[ad_1]
The Taliban’s military takeover triggered panic in Kabul. Thousands of people poured into the city’s international airport and fled desperately. The evacuation flight from Afghanistan has resumed.
A Western security official told Reuters on Tuesday that the tarmac and runway at Kabul Airport-controlled by the US military-are now clear of crowds. The official said that military flights to evacuate diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan have begun to take off.
At least 7 people died in Monday’s chaos, including several hold onto The side of the jet plane during takeoff.
In Washington, DC, U.S. President Joe Biden said he was standing “Completely behind” He decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and severely criticized the country’s former Western-backed leadership for failing to resist the Taliban.
“I firmly support my decision,” he said in a televised speech at the White House. “Twenty years later, I learned with difficulty that there has never been a good time to withdraw American troops.”
The Taliban has declared the end of the war in Afghanistan, and a senior leader said that the organization will wait until foreign troops leave before establishing a new governance structure.
China has stated that it is ready to establish “friendly relations” with the Taliban, while Russia and Iran have also made diplomatic gestures.
The following are the latest updates:
Brinken talks with his European counterparts
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken discussed the situation in Afghanistan and Washington’s efforts to get his citizens back home with colleagues in the United Kingdom, the European Union, Turkey, and NATO on Monday.
“The Secretary of State expresses deep gratitude to the European Union, NATO, Turkey and the United Kingdom for their efforts in Afghanistan,” a statement from the State Department said.
Officials of the Indian Embassy, including the ambassador, evacuated from Kabul
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of New Delhi said that officials of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, including the ambassador, are being evacuated from the Afghan capital.
Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter: “In view of the current situation, it has been decided that our ambassador to Kabul and his Indian staff will go to India immediately.”
In view of the current situation, it is decided that our ambassador to Kabul and his Indian staff will go to India immediately.
-Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 17, 2021
Military evacuation flight takes off from Kabul
A Western security official at Kabul Airport told Reuters that military flights to evacuate diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan started taking off on Tuesday morning.
The official said the airport runway and tarmac were crowded with thousands of people eagerly fleeing the Afghan capital on Monday, and there are now no crowds.
Due to the chaos, the US military in charge of the airport has stopped evacuation flights.
Malala Yusufzai urges world leaders to take action
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she is deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan-especially the safety of women and girls-and called on world leaders to take urgent action .
Yousafzai said Biden “has a lot to do” and must “take bold steps” to protect the Afghan people.
“This is actually an urgent humanitarian crisis and we need to provide help and support,” Yousafzai, 23, told BBC News Night, adding that she has been trying to contact several world leaders.
Yousafzai survived being shot in the head by a Pakistani Taliban gunman in 2012, after she was targeted for opposing her efforts to reject women’s education.
Malala Yusufzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, called on world leaders to take urgent action on the situation in Afghanistan [File: Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via Reuters]Analyst:’A movie that everyone predicts but very fast-forwarding’
The President of the United States has been criticized for handling the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, but analysts pointed out that although the American people are shocked by the scene at Kabul Airport, they still generally support the United States leaving Afghanistan.
Douglas Ollivant, a senior researcher at the New America Foundation, said that although Biden bears the ultimate responsibility, few analysts or intelligence officials predict the speed of the Taliban.
“In the final analysis, he is the President of the United States, and his responsibility ends here, but I think when we look back, although these events did not surprise analysts-all these events were expected- —I don’t think even the most pessimistic analyst would predict it will happen so fast,” Ollivant told Al Jazeera.
“In essence, we have been watching movies that everyone predicts, but the fast-forward approach prevents us from making decisions fast enough or reacting in a way that puts the United States ahead of events.”
The UN Secretary-General urges countries to accept refugees from Afghanistan
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all countries to accept Afghan refugees and avoid deportation.
He said on Twitter that the whole world is watching events in this country “with a heavy heart.”
“Afghans have experienced generations of wars and suffering. They deserve our full support.”
The world is paying close attention to the events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart. I urge all countries to be willing to accept Afghan refugees and not to deport them.
The Afghans have experienced generations of wars and sufferings. They deserve our full support.
Now is the time for unity.
— Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 16, 2021
Blink when talking with colleagues in India and Pakistan
US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken has been in dialogue with his counterparts in Pakistan and India on the situation in Afghanistan.
According to a statement from the State Department, Brinken held a conference call with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi and Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jashankar. It did not elaborate on what was discussed.
Hello, and welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing report on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. I am Zaheena Rasheed from Male, Maldives.
For yesterday’s key developments, go to here.
[ad_2]
Source link