Afghan tension

Report list

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  Chinese, Italian FMs exchange views on situation in Afghanistan

  20 -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio exchanged their views on the situation in Afghanistan in a telephone conversation on Friday.Wang said that a new page has been opened in the history of Afghanistan, and history will eventually draw

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  Biden defends handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, sees 'no question' of US credibility

  Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 20, 2021 shows a screen displaying U.S. President Joe Biden (C) delivering remarks on Afghanistan at the White House in Washington, D.C. Biden on Friday once again defended his administrations handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, denying Americas allies questioning the countrys credibility over the ongoing chaotic evacuation. (Photo: Xinhua)WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday once again defended his administrations handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, denying Americas allies questioning the countrys credibility over the ongoing chaotic evacuation."This is one of the largest, most difficult air lifts in history, and the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America," said Biden, who has been widely criticized on the botched pullout, in a televised speech from the White House.Biden said he has "seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world.""And all our allies have agreed with that ... every one of them knew and agreed with the decision I made to end - jointly end - our involvement in Afghanistan," said Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan standing behind him."Lets put this thing in perspective here. What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone? We went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of getting rid of al Qaeda in Afghanistan as well as getting Osama bin Laden, and we did," Biden said.Calling the past week "heartbreaking," Biden said the United States has made "significant progress" and evacuated from Afghanistan over 18,000 people since July and 13,000 since Aug. 14.He pledged to use the full fo...

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  Taliban wants ties with all countries, including US: Taliban political chief

  File photo of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistans TalibanKABUL, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistans Taliban, said the Taliban intends to have economic and trade ties with all countries around the world."The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants diplomatic and trade ties with all countries, particularly with the United States of America," Baradar wrote on social media platform twitter on Saturday.Baradar denied media reports that the Taliban has not intended to have diplomatic and trade ties with the United States."We never talk about cut of trade ties with any countries. Rumor about this news has been a propaganda. It is not true," he said.Earlier in the day, unconfirmed reports said Baradar has arrived in Kabul from southern Kandahar to conduct consultation with Afghan leaders about the creation of a new government. He returned to Kandahar from Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar on Tuesday.On Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they intended to form an inclusive government and does not want to have any internal or external enemies.

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  Afghan women demand rights as Taliban seek recognition

  A small group of Afghan women protested near the presidential palace in Kabul on Friday, demanding equal rights from the Taliban as Afghanistans new rulers work on forming a government and seeking international recognition.Women gather to demand their rights under the Taliban rule during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. (Photo: AP)The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days last month and celebrated the departure of the last U.S. forces after 20 years of war. Now they face the urgent challenge of governing a war-ravaged country that is heavily reliant on international aid. The Taliban have promised an inclusive government and a more moderate form of Islamic rule than when they last ruled the country from 1996 to 2001. But many Afghans, especially women, are deeply skeptical and fear a rollback of rights gained over the last two decades.The protest in Kabul was the second womens protest in as many days, with the other held in the western city of Herat. Around 20 women with microphones gathered under the watchful eyes of Taliban gunmen, who allowed the demonstration to proceed.The women demanded access to education, the right to return to work and a role in governing the country. "Freedom is our motto. It makes us proud," read one of their signs.A Taliban fighter ventured into the crowd at one point, but witnesses said he was angry at the bystanders who had stopped to watch the demonstration and not the protesters themselves.The Taliban have said women will be able to continue their education and work outside the home, rights denied to women when the militants were last in power. But the Taliban have also vowed to impose Sharia, or Islamic law, without providing specifics. Interpretations of Islamic law vary widely across the Muslim world, with more moderate strains predominating. The Talibans earlier rule was shaped by Afghanistans unique tribal traditions, under which women are not to be seen in p...

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  US drone strike wiped out Kabul family, brother says

  A destroyed vehicle is seen inside a house after a US drone attack in Kabul, August 29. (Photo: AP)When Ezmarai Ahmadi returned home from work on Sunday evening in Kabul, the usual gaggle of squealing children were waiting to greet him -- his sons and daughters, and a slew of nieces and nephews.His brother, Aimal Ahmadi, said Ezmarai pulled his white sedan into the driveway of a modest house in Kwaja Burga, a densely populated neighbourhood in the northwest of the Afghan capital, and handed the keys to his eldest son to park.Youngsters piled into the vehicle -- pretending the parking routine was an adventure -- while Ezmarai watched from the side, his brother told AFP.Then, according to Aimal, a missile came screeching down -- striking the car with a terrible force and obliterating the lives of 10 people in an instant.The United States said Sunday it had destroyed an explosive-laden vehicle in an air strike, thwarting a bid by the Islamic State to detonate a car bomb at Kabul airport.On Monday, Aimal said he had lost 10 members of his family in the strike, including his own daughter and five other children."The rocket came and hit the car full of kids inside our house," he said."It killed all of them."When an AFP journalist visited the scene on Monday, Aimal was impatiently waiting for other relatives to arrive to help him organise burials for most of his family."My brother and his four children were killed. I lost my small daughter... nephews and nieces," he said disconsolately.AFP was unable to independently verify Aimals account.The United States said it was investigating media reports of civilian casualties as a result of the strike."We are aware of reports of civilian casualties following our strike on a vehicle in Kabul," Captain Bill Urban, a US military spokesman, said in a statement. - Despair -The United States air strike came after an IS suicide bomber triggered a massive blast at an entrance to Kabul airport l...

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  Afghans wish everything to get back on track after US troops pullout

  Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (Photo: AP)KABUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Afghans are expecting peace and harmony, and wish everything to get back on track after the pullout of the last U.S. troops from the country."The Taliban firing on the air woke me up at midnight. Then I found it was the celebratory firing after the U.S. troops pullout. However, I could not go back to sleep as I was thinking about the loss of my assets in recent days," money exchanger Najibullah told Xinhua."I had a big loss in changing money in recent days. I lost a lot of afghanis and foreign currencies, the afghani is not stable, the exchange rate is rising and falling in hours due to the current political and economic problems," he said.Najibullah said he was concerned about the fast changing of afghani to U.S. dollars rate. Currency devaluation directly affected the daily life of the Afghan people, with prices of goods skyrocketing.The final evacuation flight was conducted on the last hours of Monday night, airlifting the last U.S. military and non-military personnel back home, one day before the Aug. 31 deadline set by U.S. President Joe Biden."The United States had withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan after two decades, but the Americans left a mess in our country," said Khoja Wahid, a Kabul resident, who runs a small factory producing Afghan traditional cloths."The United States is defeated and they are badly defeated," said the 42-year-old man."Most of my costumers were Afghans living in the United States and Europe. No people came to buy traditional cloths from my shop and I had to dismiss my workers. I was worried about them," he said.Wahid said that he was very happy that with the U.S. troops withdrawal, peace would return to Afghanistan. However, the latest security incidents have shocked him."I had never though...

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  As US military leaves Kabul, many Americans, Afghans remain

  Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about Afghanistan, at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. (Photo: AP)As the final five U.S. military transport aircraft lifted off out of Afghanistan, they left behind up to 200 Americans and thousands of desperate Afghans who couldnt get out and now must rely on the Taliban to allow their departure.Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will continue to try to get Americans and Afghans out of the country, and will work with Afghanistans neighbors to secure their departure either over land or by charter flight once the Kabul airport reopens."We have no illusion that any of this will be easy, or rapid," said Blinken, adding that the total number of Americans who are in Afghanistan and still want to leave may be closer to 100.Speaking shortly after the Pentagon announced the completion of the U.S. military pullout Monday, Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain shuttered and vacant for the foreseeable future. American diplomats, he said, will be based in Doha, Qatar."We will continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign nationals and Afghans leave Afghanistan if they choose," Blinken said in an address from the State Department. "Our commitment to them holds no deadline."Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters the U.S. military was able to get as many as 1,500 Afghans out in the final hours of the American evacuation mission. But now it will be up to the State Department working with the Taliban to get any more people out.McKenzie said there were no citizens left stranded at the airport and none were on the final few military flights out. He said the U.S. military maintained the ability to get Americans out right up until just before the end, but "none of them made it to the airport.""Theres a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure," said McKenzie. "We did not g...

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  Pakistan facilitates evacuation of people from Afghanistan

  Children are seen at a border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in southwest Pakistan's Chaman, on Aug. Pakistan has been facilitating the evacuation of people from Afghanistan including members of the international community. Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasti

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  UK wraps up evacuations from Afghanistan, leaving hundreds behind

  AmemberofUKArmedForcestalkingtoagroupofpeopleatKabulairportonAugust22beforetheywereevacuated./BenShread/BritishMinistryofDefenseviaAFP。TheUKiswrappingupitsevacuationsfromAfghanistanafterflyingoutover13,000peoplein14daysbutadmittedthatitwillbeleavingseveralhundredpeoplebehind.。Othercountrieshavealsoh

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  Spain ends evacuations from Kabul: government

  Spain said Friday that it has ended its evacuation operations out of Kabul following the arrival of "the last two Spanish flights" in Dubai, just over a week after it began airlifting its citizens in the wake of the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan.Refugees queue on the tarmac after disembarking from an evacuation flight from Kabul, at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base, 30 km from Madrid, on August 24, 2021. (Photo: AFP)"A military A400 plane arrived in Dubai from Kabul at 7:20 am. A second is due to land at 8:20 am. With these two flights, the Spanish evacuation of its Afghan collaborators and their families has been completed," the government said in a statement.

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  Britain to end evacuations from Afghanistan 'in a matter of hours': defence minister

  Britain said Friday that it plans to complete its evacuations out of Afghanistan "in a matter of hours"."We will process those people that we have brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately inside the airfield now," British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News. "And we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowd, where we can, but overall the main processing has now closed and we have a matter of hours."A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the Agust 26 twin suicide bombs, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport on August 27, 2021.(Photo: AFP)

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  Israeli PM and Biden postpone meeting because of Afghanistan

  President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have postponed their White House meeting as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of deadly explosions near the Kabul airport that targeted U.S. troops and Afghans seeking to flee their country after the Taliban takeover. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meets with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Willard Hotel in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (Photo: AP)Biden and Bennett were scheduled to meet late Thursday morning for their first face-to-face conversation since Bennett became Israels prime minister in June. The two will instead meet on Friday."On behalf of the people of Israel, I share our deep sadness over the loss of American lives in Kabul," Bennett said in a statement posted on social media. "Israel stands with the United States in these difficult times, just as America has always stood with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the United States."Before arriving in Washington, Bennett made clear the top priority of the visit was to persuade Biden not to return to the Iran nuclear deal, arguing Tehran has already advanced in its uranium enrichment, and that sanctions relief would give Iran more resources to back Israels enemies in the region.The Israeli leader met separately Wednesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss Iran and other issues. The visit is his first to the U.S. as prime minister.Bennett told his Cabinet before the trip that he would tell the American president "that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing" and not to reenter "a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant."Biden has made clear his desire to find a path to salvage the 2015 landmark pact cultivated by Barack Obamas administration but scuttled in 2018 by Donald Trumps. But U.S. in...

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  Biden vows to finish Kabul evacuation, avenge US deaths

  President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He also promised to avenge the deaths, declaring to the extremists responsible: "We will hunt you down and make you pay."President Joe Biden speaks about the bombings at the Kabul airport that killed at least 12 U.S. service members, from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in Washington. (Photo: AP)Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State groups Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that killed 12 American service members and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country."We have some reason to believe we know who they are," he said of the bombers and gunmen involved. "Not certain."He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS "assets, leadership and facilities."The IS affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out many attacks on civilian targets in Afghanistan in recent years. It is far more radical than the Taliban, who seized power less than two weeks ago."We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing," Biden said, adding, "These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated."Biden said U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan have told him it is important to complete the evacuation mission. "And we will," he said, adding, "We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission."Indeed, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the Central Command chief who is overseeing the evacuation operation from his Florida headquarters, told a Pentagon news conference shortly before Biden spoke, "Let me be clea...

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  Kabul airport attack kills 60 Afghans, 13 US troops

  Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said.Wounded Afghans lie on a bed at a hospital after a deadly explosions outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (Photo: AP)The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in.The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz. The Taliban condemned the blasts.In an emotional speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said the attacks would not drive the U.S. out of Afghanistan earlier than scheduled and warned of consequences for those responsible."We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said.U.S. officials said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. McKenzie said another 15 service members were wounded. Officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing...

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  Taliban agrees to let Afghans leave after Aug 31: German envoy

  Germany said Wednesday it has received assurance from a Taliban negotiator that Afghans who have the right documents will still be allowed to leave Afghanistan after the United States withdrawal deadline on August 31.In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force airmen guide evacuees aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Photo: AP)Germanys envoy Markus Potzel said on Twitter he had met with Taliban deputy chief negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who "assured me that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights after August 31".Berlin has said that the current military operation carried out by NATO allies to evacuate Afghans in need of protection cannot continue once the Americans pull out.But it wants to ensure that vulnerable Afghans, including human rights activists or former local employees of German agencies, will be given safe passage to the airport to be flown out of the country even after the August 31 deadline.On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin will seek to fly people out from the civilian part of the airport beyond that date.Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier Wednesday said the international community must maintain dialogue with the Taliban if it is to protect improvements made in Afghanistan during two decades of NATO deployment.

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  US says 1,500 Americans may still await Kabul evacuation

  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan, a figure that suggests the U.S. may accomplish its highest priority for the Kabul airlift — rescuing U.S. citizens — ahead of President Joe Bidens Tuesday deadline.In this image provided by the Department of Defense, two paratroopers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conduct security while a C-130 Hercules takes off during an evacuation operation in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (Photo: AP)Untold thousands of at-risk Afghans, however, still are struggling to get into the Kabul airport, while many thousands of other Afghans already have been flown to safety in 12 days of round-the-clock flights.On Wednesday, several of the Americans working phones and pulling strings to get out former Afghan colleagues, womens advocates, journalists and other vulnerable Afghans said they have seen little concrete U.S. action so far to get those Afghans past Taliban checkpoints and through U.S-controlled airport gates to promised evacuation flights."Its 100% up to the Afghans to take these risks and try to fight their way out," said Sunil Varghese, policy director with the International Refugee Assistance Project.Blinken, echoing Bidens earlier declarations during the now 12-day-old evacuation, emphasized at a State Department briefing that " evacuating Americans is our top priority. "He added, "Were also committed to getting out as many Afghans at-risk as we can before the 31st," when Biden plans to pull out the last of thousands of American troops.Blinken said the State Department estimates there were about 6,000 Americans wanting to leave Afghanistan when the airlift began Aug. 14, as the Taliban took the capital after a stunning military conquest. About 4,500 Americans have been evacuated so far, Blinken said, and among the rest "some are understandably...

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  7 Afghan civilians killed amid chaos at Kabul airport: British ministry

  Afghans gather near a gate of Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021. Seven Afghan civilians were killed amid chaos near the Kabul airport as people swarmed the area in hopes of boarding an evacuation flight following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense sai

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  Turkey installs militarized borders as G7 meeting called for Tuesday

  A group of evacuees before they boarded a flight at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Photo: CGTN)The Afghan crisis is being felt by most NATO member states across Europe, with some predicting a new migrant crisis and others desperately trying to evacuate as many people as possible from Kabul before August 31. Anticipating a new refugee crisis, Turkish authorities are reinforcing their border with Iran with police and army patrols. The use of helicopters and night-vision goggles reflect how determined they are to avoid another influx of refugees and migrants.European Union officials are already conceding it may be "impossible" to evacuate everyone at risk. There is just over a week until the last day of August, the deadline set by the U.S. to evacuate people on the ground.Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, there are reports of tens of thousands of people trying to escape the country.

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  Biden says still hoping for Afghan airlift to end by Aug 31

  In this Aug. 20, 2021, photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, a Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit carries a girl at a gate to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo: AP)US President Joe Biden said Sunday he was still planning to finalize the dramatic evacuation from Afghanistan by August 31, but left the door open to extending the deadline if necessary.In a televised address from the White House on the chaotic exit, Biden said his "hope is we will not have to extend."But he added that "well see what we can do" if he is asked by foreign leaders to push back the deadline.

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  Afghans race to flee country

  AfghanscrowdaroadastheywaittoboardaUSmilitaryaircraftoutofthecountry,atamilitaryairportinKabulonFriday,daysaftertheTaliban'stakeoverofthecapital.Atleast40havediedinastampedeorfromgunshotsaroundtheUSmilitary-controlledairportarea.Photo:VCG。ButterrifiedAfghanscontinuetotrytoflee,deepeningatragedyatKab

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  Taliban impose some order around Kabul airport, say witnesses

  TalibanfightersstandguardasAfghansgatheroutsidetheHamidKarzaiInternationalAirporttofleethecountry,inKabul,Afghanistan,August21,2021./CFPTheTalibanimposedsomeorderaroundKabulairportonSunday,firingintheairandusingbatonstomakesurepeopleformedorderlyqueuesoutsidethemaingatesanddidnotgatherattheperimeter

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  Indonesia evacuates citizens from Afghanistan

  Health workers wearing protective suits embark a plane carrying people evacuated from Afghanistan upon its arrival at Halim Perdanakusuma airbase in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. The Indonesian government has evacuated 26 of its citizens from Afghanistan. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi sai

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  Taliban denies reports of foreigners' kidnapping near Kabul airport

  KABUL, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban official has denied reports that foreign nationals were kidnapped near Kabul airport, where big crowds still exist amid U.S.-led evacuation efforts, local media reported on Saturday.In this handout image released by the Spanish Ministry of Defence on August 20, 2021, Afghan collaborators with the Spanish mission in Afghanistan and their families, arrive in Dubai prior to flying to Spain. (Photo: AFP)"The report about kidnapping is a rumor. The Taliban members are helping all foreign nationals to get access to the airport. We are determined to provide safe passage to all foreigners to get to the airport," Ahmadullah Waseq, a Taliban spokesperson, told local media Eitlalatroz.He said Taliban forces were escorting about 150 Indian citizens to safely enter the airport.Following the Talibans takeover of the Afghan capital on Sunday, thousands of Afghans have flooded to Kabul airport to leave the country.The evacuation flights were continuing as three flights took off on Saturday morning, resident Farhad Mohammadi said. About 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Kabul airport to help with the airlift process.At least 12 people have been killed in gun shootings and stampedes in the airport since Sunday.The situation in Afghanistan remains uncertain after the Talibans swift takeover of most parts of the country.

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  Hekmatyar: Formal talks to start after Taliban leaders arrive in Kabul

  File photo of former Afgan Prime Minister Gulbuddin HekmatyarFormer Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar on Friday said that formal talks between the Afghan political leaders and the Taliban will start once the Taliban leaders arrive in Kabul, reported TOLOnews.He said the recent meetings were informal meetings.There are indications that the Taliban wants to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan, said Hekmatyar.Hekmatyar also added that violence against Afghan civilians at Kabul airport is not acceptable.

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  NATO urges Taliban to allow evacuations, vows 'close' allied coordination

  In this handout image released by the Spanish Ministry of Defence on August 20, 2021, Afghan collaborators with the Spanish mission in Afghanistan and their families, arrive in Dubai prior to flying to Spain. (Photo: AFP)NATO urges Taliban to allow evacuations, vows close allied coordination

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  For Afghanistan, the Silk Road is better than the Tank Road

  In a few hours, the West has not only lost Afghanistan, which it had never owned, but has thrown away years, decades, centuries of moral standing, defender of the rights of the weak, of human rights, of women's rights, of a democracy promoter. However, the betrayal that the West perpetrated against

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  US says evacuated 3,000 people on Aug 19

  In this photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo: AP)WASHINGTON — The United States says it evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul via military transport aircraft on Aug. 19.In a Friday statement, the White House said multiple C-17 flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport evacuated nearly 350 U.S. citizens, as well as family members of U.S. citizens, asylum applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans.“We have evacuated approximately 9,000 people since August 14. Since the end of July, we have evacuated approximately 14,000 people," it said.It added that in the last 24 hours, the U.S. military facilitated the departure of 11 charter flights, and that those numbers were not included in the other totals.

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  Chinese envoy calls for comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism

  The relatives of victims killed by Australian troops during their mission mourn at a tomb in Tirinkot, capital of Uruzgan, Afghanistan, Nov. 22, 2020. (File photo: Xinhua)UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for a comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism.Although important progress has been made in international counter-terrorism cooperation, the current world situation on this front remains complex and severe with terrorism and violent extremism intertwined, said Dai Bing, the charge daffaires at the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations.In the first half of this year, the Islamic State has regrouped in places such as Iraq and Syria and has further infiltrated the African region. COVID-19 has posed economic and social challenges, which may bring a new wave of terrorism, he told the Security Council."The international community needs to attach great importance to this matter and adopt comprehensive measures to jointly respond to the threat of terrorism," said Dai.Terrorism is a common enemy of human societies and combating terrorism is a common responsibility of the international community. Countries should strengthen cooperation at national, regional and global levels by stepping up counter-terrorism efforts in early warning, counter-terrorism financing, travel restrictions, border supervision and intelligence exchanges, he said.In fighting terrorism, emphasis should be placed on the prevention and elimination of its root causes. Counter-terrorism measures should focus on long-term solutions by addressing both symptoms and root causes, he said.It is important to adopt comprehensive political, economic, judicial, and social means and stick to peaceful solutions to hot-spot issues through political means. It is important to assist member states in eradicating poverty, strengthening capacity-building, promoting sustainable economic and social development, and advocating mutual respect and harmonious coexis...

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  US hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan met with condemnation: British media

  LONDON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. "hasty and ill-planned" withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan leading to chaos and deaths was met with wide condemnation, according to an article published Monday by British media the Daily Mail.Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)"The president never addressed the real questions: why would he not leave a few thousand troops to provide air power?" Elliott Abrams, Vandenberg Coalition chairman and former senior State Department official, asked in the article."Why did he not understand that his decisions would create chaos?" he said, viewing the withdrawal as a "disgraceful performance."Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, scenes of chaotic evacuation at the Kabul airport and desperate Afghans who fell from the sky after clinging to planes taking off shocked the world."Its not that we left Afghanistan. Its the grossly incompetent way we left!" Former U.S. President Donald Trump said, refuting President Joe Biden, who, in a speech at the White House on Monday, defended his decision to bring home U.S. troops before blaming Afghan leaders for their failure to prevent the country collapsing."It is unconscionable that the Biden administration accelerated this withdrawal without having plans in place to get all American citizens and allied Afghan partners who assisted American forces out of the country first," the article quoted Jim Carafano of the Heritage Foundation as saying."It is shocking that there was no contingency planning in place to respond to the worst-case scenario," he said.At least eight people were killed during chaos at the Kabul airport on Monday, and two of them were shot dead by U.S. troops, the Daily Mail reported.

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  China says intl community shouldn't exert more pressure on Afghans

  The international community should encourage Afghans toward a positive direction instead of exerting more pressure as the situation is still unstable and the country faces uncertainties, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.Taliban fighters display their flag on patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. (Photo: AP)Wang made the remarks while holding a phone call with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday, stressing that China is willing to continue to play a constructive role on the Afghanistan issue under the premise of non-interference in its internal affairs.

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  China hopes Afghan Taliban will follow through its positive statements: spokesperson

  BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China maintains contact and communication with the Afghan Taliban and other parties on the basis of full respect for the sovereignty of Afghanistan and the will of all parties, and it encourages and hopes the Afghan Taliban can follow through its positive statements, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday.Shah-Do-Shamshira Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 18, 2021. (Photo: CFP)After major changes took place in Afghanistan recently, the leaders and the spokesperson of the Afghan Taliban have said publicly through different channels that the Afghan Taliban would resolve problems the people face, meet peoples aspirations and stay committed to forming an open and inclusive Islamic government.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press briefing that China encourages and hopes that the Afghan Taliban can follow through its positive statements, unite with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, establish a broadly-based, inclusive political framework that fits the national conditions and wins public support through dialogue and consultation as soon as possible, and adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies.Noting that nothing stays unchanged, Hua said that when understanding and handling problems, we should adopt a holistic, interconnected and developmental dialectical approach, and look at both the past and the present. We need to not only listen to what they say, but also look at what they do."If we do not keep pace with the times, but stick to fixed mindset and ignore the development of the situation, we will never reach a conclusion that is in line with reality," Hua said."In fact, the rapid evolution of the situation in Afghanistan also reveals how the outside world lacked objective judgment on the local situation and accurate understanding of the public opinion there," Hua said, adding that some Western countries in particular should learn some lessons in this re...

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  CMG reporters on the scene at Taliban's 1st press conference in Kabul

  Reporters from China Media Group (CMG) had a close look at Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid while attending the groups first press conference held in Kabul on Tuesday. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid during the first press conference held in Kabul, August 17, 2021. (Photo: CMG)The press conference began almost 40 minutes after the scheduled start time of 6:30 p.m.Journalists from Western countries were in attendance, but there were no microphones from Western media outlets on the podium as Mujahid spoke, CMG reporters said.As Mujahid took his seat, which formerly belonged to Dawa Khan Menapal – the head of the Afghan governments media and information center who was assassinated by the Taliban earlier this month – it marked the first time he had revealed his face to the public. The world had heard Mujahids voice for many years, since he sometimes called reporters, but he rarely appeared in front of the camera.Though he often spoke in Afghanistans official language Pashto, his reactions during the press conference showed he has an understanding of English.Mujahid repeated "one" during the press conference to remind reporters that each of them could only ask one question, though he didnt answer questions in English. Besides, Mujahid repeated at least four times during the press conference that media from countries outside Afghanistan should be given more chances to ask questions.The spokesperson reacted quickly and actively when answering questions, CMG reporters said, but his answers showed that the Taliban were not fully prepared, as they had taken control of the country so quickly. Also, he was somewhat vague when asked about womens rights under Taliban rule, saying the group will allow women in the country to work and study based on Islamic law.When an Afghan reporter asked the spokesperson his thoughts on Menapals death, Mujahid hesitated a bit but calmed immediately, saying: "Families of Taliban mem...

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  Taliban urged to allow fleeing Afghans safe passage

  File photo: China DailyTaliban fighters manned checkpoints around Kabuls airport on Thursday as concerns built they were blocking Afghans from reaching evacuation flights, with the United States demanding safe passage.Tens of thousands of people have tried to flee Afghanistan since the hardline Islamist militants swept into the capital on Sunday, completing a stunning rout of government forces and ending two decades of war.Taliban leaders have in recent days repeatedly vowed not to seek revenge against their opponents, while seeking to project an image of tolerance.They have also sought to portray growing political authority, with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar returning from exile and other senior figures meeting ex-president Hamid Karzai.But the United States said Wednesday the Taliban were reneging on pledges to allow Afghans who worked with the United States and its allies out of the country."We have seen reports that the Taliban, contrary to their public statements and their commitments to our government, are blocking Afghans who wish to leave the country from reaching the airport," Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters."We expect them to allow all American citizens, all third-country nationals and all Afghans who wish to leave to do so safely and without harassment."- Worse than death -Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that the new regime would be "positively different" from their 1996-2001 stint.But Taliban 2.0 remains a hard sell, with women largely staying off the streets, and journalists and those who have worked with Western governments and organisations saying they are terrified.Memories of the militants brutal 1996-2001 regime and the near-two-decade insurgency that killed tens of thousands are etched on Afghan minds -- especially women and religious minorities.Their rule then was infamous for an ultra-strict interpretation of sharia law, featuring deaths b...

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  US Congress to probe bungled Afghan pullout

  Rival camps find rare consensus to press for answers as Biden ratings fall.WASHINGTON－Members of the US Congress, including many of President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, said on Tuesday they were troubled by how the troop withdrawal was carried out in Afghanistan and have vowed to investigate what

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  Turkey welcomes Taliban's 'moderate' remarks: president

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.ANKARA - Turkey welcomes the "moderate" statements made by the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.Turkey has evacuated 552 people from Afghanistan, he added.

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  UN agencies urge flow of aid continue amid strife in Afghanistan

  Photo taken on Aug 15, 2021 shows closed shops in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.The heads of United Nations agencies in Afghanistan are calling on the international community to continue to provide financial aid to the war-torn country, where millions of people are suffering from food insecurity and

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  Taliban meets with Karzai amid efforts to form new gov't in Afghanistan

  Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, senior Haqqani group leader Anas Haqqani, Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistans National Reconciliation Council and former government negotiator with the Taliban, and others in the Taliban delegation, meet in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. /APBEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban on Wednesday met with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai as the group is seeking to form a new government in the war-torn country.The meeting between the Taliban and the former Afghan leader came after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country following the Talibans takeover of most parts of the country, including the capital city of Kabul, on Sunday.After the takeover, the Taliban said Tuesday it intends to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan and does not want to have any internal or external enemies.Karzai, president from 2001 to 2014, has been leading efforts to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan, according to media reports.On Wednesday night, Ghani claimed that he "was forced to leave Kabul and decided to leave my country in order to prevent bloodshed."Ghani made the statement during a live Facebook broadcast from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which confirmed on Wednesday that it has welcomed Ghani and his family into the country "on humanitarian grounds.""If I had stayed, I would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul," Ghani said.He also made a rebuttal of accusations saying he left Afghanistan hastily, stressing that "those who think that I fled should not judge if they dont know all the details."Since the U.S. troops started to pull out of Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban has been advancing quickly on the battlefield. During the past two weeks, the group has captured most of Afghanistans territories.The fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan has aroused deep concerns in the international community.On Wednesday, various countries v...

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  Afghan President Ghani says he left to prevent 'bloodshed'

  Photo via CGTNAfghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani claimed on Wednesday night that he was forced to leave Kabul and decided to leave his country in order to prevent bloodshed.Ghani made the statement, addressing his compatriots in their native language Pashto, during a live Facebook broadcast from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Ghani said, "If I had stayed, I would be witnessing bloodshed in Kabul."He also issued a rebuttal against his critics who said he left Afghanistan hastily, saying that "those who think that I fled should not judge if they dont know all the details."

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  WHO says Afghanistan aid must continue

  The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned against interrupting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan which is now under Taliban control, saying the countrys fragile health system was vulnerable.Internally displaced Afghans from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, take refuge in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (Photo: AP)"Sustained access to humanitarian assistance, including essential health services and medical supplies, is a critical lifeline for millions of Afghans, and must not be interrupted," a statement said."Months of violence have taken a heavy toll on Afghanistans fragile health system, which had already been facing shortages in essential supplies amid the Covid-19 pandemic," it added.The WHO called on "all parties to respect and protect civilians, health workers, patients and health facilities".It said that between January and July this year, 26 health facilities were attacked and 12 health care workers were killed, making security at such facilities a "major challenge".Afghanistan fell after a meteoric Taliban offensive, and before the August 31 deadline set by US President Joe Biden for the last American soldiers to pull out.Many aid donor countries remain on guard about the new regime in the country, where the Taliban ruled with an iron hand from 1996 to 2001.The United States has said it expects the Taliban to respect human rights, especially those of women.Germany, Finland and Sweden said on Tuesday that they would stop sending development aid to Afghanistan for now.Both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have remained silent so far, but they could freeze financial assistance to the country.The WHO statement said it continues to operate in Afghanistan, but noted that in Kabul and other large cities, "there are increasing cases of diarrhoea, malnutrition, high blood pressure, Covid...

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  UAE says Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is in the country

  The United Arab Emirates says it has accepted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his family for "humanitarian considerations."In this handout photograph released by the Taliban, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center left, senior Haqqani group leader Anas Haqqani, right, meet in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo: AP)Ghani fled Afghanistan just as the Taliban approached Kabul.The statement carried by the UAEs state-run WAM news agency on Wednesday did not say where Ghani was in the country.It quoted the countrys Foreign Ministry in a one-sentence statement.

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  Austria wants EU to set up 'deportation centres' for Afghans

  Austrias interior minister said Wednesday he would lobby the EU to help set up "deportation centres" in countries neighbouring Afghanistan to take in Afghans deported from Europe.Internally displaced Afghan women from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, receive medical care in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (Photo: AP)Austria has insisted it wants to continue to deport Afghans whose asylum claims have been rejected or who have been found guilty of crimes and to discourage refugees fleeing the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan to come to Europe."It is important... that it continues to be possible to deport violent asylum seekers or refugees, so we need these deportation centres," Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told reporters before meeting his EU counterparts.Austria under conservative Sebastian Kurz has a hardline stance on migration, at odds with the chancellors current coalition partner, the Greens.The Taliban seized Kabul on Sunday, taking power again in Afghanistan after two decades of war and sparking huge concerns globally about their brutal human rights record.

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  UK's Johnson accused of complacency over Afghanistan retreat

  In a packed and emotional session of Parliament, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced accusations Wednesday of needlessly abandoning Afghanistan to the whims of the Taliban and of undermining Britains position in the world.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, as Parliament is recalled to discuss situation in Afghanistan, in London, Wednesday Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo: AP)During the emergency recall of Parliament, lawmakers, including many from Johnsons Conservative Party, took turns in voicing their regrets and fears at the chaotic turn of events in Afghanistan that has seen the Taliban seize control, 20 years after they were driven from power by a U.S.-led international force following the 9/11 attacks.Johnson said he had little choice but to follow the decision of U.S. President Joe Biden to take American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of August."The West could not continue this U.S.-led mission, a mission conceived and executed in support of America, without American logistics, without U.S. air power and without American might," he said."I really think that it is an illusion to believe that there is appetite amongst any of our partners for a continued military presence or for a military solution imposed by NATO in Afghanistan," he added.The Taliban used the impending withdrawal of all remaining NATO forces to rapidly sweep through Afghanistan, reaching Kabul on Sunday, a stunning advance that was faster than anticipated, if not unexpected. In response, thousands of people have fled to Kabul Airport in a desperate, chaotic attempt to flee as Western nation evacuate citizens and Afghan employees."Theres been a major miscalculation of the resilience of the Afghan forces and a staggering complacency from our government about the Taliban threat," said Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party.Perhaps the most pointed interventions during the debate came from Johnsons Conserva...

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  Taliban violently disperse rare protest; 1 killed, 6 wounded

  The Taliban violently broke up a protest in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least one person as they quashed a rare public show of dissent. The militant group meanwhile met with former officials from the toppled Western-backed government.Taliban fighters patrol in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo: AP)The insurgents every action in their sudden sweep to power is being watched closely. They insist they have changed and wont impose the same draconian restrictions they did when they last ruled Afghanistan, all but eliminating womens rights, carrying out public executions and harboring al-Qaida in the years before the 9/11 attacks.But many Afghans remain deeply skeptical, and the violent response to Wednesdays protest could only fuel their fears. Thousands are racing to the airport and borders to flee the country. Many others are hiding inside their homes, fearful after prisons and armories were emptied during the insurgents blitz across the country.Dozens of people gathered in the eastern city of Jalalabad to raise the national flag a day before Afghanistans Independence Day, which commemorates the end of British rule in 1919. They lowered the Taliban flag — a white banner with an Islamic inscription — that the militants have raised in the areas they captured.Video footage later showed the Taliban firing into the air and attacking people with batons to disperse the crowd. Babrak Amirzada, a reporter for a local news agency, said he and a TV cameraman from another agency were beaten by the Taliban as they tried to cover the unrest.A local health official said at least one person was killed and six wounded. The official was not authorized to speak to media and so spoke on condition of anonymity.Meanwhile, videos from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, a stronghold of the Northern Alliance militias that allied with the U.S. against the Taliban in 2001, appear to...

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  UK warns Taliban to live up to its promises

  Britain has helped more than 2,000 Afghans to flee the country in recent days, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, as he warned the Taliban must be judged "on actions, not words".Flights have begun returning to an RAF base in Oxfordshire, south central England, as part of the resettlement and repatriation scheme. (Photo: AFP)Addressing MPs called back to parliament from their summer holidays for an emergency debate, Johnson also defended his governments handling of the crisis, insisting Britain could not have stayed in Afghanistan without US support.He said Britain had so far secured the safe return of 306 British nationals and 2,052 Afghan nationals as part of its resettlement programme, while 2,000 more Afghan applications were complete and "many more" were being processed."UK officials are working round the clock to keep the exit door open in the most difficult circumstances and actively seeking those we believe are eligible but as yet unregistered," Johnson told a packed House of Commons.Britain announced late Tuesday a resettlement scheme for Afghans fleeing the Taliban after their return to power, offering an initial 5,000 places in the first year, rising to up to 20,000 in the long term.The government has said priority will be given to those most at risk, including Afghan women, children and others forced to flee or facing threats and persecution from the hardliners, offering them a chance to remain in Britain indefinitely.The scheme is modelled on that which resettled 20,000 refugees from the Syria conflict from 2014 to this year.Some 900 British troops have been rapidly sent back to Kabul to help the repatriation and evacuation efforts.- Actions, not words -However, Johnson faced critical questioning from a range of MPs, including many from his own ruling Conservative party, over the chaotic evacuations from Kabul and unfolding situation in Afghanistan. He said that after conversations with other Western leader...

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  UK has evacuated 2,052 Afghans so far: PM Boris Johnson

  A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliaments Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking at the despatch box during an extraordinary session of parliament called to discuss the collapse of the Afghan government in the House of Commons in London on August 18, 2021. (Photo: AFP)Britain has evacuated more than 2,000 Afghans since the Taliban takeover, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday, as parliament was recalled to discuss the crisis."We have so far secured the safe return of 306 UK nationals and 2,052 Afghan nationals as part of our resettlement programme," he said, adding that 2,000 more Afghan applications were complete, and "many more" being processed.

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  Afghan girls return to school in Herat after Taliban takeover

  Girls wearing white hijabs and black tunics crammed into classrooms in the western Afghan city of Herat just days after the Talibans takeover.Schoolgirls attend class in Herat following the Taliban takeover of the city. The Taliban says it will allow the education of girls to continue. (Photo: AFP)As the school opened its doors, the students scurried down corridors and chatted in courtyards, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil that has engulfed the country in the past two weeks.The scenes -- which many feared would be banned under the Taliban -- were filmed by an AFP cameraman this week, just days after fighters from the hardline Islamist group took the city following the collapse of government forces and local militia. "We want to progress like other countries," said student Roqia."And we hope the Taliban will maintain security. We dont want war, we want peace in our country."With its close proximity to the Iranian border, the ancient Silk Road city of Herat has long been a cosmopolitan exception to more conservative centres.Women and girls walked more freely in the streets, attending schools and colleges in huge numbers in a city famed for its poetry and arts.Its long-term future remains uncertain, however.Under the hardline version of sharia law that the Taliban imposed when they controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment.Full face coverings became mandatory in public, and women could not leave home without a male companion.- What lies ahead? -Public floggings and executions, including stoning for adultery, were carried out in city squares and stadiums.What lies ahead for women with the Taliban back in power remains unclear.Publicly, the Taliban are attempting to push the narrative that they have watered down some of their more extreme positions, with their spokesman late Tuesday announcing an official pardon for "everyone" involved in the war. During the groups firs...

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  Taliban destroy statue of Shiite foe from 1990s civil war

  The Taliban have blown up the statue of a Shiite militia leader who had fought against them during Afghanistans civil war in the 1990s, according to photos circulating on social media Wednesday.Taliban fighters patrol in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo: AP)The statue depicted Abdul Ali Mazari, a militia leader killed by the Taliban in 1996, when the Islamic militants seized power from rival warlords. Mazari was a champion of Afghanistans ethnic Hazara minority, Shiites who were persecuted under the Sunni Talibans earlier rule.The statue stood in the central Bamyan province, where the Taliban infamously blew up two massive 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a mountain in 2001, shortly before the U.S.-led invasion that drove them from power. The Taliban claimed the Buddhas violated Islams prohibition on idolatry.The Taliban returned to power last weekend after capturing much of the country in a matter of days, less than three weeks before the U.S. plans to complete its troop withdrawal.The Taliban have promised a new era of peace and security, saying they will forgive those who fought against them and grant women full rights under Islamic law, without elaborating. But many Afghans are deeply skeptical of the group, especially those who remember its previous rule, when it imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law. At that time, women were largely confined to their homes, television and music were banned, and suspected criminals were flogged, maimed or executed in public.The group also hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida in the years before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The U.S.-led invasion drove them from power and scattered al-Qaida, but the Taliban then launched a potent insurgency against the U.S. and the Western-backed government.The Taliban now say they will prevent Afghanistan from again being used as a base for attacks, something that was enshrined in a 2020 pe...

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  Taliban gained 'fair amount' of US defense equipment: White House

  Photo: XinhuaThe White House acknowledged Tuesday that the Taliban had amassed a significant amount of U.S. military equipment after its takeover of Afghanistan following two decades of war with American forces.Pictures and videos have shown the Taliban with firearms and vehicles that Pentagon troops used or provided to the Afghan national security forces, as well as advanced UH-60 Black Hawk attack helicopters and other equipment at the Kandahar airport."We dont have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone. But certainly, a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban," said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

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  UK says to take in Afghan refugees after Taliban takeover

  People walk at the streets of Afghan capital Kabul on Aug 17, 2021.LONDON - Britain will take in up to 20,000 Afghans in the coming years, as part of a resettlement plan following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Home Office said in a statement on Tuesday.The resettlement plan was unveiled h

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  UK says to take in Afghan refugees after Taliban takeover

  LONDON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Britain will take in up to 20,000 Afghans in the coming years, as part of a resettlement plan following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Home Office said in a statement on Tuesday.Afghan refugees arrive at Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, July 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Sanaullah Seiam)Some 5,000 Afghans will be eligible to be resettled in Britain in the first year of the plan, it said.The resettlement plan was unveiled hours before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to address the parliament, recalled from summer recess, on the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan.Johnson spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening about the evacuation of the two countries nationals, current and former staff, and others from Afghanistan.Just over a week, the Taliban, which the United States overthrew in 2001, went from winning control of its first provincial capital to taking over Kabul, capital of the war-torn Asian country.Britains resettlement plan for Afghans has already received criticism for not being generous enough."This proposal does not meet the scale of the challenge," Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said.Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, said, "20,000 should be the starting point of this scheme, not the target."

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  Taliban move to restart capital and encourage women to join their govt

  French Ambassador to Afghanistan David Martinon waits with French and Afghan nationals to board an evacuation flight on a French military transport plane at the airport in Kabul on Tuesday.The Taliban moved on Tuesday to quickly restart the Afghan capital following their stunning takeover of Kabul

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  EU, UK to focus on Afghan refugee crisis

  An internally displaced Afghan girl carries a child near their shelter at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, in this June 20, 2019 file photo.The EU's economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said in an interview with an Italian newspaper on Tuesday that Europe must make efforts to e

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  Three factors behind Afghan govt's defeat

  What happened to Afghanistan over the past week has gone beyond many people's expectations. Particularly, the fact that the government army that had been armed and trained by the United States to serve as a foundation of the country's security and stability surrendered without a fight.That the Talib

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  'Open and inclusive' Afghanistan urged

  AFP Military intervention and power politics doomed to fail, FM says Beijing had discussions with Washington and Moscow over Afghanistan on Monday and urged the building of an "open and inclusive" political architecture in the war-torn nation, facilitation of reconstruction and prevent

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  Normalcy returns to Afghan capital, Taliban urges gov't workers to return to work

  Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. Normality has returned to Kabul, capital of Afghanistan as the Taliban on Tuesday urged the government employees to return to work, two days after the group took control of the capital. Declaring a general amnesty

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  Afghan Taliban tries to form inclusive government, promising amnesty, peace, women's rights

  KABUL, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban did not want to have any internal or external enemies, and intended to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman said here on Tuesday.People hold a poster demanding the security of girls and other people in Afghanistan during a demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)At its first press conference since the Talibans takeover of most parts of Afghanistan on Sunday, the groups spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they did not want any internal or external enemies, and they wanted to have good relations with everybody to develop economy and achieve prosperity."We dont want to repeat any conflict, any war again," he said, "Animosities have come to an end, and we would like to live peacefully. We dont want any internal and external enemies."Talking about current discussion of forming a new government, Mujahid said all Afghans would have representation in the future set-up of Afghanistan. "Talks and consultations are continuing very seriously with politicians on formation of the new government, over its name and its flag.""Afghanistan will have a strong, Islamic government," he said, adding the Taliban leadership was working and consulting on the name and specification of the new government.The spokesman said the Taliban supreme leader had declared a general amnesty, promising to ensure the safety of the contractors and translators who had worked for the U.S. and allied forces, the government soldiers who had been fighting the Taliban for years, and those whose families were attempting to leave Afghanistan."We have pardoned everybody for the benefit of stability or peace in Afghanistan," Mujahid said. He also called on the Afghans to stay as they are the nations assets.When asked about the Afghan womens rights, he said women could work and study in different fields including health sector, police and prosecu...

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  China, US, Russia share consensus in Afghanistan, but Washington 'should correct its mistake to exchange cooperation'

  Taliban fighters stand guard at an entrance gate outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Tuesday. Photo: AFP The US has discussed the situation in Afghanistan with China, Russia, Pakistan and its European allies on Tuesday to seek cooperation following its hasty retreat. But Chines

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  Qatar urges Taliban to protect civilians, achieve reconciliation and peaceful transfer of power

  17 -- Qatar on Tuesday urged the Taliban to protect civilians, intensify efforts to achieve national reconciliation and ensure a peaceful transfer of power, following its takeover of the Afghan capital Kabul.Al-Qahtani expressed that Doha is against any military solution to these conflicts, which m

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  Spokesman: Taliban to honor women's right within Islamic law

  Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)A Taliban spokesman has pledged to honor women’s rights, but within the norms of Islamic law.Zabihullah Mujahid made the comment Tuesday at his first news conference.His assertion that the Taliban would protect women’s rights comes after the Taliban’s earlier rule saw women’s lives and rights severely restricted.Mujahid also said the Taliban wanted private media to “remain independent,” but stressed journalists “should not work against national values.”Mujahid also stressed that Afghanistan would not allow itself to harbor anyone targeting other nations. That was a key demand in a deal the militants struck with the Trump administration in 2020 that led to the ultimate US withdraw under current President Joe Biden.He promised the group would secure Afghanistan after they took over the country following a blitz that lasted over a week.He said the Taliban sought no revenge and insisted that everyone had been pardoned by the Taliban, even if they worked with the former government or with foreign governments or forces.“We assure you that nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped,” he said.

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  Taliban political chief returns to Afghanistan: spokesman

  The leader of the Taliban negotiating team Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar looks on the final declaration of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban is presented in Qatars capital Doha on July 18, 2021. (File photo: AFP)KABUL, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A high-level delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistans Taliban, returned to Afghanistan from Qatar, spokesman Mohammad Naeem said on the social media.The spokesman said on Twitter that the delegation landed at the Kandahar Airport in southern Afghanistan.

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  Taliban hindering evacuation of Afghans: German minister

  German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas adresses the media during a press statement ahead of a special EU foreign ministers meeting on Afghanistan held by video conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)Taliban checks at Kabul airport are making it more difficult to evacuate Afghans who worked for Western forces, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday as international forces scrambled to get people out of the country."The situation is much more dangerous (for Afghans) because there is no promise of being let through at the Taliban checkpoints," Maas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, adding that German and US forces were working to grant them safe access to the airport.

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  NATO calls on Taliban to facilitate departure of all who want to leave

  Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul on August 17, 2021. (Photo: AFP)North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the Taliban on Tuesday to facilitate the departure of all those who want to leave Afghanistan, adding that the world will be watching and must continue to support a "stable and peaceful" Afghanistan.

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  Taliban's initial assurances 'positive signal': Russian minister

  Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that the Talibans initial assurances since completing their military takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend have been a "positive signal"."I consider it a positive signal that the Taliban in Kabul are declaring and in practice showing their readiness to respect the opinion of others," Lavrov said.

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  Germany halts development aid for Afghanistan: minister

  A man holds a certificate acknowledging his work for Americans as hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)Germany has halted development aid for Afghanistan, the minister responsible said on Tuesday, after the Taliban swept back into power."State cooperation on development is suspended for the time being," Development Minister Gerd Mueller said in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper. "We are working at pace to evacuate from Afghanistan, those local development officials and NGO workers who want to leave."

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  Biden: Afghan chaos 'gut-wrenching' but stands by withdrawal

  A defiant President Joe Biden rejected blame for chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Talibans easy victory over an Afghan military that America and NATO allies had spent two decades trying to build.President Joe Biden speaks about Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Washington. (Photo: AP)At the White House, Biden on Monday called the anguish of trapped Afghan civilians "gut-wrenching" and conceded the Taliban had achieved a much faster takeover of the country than his administration had expected. The U.S. rushed in troops to protect its own evacuating diplomats and others at the Kabul airport.But the president expressed no second thoughts about his decision to stick by the U.S. commitment, formulated during the Trump administration, to end Americas longest war, no matter what."I stand squarely behind my decision" to finally withdraw U.S. combat forces, Biden said, while acknowledging the Afghan collapse played out far more quickly than the most pessimistic public forecasts of his administration. "This did unfold more quickly than we anticipated," he said.Despite declaring "the buck stops with me," Biden placed almost all blame on Afghans for the shockingly rapid Taliban conquest.His grim comments were his first in person to the world since the biggest foreign policy crisis of his still-young presidency. Emboldened by the U.S. withdrawal, Taliban fighters swept across the country last week and captured the capital, Kabul, on Sunday, sending U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country.Biden said he had warned Ghani — who was appointed Afghanistans president in a U.S.-negotiated agreement — to be prepared to fight a civil war with the Taliban after U.S. forces left. "They failed to do any of that," he said.Internationally, the spectacle of the Taliban takeover...

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  Taliban announces 'amnesty,' urges women to join government

  The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country.Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (Photo: AP)Following a blitz across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical.Older generations remember the Talibans ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as stonings, amputations and public executions before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in the capital of Kabul as the Taliban now patrol its streets, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted.The promises of amnesty from Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Talibans cultural commission, were the first comments on how the Taliban might govern on a national level. His remarks remained vague, however, as the Taliban are still negotiating with political leaders of the countrys fallen government and no formal handover deal has been announced."The Islamic Emirate doesnt want women to be victims," Samangani said, using the militants name for Afghanistan. "They should be in the government structure according to Shariah law."That would be a marked departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, when women were largely confined to their homes.Samangani didnt describe exactly what he meant by Shariah, or Islamic, law, implying...

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  Japan evacuates embassy in Afghanistan

  An aircraft approaches Tokyo Haneda airport on August 11, 2021. (Photo: AFP)TOKYO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan has evacuated all personnel from its embassy in Kabul due to the possible deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan after Taliban took control of the country, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.Japan has established a temporary office in Istanbul for resuming the embassys operations.According to the ministry, 12 Japanese embassy officials arrived in Dubai on Tuesday "aboard a military airplane of a friendly nation" after its embassy in Kabul was closed Sunday.

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  118 Nepalis return from Afghanistan

  Nepalese people evacuated from Afghanistan arrive via Kuwait at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)KATHMANDU, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- As many as 118 Nepalis arrived in the capital Kathmandu from Afghanistan via Kuwait on Tuesday, Nepals Ministry of Foreign Affairs said."Arrival of Nepali nationals from Afghanistan has started," the ministry stated in a social media post. "As many as 118 of them have arrived at Kathmandu airport by a chartered aircraft via Kuwait this morning."Sewa Lamal, spokesperson of the Nepali Foreign Ministry, said that the Nepali government had made a request to various foreign governments having presence in Afghanistan for help in bringing out Nepalis."We are expecting the arrival of more Nepalis today in the country," she told Xinhua.As many as 164 Nepalis and two Afghan nationals had been back in Nepal between Aug. 5 and 15, according to Nepals Department of Immigration.It is unclear how many Nepalis are in Afghanistan, and the Nepali government once barred Nepali citizens from working in Afghanistan in July 2016 after 13 Nepalis working in the Canadian Embassy in Kabul as security guards were killed in an attack.The ban was lifted four months later as a large number of Nepalis went to Afghanistan through informal channels for relatively high pay.

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  India evacuates diplomats, citizens from Kabul

  This satellite photo from Maxar Technologies shows swarms of people on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport, also known as Hamid Karzai International Airport, Monday Aug. 16, 2021. (Photo: AP) NEW DELHI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- An Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 plane evacuated over 120 Indians, including diplomats, from Kabul and landed in the western state of Gujarat on Tuesday, said a government official.It is the first evacuation undertaken by an IAF plane amid the critical situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in Kabul.The Indian security personnel guarding the embassy in Kabul and other Indian nationals were also among the evacuees.According to Arindam Bagchi, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian government had decided to recall its ambassador in Kabul and the embassy staff."In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately," Bagchi tweeted earlier in the day.Prior to that, the countrys External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the current Afghan situation.

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  Turkey welcomes 'positive messages' from Taliban

  People walk through a security barrier as they enter Pakistan through a border crossing point, in Chaman, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021. (Photo: AP)Turkey said on Tuesday it welcomed the "positive messages" to the international community given by Taliban fighters following their seizure of power in Afghanistan."We welcome the positive messages given by the Taliban to foreigners, diplomatic missions and their own population. I hope we will see (the same approach) in their actions," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in televised comments.

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  US credibility further doubted with Afghanistan's rapid unravelling: media

  NEW YORK, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops and the rapid unravelling of Afghanistan have made Americas allies and others further doubt its credibility, according to a Friday report in The New York Times.Photo taken on May 28, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building behind a traffic sign in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)The retreat of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has heightened the sense that "Americas backing for its allies is not unlimited," said the report.It is "bound to sow doubts" as some of Americas allies in Europe and Asia wished that the current U.S. administration "would reestablish Americas firm presence in international affairs," it said.The issue for Americas allies and others, though, is less "credibility," a much misused term, than ability to see commitments through to the end, the report quoted former French diplomat Jean-Marie Guehenno as saying."The military debacle of Afghanistan, coming after the diplomatic debacle of Syria, will make Western nations more inward-looking, cynical and nationalist, as they feel surrounded by a world that they dont control, but keeps intruding," he said.

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  Evacuation flights taking off at Kabul airport, crowds cleared: reports

  KABUL, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Military planes evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan started taking off from Kabul airport on Tuesday morning, after the airport runway and tarmac were cleared of crowds, media reports said.The airport was shut down Monday after crowds of people surged onto the runways, leading to a chaos and the deaths of several people. Two armed Afghan men were reportedly killed by U.S. forces as thousands sought to board flights.The airport reopened at 19:35 GMT Monday, and the United States was taking charge of air traffic control at the airport for military and commercial flights, media reports quoted Major General Hank Taylor, a logistics specialist on the Pentagons Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying in Washington.Taylor said around 2,500 U.S. soldiers are in Kabul to assist the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Afghans who have worked for them, adding that more troops are expected to arrive, according to the reports.Afghanistans civil aviation authority in a statement Monday announced the closure of the airport, saying it was trying to resume the flights as soon as possible.The Taliban in a statement Monday told Kabul residents that their lives and properties are safe and they can carry on their work.

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  US experts blast White House for strategic error in chaotic troop withdrawal

  A screen displays US President Joe Biden's remarks on the crisis in Afghanistan at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square in New York, Aug 16, 2021.BEIJING - Days before Taliban forces entered the Afghan capital of Kabul, US President Joe Biden said at a news conference that he did not regret his mov

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  Pakistan committed to inclusive political settlement of Afghan issues: PM office

  ISLAMABAD, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Monday reiterated its commitment to an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan as the way forward representing all Afghan ethnic groups, the Pakistani Prime Ministers Office said after a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC).Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during an interview with Chinese media in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Oct. 31, 2018. (File photo: Xinhua)Chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, with top military and civilian leadership in attendance, the meeting held on Monday reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community and all Afghan stakeholders to facilitate an inclusive political settlement in the country.The meeting thoroughly deliberated on the emerging situation in Afghanistan and stressed that the principle of non-interference in Afghanistan must be adhered to, according to a statement issued by the prime minister office."The NSC noted positively that major violence had been averted thus far and called on all parties in Afghanistan to respect the rule of law, protect fundamental human rights of all Afghans, and ensure that Afghan soil is not used by any terrorist organization or group against any country," the statement added.The prime minister directed that all possible facilities be made available to repatriate Pakistanis, diplomats, journalists and staff of international organizations seeking to leave Afghanistan."It is now time for the international community to work together to ensure an inclusive political settlement for long term peace, security and development of Afghanistan and the region," said the statement.

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  Lavrov, Blinken discuss situation in Afghanistan over phone

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks in Moscow, Russia, July 19 2021.MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the current situation in Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a telephone conversation Monday.Lavrov informed Blinken of working contacts that h

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  World must unite to combat global terrorist threat in Afghanistan: UN

  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the world to work together to "suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan" after the Taliban took control of the war-torn country.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (File photo: AFP)"The international community must unite to make sure that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or safe haven for terrorist organizations," Guterres told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan.The meeting was hastily convened at the UNs headquarters in New York after Taliban militants entered the capital Kabul on Sunday, leading Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to flee abroad."I appeal to the Security Council and the international community as a whole to stand together, to work together and act together," Guterres added.He urged nations to "use all tools at its disposal to suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan and to guarantee that basic human rights will be respected."Guterres comments came as Taliban fighters patrolled Kabul after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistans 20-year war.Guterres said Afghans "deserve our full support.""The following days will be pivotal," he said. "The world is watching. We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan."The secretary-general urged the international community to "speak with one voice to uphold human rights in Afghanistan."He said it was "essential that the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls are protected."Guterres also called upon the Taliban "to respect and protect international humanitarian law and the rights and freedoms of all persons."

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  UN humanitarians continue to deliver relief in Afghanistan

  UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians and their partners continue to deliver relief to more than 17,500 displaced people in Kabul despite challenges from the Afghanistan crisis, a UN spokesman said on Monday.Displaced Afghan people take shelter in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2021. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)"In the past month, 17,500 people have been identified as newly internally displaced," said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Most of the displaced people arriving in recent days are reported to have arrived from Ghazni and Logar provinces."Some 13,500 of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) received food, cash, health care, household items, and water and sanitation support, Dujarric said. Inter-agency teams were deployed around Kabul to assess humanitarian needs."Despite immense challenges, humanitarian organizations -- both the UN and nongovernmental organizations -- in Afghanistan are committed to delivering aid and services to millions of people in need while adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence," he said.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its latest Flash Update on Afghanistan that assessment teams had to shut down their operations Sunday afternoon "due to uncertainty of the situation in Kabul."Peoples immediate needs continue to be shelter, household items, food, sanitation, hygiene kits, provision of health services and drinking water, said the office.The spokesman noted the secretary-generals report on Children and Armed Conflict in Afghanistan released last week, saying an additional 5,770 boys and girls were killed and maimed in the country between January 2019 and December 2020.Child casualties for the first half of 2021 constituted the highest numbers of children killed and maimed for this period ever recorded by the United...

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  UN chief calls for efforts to uphold human rights in Afghanistan, stem terrorism

  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Front) speaks at an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Afghanistan at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. Guterres on Monday called for efforts to uphold human rights in Afghanistan and to prevent the country from again becoming a sa

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  Biden says deteriorating situation in Afghanistan 'did unfold more quickly' than US anticipates

  WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday stood by his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan while acknowledging Kabuls collapse to the Taliban came much sooner than Washington had anticipated.US President Joe Biden. (Photo: AFP)"I stand squarely behind my decision," said Biden in a televised speech from the White House. "The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated."The speech came one day after the Taliban completed a stunningly swift takeover of the war-torn countrys capital of Kabul on Sunday after Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country."If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, now, was the right decision," said Biden who returned to the White House from Camp David ahead of schedule."American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," he said.In just over a week, the Taliban, which the U.S. overthrew in 2001, went from winning control of its first provincial capital to taking over Kabul.Saying he was willing to take criticism over the decision on troops withdrawal, Biden also cast blame on top Afghan leaders, Afghan forces and his predecessor Donald Trump for the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan."We have to be honest, our mission in Afghanistan is taking many missteps - made many missteps over the past two decades... I know my decision will be criticized, but I would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to another president... yet another one, a fifth one," he said.Trump, who inked a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces by this past May, also bears part of the responsibility for the current situation, said Biden."The choice I had to make as your president was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting th...

• 8 Photos

  In pics: Taliban fighters in Kabul

  Afghan Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.Afghan Taliban fighters stand on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug.

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  Wang Yi: China would work with US on Afghanistan 'soft landing'

  Afghan Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug 16, 2021.US' Blinken says 'peaceful coexistence' common goal.The purpose is to encourage Afghanistan to establish a broad and inclusive political structure that suits its own national conditions, Wang, the C

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  Afghanistan today, Taiwan tomorrow? US treachery scares DPP

  A US Chinook helicopter flies over the U. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday. For years, Washington has been turning its foreign policy into ideology-driven geopolitical games, and now the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan has even worried some in the island of Taiwan and sounde

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  US troops kill 2 gunmen amid Kabul airport chaos

  Thousands of people gathered at the airport as they tried to flee the capital after Taliban forces seized the city on Sunday and took control of the country. Thousands of US troops took control of security at Afghanistan's main international airport outside Kabul since Saturday to enable the

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  Iran urges int'l community to help displaced Afghans

  TEHRAN, Aug. 16 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday called the international community to help the displaced Afghans as a result of the current situation in Afghanistan, and welcomed the establishment of a coordination council to ensure a "peaceful transfer of power."We hope the international com

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  Chinese envoy warns against Afghanistan being heaven again for terrorists

  16 -- A Chinese envoy on Monday warned against Afghanistan becoming heaven again for terrorists.In the last 20 years, terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the East Turkestan Independence Movement (ETIM) have gathered and developed in Afghanistan, posing a serious threat t

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  Biden to address nation on chaos in Afghanistan

  In this April 14, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden speaks from the Treaty Room in the White House about the withdrawal of the remainder of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. (Photo: AP)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will return to the White House Monday to address the nation on the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces turned deadly at Kabul’s airport as thousands tried to flee the country a day after the Talibans takeover.The White House says Biden will travel back to Washington from the Camp David presidential retreat to speak at 3:45 Monday afternoon from the East Room. It will be his first public remarks on the Afghanistan situation in nearly a week, after Biden and other top U.S. officials had been stunned by the pace of the Taliban’s swift routing of the Afghan military.Senior U.S. military officials say the chaos at the airport left seven people dead Monday morning, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing operations.Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital’s airport as thousands tried to escape after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed. Some clung to the side of a U.S. military plane before takeoff, in a widely shared video that captured the sense of desperation as America’s 20-year war comes to a chaotic end.Another video showed the Afghans falling as the plane gained altitude over Kabul.The speed of the Afghan government’s collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed. Chaotic scenes unfolded at the Kabul airport Monday as Afghans tried desperately to find space on departing military flights, with the U.S. resorting to firing warning shots and using helicopters to clear a path for transport aircraft.Biden campaigned as a ...

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  US officials say 7 killed in Kabul airport evacuation chaos

  Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021. (Photo: AFP)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Senior U.S. military officials say the chaos at the Kabul airport this morning left seven people dead, including some who fell from a departing American military transport jet.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss ongoing operations.Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital’s airport on Monday as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed. Some clung to the side of a U.S. military plane before takeoff, in a widely shared video that captured the sense of desperation as America’s 20-year war comes to a chaotic end.Another video showed the Afghans falling as the plane gained altitude over Kabul.

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  US stumbles as Afghan situation cycled in 20 years

  It seems that the situation in Afghanistan will enter a new chapter. The US has spent 20 years on its "anti-terror war" in Afghanistan, investing huge amount of resources in the country to support the Afghan government and help train its troops. The Western media have been busy mentioning Ch

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  Taliban will not get access to Afghan reserves held in US: official

  Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (Photo: AP)The Taliban will be denied access to any Afghan reserves held in US accounts, a US administration official told AFP on Monday.As US forces were evacuating Afghanistans capital after the Talibans swift takeover, the official said, "Any Central Bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban."

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  Rush on Kabul airport as Afghans flee Taliban takeover

  Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capitals airport on Monday as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed. Some clung to the side of a U.S. military transport plane before takeoff, in a widely shared video that captured the sense of desperation as Americas 20-year war comes to a chaotic end.A Taliban fighter sits on the back of a vehicle with a machine gun in front of the main gate leading to the Afghan presidential palace, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (Photo: AP)The Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing an end to a two-decade campaign in which the U.S. and its allies had tried to transform Afghanistan. The countrys Western-trained security forces collapsed or fled in the face of an insurgent offensive that tore through the country in just over a week, ahead of the planned withdrawal of the last American troops at the end of the month.In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. There were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and the streets were eerily quiet for a city of 5 million people usually jammed with traffic. Fighters could be seen searching vehicles at one of the citys main squares.Many fear chaos, after the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners and the police simply melted away, or a return to the kind of brutal rule the Taliban imposed when they were last in power. Residents raced to Kabuls international airport, where the "civilian side" was closed until further notice, according to Afghanistans Civil Aviation Authority. The U.S. military and other Western forces continued to organize evacuations.Videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of people running across the tarmac as U.S. troops fired warning shots in the air. One showed a crowd pushing and shoving its way up ...

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  Italian diplomats, Afghans arrive in Rome from Kabul

  Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport on August 16, 2021. (Photo: AFP)About 70 Italian diplomats and Afghans reached Rome on Monday after being evacuated from Kabul following the fall of the capital city to the Taliban.The KC-767 military transport plane touched down about 1230 GMT at Romes Fiumicino international airport carrying some 50 diplomats and 20 Afghans who had worked with Italian forces in Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said in a statement.Their arrival came after a last-minute evacuation Sunday at Kabuls airport, as Western powers scrambled to fly out their remaining embassy staff and Afghans who worked as interpreters or other support roles.Italys defence ministry announced Sunday that "in view of the deteriorating security situation", the embassys diplomatic staff and Italian nationals would be evacuated. In June, Italy repatriated its remaining approximately 900 soldiers as part of the accelerated withdrawal of NATO forces.The country was one of the most committed Western powers in Afghanistan, which since 2015 alongside the United States, Turkey, Britain and Germany, formed the bulk of NATOs "Resolute Support" mission to train and advise Afghan troops. Italy deployed 50,000 troops in Afghanistan over the past 20 years following the 9/11 attacks on the United States.During that period, 53 Italian soldiers died and 723 were injured.According to the defence ministry, 228 Afghans who worked for Italy and their families are already in Italy.The Taliban takeover after President Ashraf Ghani fled on Sunday concluded a lightning offensive that overran a string of regional capitals in just over a week following NATOs withdrawal.

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  Afghanistan not to take part in Tokyo Paralympics, organizers say

  Taliban fighters stand guard on the road leading to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (Photo: AP)TOKYO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan will not send athletes to the Tokyo Paralympic Games, which is set to kick off on August 24, organizers confirmed here on Monday.Toshiro Muto, CEO of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, told a news conference that he has been aware of the information that Afghanistan is "unable to take part in the Paralympic Games."Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday night, while the Taliban ordered its members to enter the capital of Kabul."Currently, a situation exists in Afghanistan. That situation is the reason for their inability to come to Japan," he said. "We regret that they are not able to come, for the Afghanistan athletes, officials and stakeholders. I hope they are spending their time safely in their own country."Muto said that the organizing committee had no idea how many people Afghanistan had originally planned to send to the Games.A total of five Afghanistani athletes, including four men and one woman, competed in athletics, shooting, swimming and taekwondo at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

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  UK forces going back to Afghanistan 'not on the cards': defense secretary

  Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021. (Photo: AP)LONDON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said on Monday that British forces going back to Afghanistan is "not on the cards", after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital city of Kabul.Asked by Sky News if Britain and NATO forces would return to Afghanistan, Wallace said: "Thats not on the cards that were going to go back."The Taliban said on Sunday that the war in Afghanistan has ended and they will soon declare the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They will take responsible actions to ensure the safety of Afghan citizens and foreign missions in Afghanistan.Wallace said Britain was doing everything it could to evacuate British nationals and Afghans with links to Britain."Our target is...about 1,200 to 1,500 exit a day in the capacity of our aeroplanes, and well keep that flow," he said.The British defense secretary on Friday said the U.S. decision to pull its military forces out of Afghanistan was a "mistake," which has handed the Taliban "momentum" in the country."Of course I am worried, it is why I said I felt this was not the right time or decision to make because, of course, al-Qaida will probably come back, certainly would like that type of breeding ground," he told Sky News.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the U.S. decision to pull out of Afghanistan has "accelerated things".The British parliament will be recalled on Wednesday from their summer recess to debate the British governments response to the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan.

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  Observer: 'Graveyard of empires' proves interventionism ends in failure

  The Taliban on Sunday entered Afghanistan’s capital and took control of the presidential palace while Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani fled the country.Just a month ago, US President Joe Biden said a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was not inevitable, when defending the decision of US military withdrawal after two decades of the mission. Now, the Taliban declared a swift victory, as Afghanistan’s major cities all fell to the Taliban in about a week.America’s longest war ended in complete fiasco and humiliation. It invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the guise of “protecting local and global security” even if that came at the unimaginable expense of ruining another country. Ironically, when seeing rapid Taliban gains today, the US is speeding up its exit like a disinterested party. As ultimately leaving nothing constructive but a catastrophe in Afghanistan, the US lost credibility that has already been collapsing for years.The war was a costly one in every respect. The twenty years of war have killed 47,245 Afghan civilians and cost the $2.26 trillion in total, according to Brown University’s The Costs of War Project. The project also estimates that 241,000 people have died as a direct result of this war.And the cost and loss of lives have not yet ceased, although the US decided to end the war. For the US, their troops have finally said farewell to cruelty and casualties and the government has hastily dropped its obligations for the messy situation. But the Afghan civilians, who have never enjoyed peace and social stability during the prolonged war, still live in chaos and fear. The Afghan public has never embraced the so-called US-style democracy and a rebuilt Afghan society, which the US had promised to bring when initiating the war.Afghanistan has witnessed a decade-long war led by external forces turning into a civil conflict. In history, empire after empire has come to the country, failed in their mission, and left. Now with the US defeat and retreat, the la...

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  Kabul planes mobbed as Afghans make a desperate dash to exit

  Afghan people climb atop a plane as they wait at the Kabul airport in Kabul on August 16, 2021. (Photo: AFP)Frantic Afghans trying to flee the Taliban takeover clung to an American plane as it prepared to take off from Kabul airport, as thousands of people desperately searched for a flight out of the country on Monday.US troops fired shots into the air and all commercial flights were cancelled as chaos broke out on the tarmac.Dramatic footage posted on social media shows hundreds of men running alongside a US Air Force plane as it rolls down the runway, with some clinging to the side of it.In other videos, civilians frantically clamber up an already overcrowded and buckling set of airstairs.Crowds watched on, as those who successfully climbed the stairs helped others up, while some hung from the stair railings by their hands.Panicked families with frightened children in tow and laden with luggage were trying to escape the incoming Taliban regime, two decades after the group’s harsh rule was toppled by a US-led invasion."I feel very scared here. They are firing lots of shots into the air," the witness said, asking not to be named in case it jeopardised his chances of leaving.The US State Department said American troops had secured the perimeter of the airport as they evacuate embassy employees and thousands of Afghans who worked for Washingtons interests since they toppled the Taliban in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

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  India's Delhi-Kabul flight suspended after Afghan airspace shut

  An Afghan national is mobbed by media person for byte as he arrives at Indira Gandhi International airport by Air India special flight from Kabul, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Aug 15, 2021. (Photo: AP)NEW DELHI, Aug 16 (Xinhua) -- The scheduled Air India (AI) flight that was to fly from Delhis airport to Kabul Monday afternoon has been suspended as the airspace over Afghanistan was closed for all flights, a spokesman of the carrier said on Monday.The spokesman said earlier in the day that the AI flight would fly to Kabul as per its schedule. However, due to the reported violence at the Kabul airport leading to a couple of killings, airspace over Kabul was closed and subsequently all flights, taking off and landings, were cancelled."Airspace over Afghanistan is declared closed, so no aircraft can operate there. Our scheduled flight to Kabul also cannot go," the spokesman said in a written message.

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  World reacts as Taliban enters Kabul

  A US Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Photo: AP)BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Countries and international organizations closely observing the unfolding situation in Afghanistan have swiftly reacted to Taliban forces entering the capital Kabul on Sunday.The U.S. State Department and the Pentagon issued a joint statement, saying, "At present we are completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of U.S. and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights."The United States will expand its security presence to nearly 6,000 troops over the next 48 hours, with a mission focused solely on facilitating these efforts, and will take over air traffic control, according to the statement.Thousands of U.S. citizens, locally employed staff of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their families, and "other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals" would be transferred out of the country in the coming days, it said, adding, "And we will accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for U.S. Special Immigrant Visas."Frances Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs also published a statement, saying that the government had decided to relocate its embassy to the international airport in Kabul to facilitate the evacuation of French nationals from Afghanistan.The French Ministry of Armed Forces "will deploy military reinforcements and air assets to the United Arab Emirates in the coming hours, so that the first evacuations to Abu Dhabi can begin," it added.On Monday morning, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told local media that the National Security Cabinet meeting will convene to review a plan for evacuation out of Afghanistan, without providing details of the operations.Muhammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Talibans political office in Qatars capital Doha, tweeted Sunday that there is no dan...

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  Commercial flights from Kabul airport cancelled

  Travelers enter in Pakistan through a border crossing point in Chaman, Pakistan, Monday, Aug 16, 2021. A special flight of Pakistans national airline PIA has arrived in Islamabad carrying 329 passengers from Kabul, and another carrying 170 people will arrive later today. (Photo: AP)KABUL, Aug 16 (Xinhua) - All commercial flights from Kabuls airport have been cancelled, said a statement of Afghanistans civil aviation authority released on Monday."All the flights from Kabul airport have been temporarily cancelled and the passengers should not come to the airport until informed," the statement said.The cancellation of the flights took place in the wake of Kabuls fall to the Taliban on Sunday and the mass migration of Afghans amid fear.The civil aviation authority in the statement expressed hope for early restoration of normalcy, noting that the massive rushing of passengers to the airport in the chaotic situation could lead to looting and other disorderly situation.The civil aviation authority has been trying to resume the flights as soon as possible, the statement said.Taliban meanwhile in a statement told Kabul residents that their lives and properties are safe and they can carry on their works.

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  Taliban say no clashes in Afghanistan one day after capture of Kabul

  Photo via CGTNTaliban officials said on Monday they had received no reports of any clashes from across the country a day after the group took control of capital Kabul."The situation is peaceful, as per our reports," a senior member of the Taliban said. "The general public is happy with the arrival of the Mujahideen and satisfied with the security," Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid tweeted on Monday.

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  Commercial flights out of Kabul cancelled due to chaos at airport: official

  Photo via CGTNCommercial flights from Kabul were cancelled Monday after chaotic scenes at the airport with thousands looking for a way out after the Taliban re-took power in Afghanistan."There will be no commercial flights from Hamid Karzai Airport to prevent looting and plundering. Please do not rush to the airport," the Kabul airport authority said in a message sent to reporters.

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  Trump calls for Biden to resign over Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

  Former US President Donald Trump called for his successor Joe Biden to resign on Sunday over the swift takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, as US troops withdrew from the country after nearly 20 years military presence. Former US President Donald Trump speaks during the Rally to Protect Our Elections conference in Phoenix, Arizona on July 24, 2021. /CFP"It is time for Joe Biden to resign in disgrace for what he has allowed to happen to Afghanistan," Trump said in a statement, also blasting him over a surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States and domestic immigration, economic and energy policies. The Taliban have reconquered Afghanistan in a lightning surge 20 years after they were toppled by the US invasion. They took control of Kabul on Sunday, more than two weeks before the August 31 deadline set by Biden to complete the withdrawal of American troops from the country. It was under Trump that the US brokered a deal with the Taliban in Doha in 2020 that would have seen the US troops pullout by May 2021 in exchange for various security guarantees from the Taliban. When Biden took power earlier this year, he pushed back the deadline for the withdrawal and set no conditions for it. Trump has repeatedly blasted Biden over the move, saying it would have been "a much different and much more successful withdrawal" if he were still in power. "What Joe Biden has done with Afghanistan is legendary. It will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history!" he said in another statement on Sunday. The Biden administration is quick to point out that Trump negotiated the Doha deal on the withdrawal and that a majority of the US public favors ending "forever wars." A USAF CH-46 Sea Knight military transport helicopter flies over Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2021. /Reuters via CGTNBiden has faced heated criticism at home that the withdrawal was mismanaged, with the United States racing to evacuate its sprawling embassy...

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  Taliban return to power in Afghanistan, say real test begins now

  One of the Talibans most senior officials on Sunday declared that the movements swift victory over the Afghan government was an unrivaled feat but the real test of governing effectively would begin now that it had won power.Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2021. /CFPIn a brief video statement, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Talibans political bureau, said the victory, which saw all of the countrys major cities fall in a week, was unexpectedly swift and had no match in the world.However, he said the real test would begin now with meeting the expectations of the people and serving them by resolving their problems. The Taliban returned to power in Kabul on Monday after a military advance across Afghanistan as U.S-led forces departed and Western nations stepped up efforts to evacuate their embassy staffs and other citizens from the capital. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as Taliban fighters closed in on the capital, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. A Taliban spokesman said the war is over and the Afghan people will soon learn what form the new government will take. Taliban: No danger to embassies, foreign nationalsMuhammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Talibans political office in Qatars capital Doha, stressed on Sunday evening that there is no danger to embassies, diplomatic missions and foreign nationals in Kabul, pledging that the Taliban will maintain security across the country. "We assure all embassies, diplomatic missions, institutions and residences of foreign nationals in Kabul that there is no danger to them," Naeem said on his Twitter account. He stressed that the forces of the Taliban movement are tasked with maintaining security in Kabul and other cities in the country.The Taliban on Sunday announced taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul, and will announce the es...

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  US confirms evacuation of Americans from Kabul

  Washington (Peoples Daily) - The US is evacuating Americans from Kabul via civilian and military flights, after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital, according to a joint statement from the US Department of State and Department of Defense issued on Sunday.The US embassy in Kabul is closed after American personnel were evacuated Sunday. (Photo: Agencies)According to the statement, at present the US government is completing a series of steps to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of US and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights. Over the next 48 hours, the US will have expanded its US security presence to nearly 6,000 troops, with a mission focused solely on facilitating these efforts. The US troops will take over air traffic control, the statement said.“Tomorrow and over the coming days, we will be transferring out of the country thousands of American citizens who have been residents in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed staff of the US mission in Kabul and their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals,” the statement continued.The statement said the US will accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for US Special Immigrant Visas, nearly 2,000 of whom have already arrived in the United States over the past two weeks.

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  Taliban confirms no danger to embassies, foreign nationals in Kabul

  DOHA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Muhammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Talibans political office in Qatars capital Doha, stressed on Sunday evening that there is no danger to embassies, diplomatic missions and foreign nationals in the Afghan capital Kabul, pledging that the Taliban will maintain security across the country.The entrance gate of the Canadian embassy is pictured after the evacuation in Kabul on August 15, 2021. (Photo: AFP)"We assure all embassies, diplomatic missions, institutions and residences of foreign nationals in Kabul that there is no danger to them," Naeem said on his Twitter account.He stressed that the forces of the Taliban movement are tasked with maintaining security in Kabul and other cities in the country.The Taliban announced on Sunday that it has taken control of the presidential palace in Kabul, and will announce the establishment of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" soon, according to media reports.Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah said in a video post on his Facebook page that Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has left the country on Sunday night.

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  Afghan president leaves country, Taliban forces enter Kabul

  KABUL, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday night, while the Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul and took control of the presidential palace.Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani looks on while attending a Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board meeting (JCMB) at the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul on July 28, 2021. (File photo: AFP)Ghani confirmed on his Facebook page late on Sunday that he has left the country, saying the move was to prevent bloodshed."If there were still countless countrymen martyred and they would face the destruction and destruction of Kabul city, the result would have been a big human disaster in the city," Ghani said.The Taliban is now responsible for protecting the honor and wealth of the Afghan people, adding that he will continue to serve the nation, he said.Ghani did not mention his current location in the Facebook post. Media reports said he fled to Uzbekistan with his wife. A senior Interior Ministry official said earlier in the day that he was heading for Tajikistan, while a Foreign Ministry official said his destination remains unknown.Meanwhile, the Taliban has assured that all the diplomatic missions and foreign citizens in Kabul will face no dangers. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they are committed to ensuring security in the Afghan capital.The Taliban forces entered Kabul city and took control of the presidential palace. The group has taken control of all the districts of Kabul, Taliban spokesman Mujahid said.Mujahid said that overnight patrolling of the city will be launched soon.Media reports also said the group will soon declare the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.A curfew has been imposed in Kabul starting 21:00 local time on Sunday to prevent violence.Two powerful explosions occurred late on Sunday near the US embassy and the presidential palace in Kabul, media reports said, quoting eyewitnesses.A shooting started with th...