Tag: 9/11

LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau suggests 9/11 families should forgive Saudi Arabia: 'Nobody's perfect'

LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau spoke about the historic merger between the PGA Tour, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the DP World Tour that was announced on Tuesday, when he made an interesting suggestion regarding the controversial PIF. 

Since its inception, LIV Golf has been controversial, and not just because its goal of rivaling the biggest professional golf tour on the planet. Being backed by the PIF has created a large debate over their funding of terrorism before and after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. 

During an interview this week following the merger, DeChambeau was asked about what he would say to those families who were devastated by the 9/11 attacks by losing loved ones. 

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“I think we’ll never be able to repay the families back for what exactly happened just over 20 years ago and what happened is definitely horrible,” he told CNN. “I think as time has gone on, 20 years has passed, we’re in a place now where it’s time to start trying to work together to make things better together as a whole. 

“I don’t know exactly what they’re feeling. I can’t ever know what they feel, but I have a huge amount of respect for their position and what they believe. Nor do I ever what anything like that to ever occur again.

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“I think as we move forward from that, we have to look toward the pathway to peace and forgiveness, especially if we’re trying to mend the world and make it a better place. I think this is what they’re trying to accomplish, LIV is trying to accomplish, PIF is trying to accomplish. We’re all trying to accomplish is a better world for everybody with entertainment for everybody around the world.”

9/11 Families United Chairperson Terry Strada called out PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan earlier this week for using their stories “to malign LIV Golf” over its ties to the PIF when the rival circuit presented itself as a threat to the Tour.

Strada spoke on “America’s Newsroom” where she said she was shocked to learn about the merger.

“I am so disappointed and this was a real gut punch to wake up yesterday and read these headlines,” Strada told host Bill Hemmer. 

“It’s unfortunate what has happened and something I can’t necessarily speak on. I’m a golfer,” DeChambeau added. “But what I can say is that what they’re trying to do, what they’re trying to work on is to be better allies because we are allies with them. I’m not going to get into politics, I’m not specialized in that. What I can say is they’re trying to do good for the world and showcase themselves in a light that hasn’t been seen in a while. 

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“Nobody’s perfect, but we’re all trying to improve in life.”

DeChambeau reportedly got a $150 million signing bonus to jump ship from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. He was among the group that cashed in, while others like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods remained loyal to the Tour despite reportedly receiving nine-figure offers as well. 

The merger irked players who turned down money for loyalty. 

The PIF will be the main financial supporter of this new entity, per the merger’s release on Tuesday, while all litigation between the respective tours will be put to an end.

“This is the best thing that could ever happen for the game of golf, and I’m extremely proud to be a part of that,” DeChambeau said.

“I truly believe in the end, the game of golf wins in this scenario.”

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

9/11 anniversary makes it easy for veterans to remember why we were in Afghanistan

“Why does Afghanistan matter so much to you?”

This is a question that comes up a lot in my interviews, most recently with a young reporter while discussing the actions of Operation Pineapple Express and other volunteer groups during the botched August 2021, evacuation of Kabul.  

I was floored. How could these people not know why Afghanistan mattered so much to all of these veterans?

Then, it hit me. They don’t remember why we were there. They didn’t even live through 9/11. 

How do you explain this deadly lack of understanding to generations who weren’t born yet or were too young to understand what was happening? Or to those who were there, but have simply forgotten?

How can you make them understand that history is about to repeat itself, but it doesn’t have to be that way? 

There is a generation of Americans that can never forget the images burned into their minds of planes striking the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, killed 2,977 people, and for the veterans, it was personal. It happened while they stood vigil. American warriors, eyes narrowed and fixed on the smoldering rubble displayed on the television, made a single, silent vow “never again on my watch.” 800,000 American warriors would deploy to Afghanistan, sacrificing youth, marriages, limbs, mental health, and in some cases, their very lives.

America built relationships and made promises during those two decades of war.

Al Qaeda’s attack was largely due to bad U.S. ground intelligence and the inability of a partner force to counter them in their unrestricted planning and preparation. To prevent this from happening ever again, our combat veterans and civilians built partnerships with Afghan police, soldiers, nonprofits, Afghan schools, and a myriad of other organizations. America asked the people of Afghanistan to stand up, reach for freedom, and oppose oppression in all its forms. Like proud parents, we assured them they could be whatever they wanted to be, and we would be there by their sides.

Then, in August 2021, we left. We broke those promises, squandered those relationships, and handed control back to the very oppressors we fought against 20 years before.

Why can’t veterans forget?

Veterans know something most Americans don’t. The enemy gets a vote in what happens next. The United States might be done with al Qaeda and ISIS, but they aren’t done with us. This enemy will follow us home.

There is credible evidence that al Qaeda is fully re-constituting right now. Foreign fighters from Syria, Iraq, North Africa, and even Southeast Asia are openly training on former Afghan Army bases in Kandahar and Helmand. The Taliban are fully accommodating and have gone so far as to issue visas to al Qaeda members that allow them to move freely throughout the country in clear violation of the Doha Agreement.

Additionally, Iran and al Qaeda have set sectarian differences aside and are cooperating to foment disruption in the Middle East. According to numerous Afghan Special Operations Forces, this al Qaeda is a younger, more capable force. ISIS-K is also in play.

There is an unthinkable yet highly possible scenario in how all this plays out. It’s not a stretch to imagine that America’s enemies will launch another catastrophic attack on the homeland. Out of the ashes emerges a freshly mobilized U.S. blinded by revenge and short-term memory toward “bringing justice to the evildoers.” Backed by American citizens, young warriors will load up again on C-17 cargo planes and fly back into the graveyard of empires to exact justice.

But this time it will be different.

Instead of Northern Alliance resistance allies waiting on the ground to receive and work with our troops, there will be thousands of forlorn, pissed-off former Afghan commandos who are well-trained and well-equipped in U.S. tactics and gear. They have been co-opted by al Qaeda after watching their children starve, salivating for revenge over unkept promises.

This September 11th, Americans should demand change and accountability from their government. It’s not too late to protect our homeland if we act now.

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The U.S. government must resume all sanctions on the Taliban and stop all aid. Credible sources tell us that millions of dollars in humanitarian aid is not getting to its intended victims.

The government must assume the care and management of Afghan special operations partner forces and other at-risk, high-impact Afghan security officials from veteran groups.

And the government must support the Afghan National Resistance Front, which is the legitimate Afghan Government. They are the best option for standing against terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

Even if America doesn’t pull its head out of the sand, veterans won’t stop trying to intervene in this impending disaster because they know what’s at stake. Without immediate action, the next 9-11 Commission testimony is practically writing itself. 

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Afghan interpreter tells Trey Gowdy: Afghanistan is worse than before 9/11

Afghan interpreter Jamil Hassan appeared on “Sunday Night in America” to discuss the state of his home country after being forced to flee from it last year.

August marks the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, leading to the fall of the country to Taliban forces. Although Biden previously insisted that U.S. military would stay in the country until all American and Afghan allies were evacuated, hundreds of Americans and thousands of Afghanistan allies were left stranded after the troops left.

Hassan, who was one of many Afghan allies evacuated through the Kabul airport, lamented to host Trey Gowdy that he has felt betrayed by Biden and his decision to abandon the country.

“Most of those promises were broken by President Biden’s decision to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan. I did not think myself being here, being interviewed on Fox News, I was hopeful for my future in my own country, serving my own people. But unfortunately, because of the decision made by President Biden, here I am with hundreds of thousands of my fellow citizens leaving their country, starting life from scratch here and across the world. And tens of thousands of them still at refugee camps in Pakistan and the UAE, and Qatar and even Ukraine. Their lives are destroyed. Their hopes are destroyed. Our country is destroyed. Everything that we have achieved in the past 20 years, because of the presence of international community, they are all gone,” Hassan said.

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“There is no explanation to this. This is just a crystal-clear mistake. This decision should not have been made in the first place,” he added.

During the evacuation at Kabul airport, suicide bombers killed 183 people, including 13 U.S. service members. In retaliation, the U.S. launched two drone strikes against suspected ISIS-K terrorists, killing 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children.

Hassan recounted his own experiences leaving his country, speculating that many had felt the same.

“When I was on a C-17 as it lifted off Kabul airport, I had this deep sorrow in my heart. Everyone was asleep and started to fall asleep, but I couldn’t sleep because I thought I was losing something big, something that I cannot gain back. And still, I am thinking that either the last 20 years of the life that I spent in democracy, in happiness and in peace, was it a dream or is this a dream, and I will wake up one day and things will be normal as they were last year and in the past 20 years. That is the feeling I can express,” Hassan said.

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In regard to Afghanistan now, Hassan argued that the country had “backwarded a hundred years” and continues to be ignored by the U.S.

“It is not even the Afghanistan of before 9/11. It’s worse than that, because despite that they know the realities of the facts about Afghanistan, what the people achieve, they turn a blind eye onto all of them. Worst of that is that the entire world has forgotten Afghanistan. Not only because of the war in Ukraine but because they do not want to hear about it. For instance, President Biden multiple times made it clear he doesn’t want to hear anything about Afghanistan. And he should hear about it,” he said.

Hassan also warned that this could have further worse implications worldwide, especially in Ukraine and Taiwan.

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“Because this is the catastrophe, the disaster that he brought on not only my country and my people but also on Ukrainians. Right after America and its allies left Afghanistan, that gave an incentive to Russia to attack Ukraine. And God knows what next, we’re following the news about Taiwan, China threatening Taiwan security. And the outcome of this chaotic withdrawal for Americans and for America is that the world does not trust America as an ally anymore. Look at Japan, at South Korea, Middle East countries, do they think that the United States will stay with them, will stand alongside them? I am sure they don’t think so. They are looking for other allies,” Hassan closed.