People try to get into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021. (Reuters)Afghanistan crisis Highlights: The Pentagon has said two “armed individuals”, who may not be Taliban members, were shot by US troops in Kabul. One soldier is wounded. Before this, at least seven people were killed at Kabul airport as hundreds tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses told Reuters.
In Kabul, 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 there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets. Taliban fighters were seen searching vehicles at one of the city’s main squares.
Meanwhile, India said it is in touch with representatives of Afghan Sikh, Hindu communities. “We’ll facilitate repatriation to India of those who wishes to leave Afghanistan,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a briefing.
Kabul, the ultimate prize in every Afghanistan war, fell to the Taliban on Sunday, completing their takeover of the country in a lightning offensive that saw provinces and warlords give up without a fight, days after the hasty withdrawal of the US troops.
As thousands make frenzied attempts to fly out of Afghanistan, satellite images show people crowded on the tarmac of the Kabul airport.
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The Taliban has seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the United States was set to complete its troop withdrawal, after a costly two-decade war. On Sunday, Kabul fell to the Taliban, completing their takeover of the country in a quick offensive that saw provinces and warlords give up without a fight. Here's a look at what exactly happened and what comes next.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Security Council on Monday to "use all tools at its disposal to suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan" and guarantee that basic human rights will be respected. "We are receiving chilling reports of severe restrictions on human rights throughout the country. I am particularly concerned by accounts of mounting human rights violations against the women and girls of Afghanistan," he told the 15-member council. "We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan," he said. (Reuters)
As scenes emerge of civilians desperately trying to leave Afghanistan, many will likely seek refuge in neighbouring Tajikistan. Already, reports indicate that approximately 1,600 Afghan soldiers have fled to Tajikistan in the last week. On Monday morning, several media outlets stated that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was amongst them. However, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that claim and later reports claimed he was in Uzbekistan. As the situation unfolds, Tajikistan will not only have to contend with an onslaught of refugees but also with security concerns ranging from the export of terrorism to the increase of cross-border drug smuggling. Read our explainer to know more.
The Pentagon has confirmed that US forces shot and killed two individuals it said were "armed" at the Kabul airport on Monday, adding that one American soldier was also injured. It also said that the US military is sending another battalion of about 1000 troops to help safeguard the airport.
In a series of tweets, Da Afghanistan Bank chief Ajmal Ahmady shares how the government in Afghanistan collapsed in a week.
"We assure all diplomats, embassies, consulates, and charitable workers, whether they are international or national that not only no problem will be created for them on the part of IEA but a secure environment will be provided to them, Inshallah," the Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said in a tweet.
President Joe Biden will return to the White House today to address the nation on the US evacuation from Afghanistan. His address will come a day after the Taliban took control of the country.
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 remark on the Afghanistan situation in nearly a week.
Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul's international airport Monday, so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto an American military jet as it took off and plunged to death in chaos that killed at least seven people, the Associated Press reported citing US officials.
A US defence official says the head of Central Command has met face-to-face with senior Taliban leaders to urge their fighters not to interfere with the US military's evacuation operations at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
The official said that in the meeting on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, General Frank McKenzie won Taliban agreement to establish a "deconfliction mechanism" - an arrangement by which evacuation operations at the airport can continue without interference by the new rulers of the country.
According to AP, the official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks not yet announced publicly.
In its first reaction to the unfolding developments in Afghanistan, India on Monday said it is constantly monitoring the situation and will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals as well as its interests in that country.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India is also in touch with representatives of the Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan and will facilitate the repatriation of those who wish to leave that country. Read the full report here.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi today said that the situation in Kabul has "deteriorated significantly" in the last few days. "We've been issuing periodic advisories for the safety and security of Indian nationals, including calling for their immediate return to India," he said during a media briefing. "We are in touch with representatives of Afghan Sikh, Hindu communities...will facilitate those who want to leave Afghanistan" he added.
The UK Parliament, currently on its summer recess, has been recalled for a day on Wednesday to debate the British government's response to the crisis in Afghanistan after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government and seized control of Kabul.
According to PTI, the Speaker of the House of Commons granted a request from the government to recall the House of Commons at 9.30 am on Wednesday, August 18, in relation to the situation in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened another emergency Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) meeting on Monday to take stock of the crisis in the region.
Sadaf Habeeb, a 22-year-old from Kabul, was outside the Embassy of Afghanistan in Delhi today, hoping for some clarity on the possibility of help for her family members back home, and for someone to allay the uncertainty she has been feeling over her status in India now that the Taliban has established control over her country.
Officials at the embassy were non-committal and seemed unsure of what was coming next themselves, said Sadaf, who made the visit with her mother. She is frightened, she said, for her grandparents, uncles and friends who are in Kabul. “Having fled with my parents from Taliban attacks five years ago, we know what they can do,” Sadaf said. Read our full report here.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday seemed to endorse the Taliban taking over Kabul by saying that Afghanistan has broken the “shackles of slavery” in the neighbouring war-torn country. Khan said becoming a mental slave was worse than being an actual slave, adding that subjugated minds can never make big decisions. Read the full report here.
The United States has temporarily halted all evacuation flights from Kabul to clear people who had converged on the airfield, a US defense official told Reuters today. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not say how long the pause would last.
An Afghan military plane has crashed in Uzbekistan, news agency AFP is reporting. More details are awaited.
In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections.
According to the Associated Press, there were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets of Kabul. Fighters were seen searching vehicles at one of the city's 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 it was last in power.
Russia's embassy in Kabul said on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency reported. Ghani, whose current whereabouts are unknown, said he left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban entered Kabul virtually unopposed.
“Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac.” Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for national reconciliation in neighbouring Afghanistan on Monday. The official IRNA news agency quoted Raisi as saying Iran will support efforts to restore stability in Afghanistan as a first priority. He called Iran "a brother and neighbouring nation" to Afghanistan. According to AP, He also described the rapid pullout by America as a "military failure" that should "turn into an opportunity for restoring life, security and stable peace".