SAN DIEGO (AP) — After nearly a decade of planning, work has started at San Diego International Airport on a $3.4 billion project that will eventually replace the 1960s-era Terminal 1 and build a new airport access road.

The project got underway this week after the Federal Aviation Administration approved a federal environmental impact analysis, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday.

Initial work ranges from removal of vacant cargo buildings to relocation of utilities.

The new terminal will have 30 gates, improved food and retail concessions and a baggage system capable of handling 2,000 bags per hour during peak periods.

Nineteen gates are expected to open in mid-2025. The old terminal will then be demolished and the remaining 11 gates should be finished by 2027.

The airport’s Terminal 2 previously underwent a $1 billion redevelopment.

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The fighting in Lebanon had been going on for years. I arrived in Beirut in early December 1983. As a newly assigned member of the Marine Security Guard Detachment at the U.S. Embassy, I was motivated to be there. The embassy detachment was small but was as technically and tactically proficient as any unit in the Corps. Many of the detachment Marines had served in other embassies and diplomatic missions. Terrorist car bombings were practically an everyday occurrence, as were sporadic daily gun battles and artillery fire. It seemed the factions were all fighting each other, the Lebanese Army was fighting the factions, and on the edges of this chaos were the Iranians and Syrians firing on the Marines. The marines were on a “Peacekeeping Mission” and were stuck in the middle. We were augmented outside the embassy by “Foxtrot Co. 2nd Bn 8th Marines and had one mission; To protect the embassy personnel; to safeguard classified materials, and to protect government property.

There are similar circumstances between the evacuation in Beirut 1984 and the one recently conducted in Afghanistan 2021: terrorism, humanitarian issues, warring factions fighting each other, partisan congressional decisions, lack of diplomatic progress, and politicians who ignore the intelligence reports from the operators in the field.

The first time I ever heard the rule of the 7 P’s was in the Marine Corps, and I believe it was taught to me by Gunnery Sergeant Randy Sears. Sears explained, that “Regardless of the task if it required planning, the 7 Ps were applicable. “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance”! In February 1984, the fighting in Lebanon was so severe that decision-makers in Washington D.C. decided to close the American Embassy. And simultaneously, they decided to build a new U.S. embassy annex in East Beirut. Unlike Afghanistan, we did not have 20 years to develop a contingency plan. It seemed to be an almost instant decision! A rapid, shoot from the hip type plan, which would require applying the 7 P’s.

The process to evacuate was tedious. Perimeters were set and entryways were established with barricades covered in concertina and razor wire. There was no climbing over or diverting the entry process. The implementation was organized and peaceful, largely because those wishing to do us harm did not know we were leaving. The rules were simple. Evacuees needed proper identification and were allowed two suitcases each. The explosive detection canines would sniff the individual and their suitcases, before coming inside the perimeter checkpoint. Once inside, the individuals and their suitcases were searched for weapons or contraband. Once cleared, the evacuees with their suitcases were escorted to a staging point to await the helicopters for transport. The evacuees were moved to U.S. naval vessels somewhere out in the Mediterranean.

The first to evacuate were the State Department’s nonessential personnel and their families. These were clerks, advisors, political attaches, agriculture advisors, consulate officers, and others. Practically everyone except the ambassador, Deputy chief of mission, and the State Department Regional Security Officer (RSO) and his security personnel. Next, American civilians and immigrant “green card” holders were evacuated. The next group to evacuate were those Lebanese citizens who had worked at the embassy or perhaps were in the process of applying for an immigrant visa. There were other diplomats from Japan, South Korea, and others. The British and Italians were also evacuating. The fighting in war-torn Beirut had spread like today’s pandemic. The time to evacuate had come.

“With only a few hours’ notice, over 400 Americans were evacuated without incident… According to the flight manifests, there were 410 Americans, Lebanese, and Diplomats from Egypt, Japan, and South Korea, airlifted out of West Beirut via marine helicopters. Another group of 110 American citizens and others from “friendly nations” left by ship from Jounieh Harbor, North of East Beirut.” — The New York Times

The Beirut evacuation was substantially smaller in numbers compared to Afghanistan. However, the success of the Beirut evacuation was attributed to successfully applying the 7 P’s. A stark contrast to the evacuation from Afghanistan! In Beirut, there were no prior media reporting our departure, and due to this, chaos and panic did not occur and therefore allowed time for the State Department to reach out to our allies in and around Beirut, to include them in the evacuation. The most valuable lesson in comparison to this point? The enemy did not know what our plans were. “Loose lips do sink ships!”

In 2001, when the United States went into Afghanistan, the U.S. solicited help from the local nationals to assist us in our operations as interpreters and translators. The Afghans who stepped up to help did so at great personal risk of death from the Taliban. In appreciation for their help, the U.S. government promised assistance in obtaining Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), to migrate to the United States.

To all appearances, the Afghanistan evacuation seemed to be a rolling snowball of chaos and mismanagement. The Beirut evacuation had an organized process to prioritize the evacuees and maintained identifying passenger manifests. This did not appear to be the case in the Afghanistan evacuation. In Afghanistan, the Biden administration ordered the evacuation of military personnel and Afghan refugees first, ahead of American citizens and ahead of the Afghans who helped us, despite the promises from our government. The Biden administration failed on so many levels in timely planning and execution. They began flying refugees who were unvetted and undocumented, many of whom did not stand up and assist us with the war effort. But when the collapse of the elected Afghan government was imminent and the takeover by the Taliban inevitable, they wanted to be the first ones out. It is obvious there was little to no planning in the Afghanistan evacuation until the last minute. President Biden and top military personnel knew the evacuation would be leaving Americans behind.

The decisions made to announce our departure created media buzz and told the enemy what our plans were. By all military sense, this is perhaps the biggest breach of Operation Security (OPSEC) there is. The decision to vacate and surrender Bagram Air Base eliminated our ability to maintain a secure operating base for any operation, including the final evacuation. Strategically, this eliminated an operating airbase with a decent proximity to the entire region. This also provided access to stockpiles of weapons, equipment, aircraft, and vehicles to the Taliban. Finally, to recognize the hostile overthrow of the Afghan Government by the Taliban, and to negotiate with, let alone trust, the Taliban, reveals the absolute worst decision-making from the United States government and our military. The decisions made by President Biden and his administration, and the chaos and panic it created, provided the perfect cover and opportunity for a terrorist to detonate a bomb at the Kabul Airport, killing thirteen American military personnel and hundreds of civilians, and wounding many others, with zero accountability from the decision-makers. But then again, this is nothing new.

Following the successful evacuations from West Beirut, U.S. Ambassador Reginald Bartholomew’s insistence to open the Annex before the completion of the facility, (i.e., unfinished security safeguards being in place), provided an opportunity for a Muslim extremist to drive a car bomb into the Annex, killing dozens of people and wounding many others. Again, like the bad decisions that fed the war in Afghanistan for twenty years, there has been no accountability for the deadly decisions made. In my opinion, the Beirut evacuation was well thought out, orderly, and successful. Quite the contrary to the evacuation of Afghanistan. Of my lessons learned, I would conclude that “Good leaders and good planning are crucial.” It is going to be dangerous times for the Americans and our allies left behind in Afghanistan. All things considered, I am thankful the War on Terror seems to be coming to an end in Afghanistan; Or has it?

Larry Gill | Columnist

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A firefight outside Kabul’s international airport killed an Afghan soldier early Monday, highlighting the perils of evacuation efforts as the Taliban warned that any attempt by U.S. troops to delay their withdrawal to give people more time to flee would “provoke a reaction.”

The shooting came as the Taliban moved to shore up their position and eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this month. The Taliban said they retook three districts north of the capital seized by opponents the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control.

Afghanistan’s security forces collapsed in the face of the Taliban advance, despite 20 years of Western training and assistance. Since then, tens of thousands of Afghans have sought to flee the country, fearing a return to the brutal rule the Taliban imposed the last time they ran Afghanistan. That has led to chaos at the airport in Kabul, the main route out of the country.

U.S. President Joe Biden has not ruled out extending the evacuation beyond Aug. 31, the date he set for completing the pullout of U.S. forces. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to press Biden for an extension.

But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News, said Aug. 31 is a “red line” and that extending the American presence would “provoke a reaction.”

Gunfire broke out early Monday near an entrance to the airport, where at least seven Afghans died a day earlier in a panicked stampede of thousands of people.

Navy Capt. William Urban, a U.S. military spokesman, said an unknown assailant shot at Afghan security forces at the airport’s northern gate, leading Afghan, U.S. and allied troops to open fire in response. He said an Afghan soldier was killed and several Afghans were wounded.

An Italian humanitarian organization that operates hospitals in Afghanistan said it treated six patients with bullet wounds from the airport.

There was no comment from the Taliban, who in recent days have fired warning shots and lashed out with batons to try to control crowds swelling into the thousands outside the airport.

The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed Sunday.

The Taliban blame the chaotic evacuation on the U.S. military and say there’s no need for any Afghans to flee. They have pledged to bring peace and security after decades of war and say they won’t seek revenge on those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government.

Addressing a conference of Muslim clerics, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged them to push back against Western “propaganda” about the Taliban and said the U.S. was undermining their rule by sending planes and offering Afghans asylum.

But Mohammad Khalid, another Taliban official addressing the same gathering, struck a more ominous tone, saying “history and Afghans will not forgive those who were trained in the U.S. and Europe and returned to kill their own people.”

He said foreign countries should not interfere in education, asking the clerics if they would “tolerate a young girl sitting next to a boy at school.” He also praised the role of suicide bombers in forcing the U.S. to withdraw.

The divergent messages raised doubts as to whether the Taliban are fully united behind the more moderate image their leadership is projecting. There have also been reports in recent days of the Taliban hunting down their former enemies.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Bild newspaper that the main obstacle to getting people out was the crowds outside the airport.

Asked about Taliban assurances of safe passage to the airport, she said: “So far, I can say that what we need is being granted; the danger comes more from these uncontrollable crowds of people.”

As the airlift continues, the U.S. government asked for 18 aircraft from American commercial carriers to assist in transporting Afghan refugees to their final destinations after their initial evacuation.

Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of some 37,000 people on military and coalition flights. Those efforts are accelerating: In the 24 hours that ended early Monday, U.S. military flights ferried about 10,400 people to safety, an official said.

Tens of thousands of people — Americans, other foreigners and Afghans who assisted in the war effort — are still waiting to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles.

U.S. special operations forces retrieved 16 more American citizens from outside the airport early Monday, according to senior military officials in Afghanistan.

Rescue missions that go beyond the airport walls require the approval of a four-star officer and are handled on a case-by-case basis, said the American officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations publicly.

Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered five men who were evacuated from Afghanistan placed under surveillance in France for possible links to the Taliban.

“France is human but it is also vigilant,” the minister tweeted Monday, along with a story by a French news agency quoting him about the suspicions.

Amid the evacuations, there are also concerns that a local affiliate of the Islamic State group might target the crowds outside the airport with suicide bombers or fire missiles at U.S. aircraft. Military planes have been executing corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares upon takeoff — both measures used to avoid missile attacks.

The Taliban and IS have different ideologies and have fought in recent years, but one concern about the Taliban’s takeover is that they could again shelter extremist groups. The Taliban harbored al-Qaida while it orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, leading to the U.S. invasion in 2001. The Taliban now say they will not allow Afghanistan to be a base for attacks on other countries.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban have faced limited armed resistance from fighters in Baghlan province, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Kabul. The anti-Taliban fighters claimed to have seized three districts in the Andarab Valley on Sunday, but the Taliban said Monday that they had cleared them out overnight.

Khair Mohammad Khairkhwa and Abdul Ghani Mahmood, commanders of the anti-Taliban forces, said the recent fighting had caused casualties on both sides and displaced civilians.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said the group’s forces have also surrounded nearby Panjshir, the only one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces yet to fall to the Taliban. Several Taliban opponents have gathered there, pledging to resist any attempt to take the province by force.

Mujahid said there had been no fighting in Panjshir yet and that the Taliban are seeking a “peaceful solution.”

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