing the Foreign Office's response, has engaged with international partners, and returned to the UK yesterday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the Taliban should not be recognised as the government of Afghanistan, but added it was clear there will be a new administration in the country very soon.
He has also called for the West to adopt a "united position ... so that we do whatever we can to prevent Afghanistan lapsing back into being a breeding ground for terror".
Mr Johnson confirmed that Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK's ambassador to Afghanistan, has been "working around the clock" to evacuate British citizens - and has been at Kabul's airport to help process applications.
The prime minister added: "Our priority is to make sure that we deliver on our obligations to UK nationals in Afghanistan, to all those who helped the British effort in Afghanistan over 20 years, and to get them out as fast we can.
"We are going to get as many as we can out in the next few days."
The UN Security Council is going to meet later today.
Another 1,000 troops have been sent to Afghanistan to help evacuate US personnel and keep Kabul's airport secure - taking over air traffic control in the process.
However, the rapid collapse of the country's government means American officials are increasingly concerned about the potential for a rise in terrorist threats against the US.
Back in June, senior leaders at the Pentagon had said that an extremist group such as al Qaeda could regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the US homeland within two years.
Because of the evolving situation, they now believe that terrorist organisations may be able to grow much faster than expected.
US intelligence agencies are now working on a new timeline based on these developing threats.
All of this comes as officials push back against criticism of what has widely been seen as an intelligence failure - and the hurried evacuations out of Kabul have been likened to the 1975 fall of Saigon.
Last month, President Joe Biden said the prospects of the Taliban "overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely" - something that the hardline Islamist group has now managed to achieve in just over a week.
One senior intelligence official told the AP news agency: "A rapid Taliban takeover was always a possibility … As the Taliban advanced, they ultimately met with little resistance. We have always been clear-eyed that this was possible, and tactical conditions on the ground can often evolve quickly."
Veterans have also expressed dismay at how quickly Afghanistan has fallen after 20 years of conflict, with more than 450 British personnel losing their lives during the war.
Jack Cummings, a former Royal Engineer, said: "Was it worth it, probably not. Did I lose my legs for nothing, looks like it. Did my mates die in vain, Yep."
SANWO-OLU APPROVES RECRUITMENT OF CLINICAL STAFF FOR HEALTH SECTOR
... Also Approves Upgrade of Five Health Centres to General Hospitals
In line with the T.H.E.M.E's Agenda of the present administration and fulfilling the promise of qualitative healthcare delivery to the residents of Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the recruitment of clinical staff to fill the existing vacancies in the 27 secondary healthcare facilities in the State.
The recruitment, which is aimed at reducing brain drain, is also to ensure that residents get optimal healthcare services whenever they visit any of the government hospitals for medical treatment.
A release signed by the Permanent Secretary, Health Service Commission, Dr. Ademuyiwa Benjamin Eniayewun, said that “Vacancies to be filled include posts for Consultants, Registrars, Medical and Dental officers, Health Records officers, Pharmacists, Nurses, Medical Laboratory Scientists and Physiotherapists.
Others are Radiographers, Optometrists, Dental Therapists and Technologists, Medical Laboratory and Dental Technicians as well as House Officers and Interns.
Eniayewun stated further that all applicants are expected to apply online, from Monday, August 16, 2021, to Saturday, September 4, 2021, through the Commission’s portal at http://www.lshscrecruitment.com.ng, adding that only shortlisted candidates will, however, be contacted for the computer-based test and interview.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary also revealed that the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, has given his approval for the upgrade of five comprehensive hospital centres in the State to General Hospitals.
According to him, the affected Hospital Centres are those in Onikan, Harvey Road, Ebute-Metta, Ijede and Ketu-Ejirin.
Foreign Affairs › Re: Men In Kabul Mock Women After Taliban Takeover Of Afghanistan by naptu2: 5:09pm On Aug 16, 2021
