Afghanistan Taliban News LIVE: Govt to Help Afghan Hindus, Sikhs if They Want to Come to India; US Soldiers Kill 2 Men at Kabul Airport

US President Joe Biden to Address Afghanistan Situation at 1.15 am GST | US President Joe Biden will address the nation on the situation in Afghanistan at 1.15 am Tuesday GST, as the Taliban has taken over, after mounting pressure on his decision to withdraw troops from the war-torn country.

I will be addressing the nation on Afghanistan at 3:45 PM ET today.

— President Biden (@POTUS) August 16, 2021

Read India's Statement on Afghanistan | 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 more

Taliban News: UK Secretary Tearful on Afghanistan Evacuation Limits | British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace held back tears as he conceded that Britain was unlikely to be able to evacuate all its Afghan allies from Kabul. Speaking on Monday via webcam on LBC Radio, Wallace said it was a “really deep part of regret for me” that not all Afghans eligible to come to the U.K. will be able to do so during the current evacuation drive. In addition to the 4,000 or so U.K. nationals in Afghanistan, Britain is processing claims of Afghan citizens, such as interpreters, who have helped in the 20 years since first arrived following the 9/11 attacks.

A visibly emotional Wallace, a former captain in the Scots Guard. said that Britain will in the future “have to do our best in third countries to process those people.” Asked why he felt the situation “so personally,” Wallace said it was because he was a soldier and “because it’s sad and the West has done what it’s done, and we have to do our very best to get people out and stand by our obligations and 20 years of sacrifice is what it is.”

After Kabul's Takeover, What the Taliban’s Triumph Means for India and the World

Almost in the blink of an eye, Afghanistan changed this week.

UN Says World Must Unite to Combat 'Global Terrorist Threat' in Afghanistan | United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called on the world to work together Monday to "suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan." "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.

Afghanistan News: US Tells Taliban Not to Hinder Kabul Evacuation | A U.S. defense 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 U.S. military’s evacuation operations at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

‣ The official said that in the meeting on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, Gen. 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.

‣ The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks not yet announced publicly. The official said McKenzie urged the Taliban not to interfere with the evacuation and said the U.S. military would respond forcefully to defend the airport if necessary.

Angela Merkel Says Germany May Need to Rescue 10,000 People from Afghanistan

Germany must urgently evacuate up to 10,000 people from Afghanistan for whom its has responsibility, Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues, warning that the fallout from the conflict will…

Global Shares Slip as Investors Fret Over Afghanistan Taliban Takeover | A surprisingly sharp slowdown in Chinese economic activity and a rapid Taliban takeover in Afghanistan helped drive global shares lower Monday. All three major U.S. indices opened Monday sharply lower, after posting fresh record highs last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 134.63 points, or 0.38%, in early trading, while the S&P 500 lost 0.30% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.32%. The disappointing data out of China also ended a 10-day run of gains for European stocks, with commodity-linked stocks - which are sensitive to demand from China - falling the most. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.5% past midday in London, easing from record levels last week.

Taliban Loves Cricket: Afghanistan Cricket Board Optimistic |  Cricket will not be a casualty in the wake of drastic political change in Afghanistan, assured country’s cricket board CEO Hamid Shinwari, saying the Taliban “love" and “support" the game. Speaking to PTI from Kabul, Shinwari also assured that the members of the national team and their families are safe as the Taliban took over the reins of the country. Read more

Afghanistan News: Taliban to Offer Al-Qaeda Covert Support | The Taliban will offer support to Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan more discreetly than during their first period in power when they openly embraced the terror network, analysts say. After conquering Kabul for the first time in 1996, the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime provided Al-Qaeda with a safe haven to operate training camps, even describing its leader Osama bin Laden as a "guest" of the country. But after being overthrown in 2001 in retaliation for the September 11 attacks in the United States, which were planned from Afghanistan, the incoming Taliban authorities in Kabul are expected to take a new approach this time.

Afghanistan News: Taliban Won't Get Access to Afghan Reserves Held in US | 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 Afghanistan's capital after the Taliban's 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."

Afghanistan News: Why Afghan Women Are Devastated About Taliban Return | There were public beatings and stoning then and vice squads used to roam the streets, eyes on inappropriate dressing and inadequate length of beards and their ears pricked to pick up any sound of radio or TV, ready to hand out punishment for all these ‘offences’. As Taliban return, many Afghans would be afraid that they will bring back their harsh regime of Islamic governance. Especially concerning is the future of women, who were prevented from going to school and even stepping out all by themselves. Read more

Afghanistan News: UK Soldiers' Families Shocked by Taliban Blitz | Families of British soldiers who died in Afghanistan have expressed dismay at the sudden fall of the country to the Taliban. Graham Knight, the father of 25-year-old Ben Knight who was killed when his Nimrod aircraft exploded in Afghanistan in 2006, said the British government should have moved more quickly to get civilians out. The 69-year-old said the Taliban made their intent “very clear that, as soon as we went out, they would move in.”

Afghanistan News: Italy Flies Staff Back | An Italian military flight carrying 70 embassy staff, Afghan employees and Italian nationals has landed at Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. All were undergoing COVID tests before being allowed to leave the airport after the overnight flight from Kabul. Francesca Mannocchi, an Italian journalist who was among those evacuated, said 20 were Afghan employees and their families, including women and children, who have been evacuated for their safety.

Afghanistan News: India Says Doors Open to Afghan's Sikh and Hindu Minorities | India will help members of Afghanistan's tiny Sikh and Hindu community to come to India, the foreign ministry said on Monday. "We are in constant touch with the representatives of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities. We will facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement. India invested millions of dollars in development projects in Afghanistan and Bagchi said the government stood by the Afghans who had partnered it in that task.

Afghanistan News: Time to Test Taliban, Says Abdul Ghani Baradar | A senior Taliban official told TOLOnews that their leadership in Doha is currently in talks and is in contact with the international community and political parties inside Afghanistan. On the other hand, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's political deputy, says that now is the time for the Taliban to be tested and that they must prove that they can run the system. "Now is the time to test and test us, because we now have how to ensure the safety of the people"

Afghanistan News: Hamas congratulates Taliban | The Islamic militant group Hamas has congratulated the Taliban for their swift takeover of Afghanistan and the end to the United States’ 20-year presence in the country. In a statement on Monday, Hamas welcomed “the defeat of the American occupation on all Afghan land” and praised what it said was the Taliban’s “courageous leadership on this victory, which was the culmination of its long struggle over the past 20 years.” Hamas, a Palestinian group that opposes Israel’s existence, has governed the Gaza Strip since taking over the area in 2007, a year after it won a Palestinian election. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union. It wished the people of Afghanistan future success and said the ouster of the American troops proves “that the resistance of the peoples, foremost of which is our struggling Palestinian people, is due for victory.”

Afghanistan News: Germany Says US Troop Withdrawal 'Biggest NATO Debacle' | The withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan is the "biggest NATO debacle" since the founding of the alliance, the head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said Monday. With the Taliban sweeping to power after NATO troops withdrew, CDU party chief Armin Laschet said: "It is evident that this engagement of the international community was not successful. It is the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding, and we're standing before an epochal change."

Afghanistan News: Why China is Cosying Up to Taliban As They Seize Power

China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.

Afghanistan Newss: Pakistan PM Imran Khan Says Afghans Have Broken 'Shackles of Slavery' | 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. The longstanding war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on Kabul before entering the city and took over the presidential palace, forcing embattled President Ashraf Ghani to join fellow citizens and foreigners to flee the country.

Afghanistan News: Taliban Asks Govt Staff to Return to Work, Says Report | According to Afghan news portal Ariana, the Taliban have asked government staff to return to work. “No Afghan citizen should worry about anyone who served in the previous government, and we will serve in our homeland,” said Hanafi, Ariana reported.

Afghan Military Plane Crashes in Uzbekistan, Investigation Underway | An Afghan military plane has crashed inside Uzbekistan, the Central Asian country’s defense ministry said Monday, confirming earlier reports. Read more

UNSC Meet on Afghanistan Today | lndia will invite secratary general Antonio Gurerres to brief the UN Security council on the developments in Afghanistan. After the briefing, the floor will be open to members to make their statements. Countries will voice individually their concern. A resolution or a Presidential statement (as an outcome document) is unlikely. 

IAF Plane Lands in Afghanistan's Kabul to Bring Back Stranded Indians, Including Embassy Staff | The Indian Air Force (IAF) has operated a special flight which just landed in Afghanistan’s Kabul to evacuate stranded Indians, including embassy staff and their families. Kabul has been gripped by fear and panic after Taliban fighters entered the Afghan capital city on Sunday. People familiar with the development said the government will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation. Read more

Afghanistan News: Joe Biden 'Stands By' His Decision | U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the failure of the Afghan military is to blame for the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan.

‣ Sullivan said Monday that President Joe Biden didn’t want the U.S. to enter a “third decade of conflict” in Afghanistan and believed it was time for the Afghan army to defend the country two decades after billions of dollars of investment and training by the U.S. But Sullivan said, “we could not give them the will and ultimately they decided that they would not fight for Kabul.”

‣ He added that the “worst-case scenario” for the U.S. would be to send thousands of troops to fight in a civil war when the Afghan army “wasn’t prepared to fight itself."

‣ Sullivan says Biden faced “bad choices” on the subject. The president ultimately opted to bring U.S. troops home and leave the Afghans to fight for themselves. He says “it’s heartbreaking” to see what’s happening in Kabul but that Biden “stands by” his decision. Sullivan spoke Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today.”

5 Dead in Kabul Airport Chaos, People Fall off Flying Plane: Desperate Scenes as Afghans Try to Flee Taliban | Key Points

Five people were killed in chaos at Kabul airport on Monday, and videos emerged of people dropping from the skies, and some clinging to flight wings as people tried to desperately flee a day after…

China Says Ready for 'Friendly Relations' with Taliban as Hardliners Wrest Afghanistan

China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.

Afghanistan Taliban News: Indian Air Force Flight Lands in Kabul | A special flight operated by the Indian Air Force just landed in Kabul to bring back stranded Indians, including embassy staff, the Hindustan Times has reported. Even though civilian flights are prohibited in Afghanistan, US forces stationed at the Kabul airport continue to assist in military evacuations.

Afghanistan News: Kabul's Former 'Green Zone' Abandoned | Kabul's former diplomatic quarter fell silent on Monday as foreign missions were moved to the airport, leaving Taliban patrols in control of the fortified zone of concrete blast walls and checkpoints known as the Green Zone. With police and security contractors who once guarded the embassies in the Wazir Akbar Khan district now gone, some motorists were forced to get out of their cars and lift security barriers themselves before driving through.

Stocks Mostly Down as China Recovery Weakens, on Afghan Fallout | Stock markets mostly retreated on Monday as weak Chinese economic data, fears of a resurgent coronavirus and the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan gnawed at investor sentiment. Europe's main equity indices were lower after widespread falls across Asia. Oil prices were down more than 1.0 percent, while the dollar mostly firmed against its main rivals.