The U.S. has evacuated more than 3,200 people from Kabul after the Taliban insurgents seized the power in Afghanistan.
U.S. President Joe Biden and British prime minister Boris Johnson had a conversation with each other on the situation of Afghanistan and agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said.
Here are the latest developments:
National
'Sikhs from Kabul will be brought to India soon': Minister
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on August 17, said the Indian authorities are in touch with a group of Sikhs taking shelter in a gurudwara near Kabul in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of the country, and that they will be brought to India as soon as possible. Mr. Puri, who was approached by BJP MP Hans Raj Hans for help to the Sikhs, also discussed the issue with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
'Sikhs from Kabul will be brought to India soon': Minister
Andhra Pradesh
For Afghan women, it's a dreading rerun of a nightmare
After the Taliban completely took over Afghanistan a few days ago, shivers ran down the spines of lakhs of Afghans, especially women. The restrictions imposed on women by the Taliban during their rule over the country from 1996-2001 have resurfaced.
The young woman who has completed Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Osmania University and stays in Hyderabad, Telangana, heard about the strict curbs imposed on women through her family members. The fresh graduate fears the dark times will return.
For Afghan women, it's a dreading rerun of a nightmare
National
EAM Jaishankar discusses Afghan situation with U.N. chief Guterres
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on August 17, met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres here and discussed the situation in war-torn Afghanistan.
“Good to meet UN Secretary General @antonioguterres. Our discussions focused on Afghanistan, following upon the Security Council meeting yesterday,” Mr. Jaishankar said in a tweet.
“Significant UN Security Council discussions today on developments in Afghanistan. Expressed the concerns of the international community. Expect to discuss these during my engagements at the UN,” Mr. Jaishankar had tweeted on August 16.
EAM Jaishankar discusses Afghan situation with U.N. chief Guterres
National
Afghans in India | “Everything changed suddenly, silently”
People who arrived at the Embassy of Afghanistan on Tuesday for paperwork and other formalities, recounted how the situation in Kabul had taken a drastic turn for the worse over the last couple of days.
With family members and relatives still in Kabul, some said the common citizen was paying the price for trusting a government that ultimately “fled”.
For Mohammed, who reached the national capital from Kabul on August 8 with three of his family members, it had been a close shave. “When we left Kabul, the situation was not as bad and it started to deteriorate only a couple of days later. It just got worse by the day and people were scrambling to get visas. We do not know how all of it happened so suddenly and silently. For a long time, we thought maybe the Taliban won’t reach Kabul very soon,” said the 32-year-old.
Afghans in India | “Everything changed suddenly, silently”
International
U.S. lawmakers set hearing to probe events in Afghanistan
Members of the U.S. Congress, including many of President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, said on August 17, they were increasingly frustrated with events in Afghanistan, and they vowed to investigate what went wrong.
"The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past 20 years," Senator Bob Menendez,Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,said in a statement.
U.S. lawmakers set hearing to probe events in Afghanistan
international
Ex-U.S. President Bush says U.S. must quickly aid Afghan refugees
Former U.S. President George W. Bush, who launched a "war on terror" in Afghanistan and elsewhere following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, urged the U.S. government to expedite help for Afghan refugees following the Taliban's swift takeover in recent days.
"The United States government has the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises. And we have the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay," Bush and former first lady Laura Bush said in a statement late on August 16.
Ex-U.S. President Bush says U.S. must quickly aid Afghan refugees
U.S. probing deaths at plane takeoff in Kabul
The United States Air Force has said that its Office of Special Investigations is reviewing an incident at the Kabul airport on Monday, August 16, 2021, in which multiple people were killed when hundreds of Afghan civilians desperate to leave the country swarmed a C-17 cargo plane as it was attempting to take off.
The Air Force did not say how many people died. It said human remains were found in the plane's wheel well after it landed at al-Udeid Air Base in the Gulf state of Qatar.
U.S. probing deaths at plane takeoff in Kabul
International
US military evacuated more than 3,200 people so far from Kabul: White House
The U.S. has so far evacuated more than 3,200 people from Kabul, including 1,100 on Tuesday alone, the White House said, after the Taliban insurgents seized power in Afghanistan.
“Today, U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 1,100 U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and their families on 13 flights, 12 with C-17 sorties and one with a C-130. Now that we have established the flow, we expect those numbers to escalate,” a White House official said on Tuesday.
US military evacuated more than 3,200 people so far from Kabul: White House
International
Taliban promise women's rights, security under Islamic rule
The Taliban vowed on August 17, to respect women's rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists as part of a publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's longtime spokesman, promised the Taliban would honor women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law, without elaborating. The Taliban have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out Islamic headscarves at the door. A female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official on August 16 in a TV studio.
Taliban promise women's rights, security under Islamic rule
Joe Biden, Boris Johnson agree to hold G7 meeting on Afghan crisis
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on August 17, 2021, on the situation in Afghanistan and they agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said.
The two leaders "discussed the need for continued close oordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward, including ways the global community can provide further humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and other vulnerable Afghans," the White House said in a statement.
Joe Biden, Boris Johnson agree to hold G7 meeting on Afghan crisis
International
Taliban agree to allow civilian ‘’safe passage’’, says White House
The Taliban have agreed to allow “safe passage” from Afghanistan for civilians hoping to join a US-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on August 17, although a timetable for completing the evacuation of Americans, Afghan allies and possibly other civilians has yet to be worked out with the country’s new rulers.
Mr. Sullivan acknowledged reports that some civilians were encountering resistance, “being turned away or pushed back or even beaten”, as they tried to reach the Kabul international airport.
Pentagon officials said that after interruptions on Monday, the airlift was back on track and being accelerated despite weather problems, amid regular communication with Taliban leaders. Additional US troops arrived and more were on the way, with a total of more than 6,000 expected to be involved in securing the airport in coming days.
Taliban agree to allow civilian ‘’safe passage’’, says White House