Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama turned off social media comments on Instagram for hours on Monday.
According to a spokesperson, the change was not “intentional,” though no explanation was given.
The timing comes as President Biden, Obama’s former Vice President, remains silent on the Taliban taking over Afghanistan after he promised months ago that was highly unlikely.
“Obama’s Instagram posts said, ‘Comments on this post have been limited’ for roughly two hours Monday morning,” a Fox News report said. “His most recent post, a video Thursday touting his All on the Line redistricting campaign, garnered 885 comments before it was shut down Monday.”
Mrs. Obama’s comments were turned off for the same time period. When asked about the curious social media move, an Obama spokesperson told Fox News the commenting pause had “no intentionality on our side.” There was no explanation given for why it happened, however.
Fox News outlined some of the comments the former president received before the comment section was briefly shut down:
“Afghanistan needs your help. Please please help Afghanistan,” one commenter wrote.
“The blood of the #Afghan people is on the hands of those who have remained silent in the face of oppression and have made friends with the Taliban,” wrote another. “History will not forget your crime.”
“What did we accomplish in Afghanistan if we turn tail and run now?” asked another. “They need us! That is not the American way! We do not surrender and run! We stay and fight and until the issues are resolved which is true independence!”
Commenters posted the hashtags #help_afghanistan and #afghanistanisbleeding, among others, before being cut off.
President Biden on Monday ordered 1,000 more U.S. troops into Afghanistan, bringing a total of 7,000 U.S. troops in the country since the U.S. launched pullout operations early this year. The Daily Wire reported on the rapidly deteriorating developments on Monday:
The United States, which took control of airport operations on Sunday, suspended flights out of the airport on Monday morning after thousands of Afghans broke through security and crowded on the airfield. Desperate Afghans attempted to cling to the outside of departing planes, causing some to later fall to their deaths or be run over.
A U.S. official said that U.S. troops killed two armed men at Karzai amid the chaos. The official did not go into any more detail about the men killed. Taliban fighters have been seen in Karzai International Airport, some travelers said.
The international evacuation plan has been bottlenecked at Karzai International Airport. Bagram Air Base, located north of Kabul, was overrun with Taliban militants over the weekend after the U.S. turned the base over to the Afghan military last month.
The U.S. is currently scrambling to evacuate thousands of personnel, diplomats, and Afghan visa holders following the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
Related: Biden Orders More Troops Into Kabul After Airport Overrun With Afghans, Evac Flights Suspended