Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis Highlights: The Taliban urge Afghans to stay to help rebuild their country, according to the Islamist group's main spokesman, expecting foreign evacuations from Kabul to be completed by the end of August. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ghani fled the country, bringing an unprecedented end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the war-ravaged nation. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of residents of Kabul. In a recent development, the Taliban has issued the first 'fatwa' after its swift takeover of Afghanistan last week, in which their officials in the restive Herat province have banned co-education in government and private universities. Days after vowing to respect women's rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban have described co-education as the 'root of all evils in society'. Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar has arrived in Kabul for talks with other leaders to hammer out a new Afghan government, according to a Taliban official. The official said that the group planned to ready a new model for governing Afghanistan within the next few weeks, with separate teams to tackle internal security and financial issues. "Experts from the former government will be brought in for crisis management," he told news agency Reuters.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Harsimrat seeks changes in CAA for 'rehabilitation' of Sikhs, Hindus from Afghanistan
Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday urged the Centre to make changes in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to facilitate the rehabilitation of Sikhs and Hindus coming from war-torn Afghanistan to India. She also said the holy books of the Sikh faith there should be brought to India safely. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban agree to let Afghans leave after August 31 deadline: German envoy
The Taliban will continue to allow Afghans who have the right documents to leave Afghanistan after the United States' withdrawal deadline on August 31, Germany's ambassador to Afghanistan said Wednesday.
Markus Potzel said on Twitter he had met with Taliban deputy chief negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who had "assured me that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights after 31 August". (AFP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 4 Russian planes sent to Kabul to evacuate 500
The Russian Defence Ministry says four planes sent to evacuate more than 500 people from Afghanistan have taken off from Kabul and are en route to Russia. The Defence Ministry said Wednesday the planes would carry the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul. The flights marked the first such airlift for Russia since evacuations from Kabul began.
Teams of medical workers are present on each plane to provide assistance to the evacuees if necessary. The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban asked Turkey for support to run Kabul airport, claim Turkish officials
The Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara's military also withdraw fully by the end-August deadline, two Turkish officials told Reuters.
The conditional request by the Islamist Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S. invasion, leaves Ankara with a difficult decision over whether to accept a hazardous job, one official said.
Mainly Muslim Turkey was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan and still has hundreds of troops at Kabul airport. The officials say they are ready to withdraw at short notice. But President Tayyip Erdogan's government has said for months that it could keep a presence at the airport if requested. After the Taliban seized control of the country Turkey offered technical and security assistance at the airport.
"The Taliban have made a request for technical support in running Kabul airport," a senior Turkish official said, adding however that the Taliban demand for all Turkish troops to leave would complicate any prospective mission. "Ensuring the safety of workers without the Turkish Armed Forces is a risky job," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Reuters
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Mexico receives fleeing Afghan media workers including from NY Times
Mexico received 124 media workers and their family members from Afghanistan, including New York Times journalists, the government said on Wednesday, as people flee after the Taliban militant group's takeover.
They arrived at Mexico City's international airport early on Wednesday morning, where Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard waited to greet them.
"Mexico has decided to support human rights applications for refuge, asylum and humanitarian visas for people in Afghanistan who have asked to have this humanitarian condition," Ebrard said. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban appoint senior veterans to key ministerial posts: Report
Afghanistan's Taliban have appointed senior veterans to the posts of finance minister and defence minister, two members of the group said, as it switches focus from a stunning military conquest to how to run a country in crisis.
The movement's unexpectedly swift victory has left it struggling to govern, and alongside established Taliban names at the top, it has turned to several lower-level administrators to keep Kabul running.
The Taliban have not formally announced the appointments, which a commander said were provisional, but Afghanistan's Pajhwok news agency said on Tuesday that Gul Agha had been named as finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim acting interior minister.Former Guantanamo detainee Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir was named acting defence minister, Al Jazeera news channel reported, citing a Taliban source.
Reuters
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Muslim League MLA in Kerala gets death threat for anti-Taliban post
Senior Muslim League MLA and former Kerala minister M K Muneer on Wednesday received an anonymous threat letter for posting on the social media a message against the brutality allegedly committed by the Taliban against the people of Afghanistan. Muneer said the letter he received this morning said that if he failed to withdraw the anti-Taliban post from his Facebook page in 24 hours, he and his family would be eliminated. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Germany to help Afghans seeking to leave beyond August 31 deadline: Angela Merkel
Germany will try to help Afghans who worked with its soldiers and aid organisations and wish to leave Afghanistan even after an Aug. 31 deadline to end a U.S.-led military evacuation operation, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.
"The end of the air bridge in a few days must not mean the end of efforts to protect Afghan helpers and help those Afghans who have been left in a bigger emergency with the takeover of the Taliban," Merkel told the German parliament.
"That's why we are working intensively at all levels to find how we can protect those who helped us, including through the civilian operation of the airport in Kabul," she added. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | China, Taliban hold their first dialogue in Kabul
China has established its first diplomatic contact with the Taliban in Kabul after the militant group tookcontrol of Afghanistan and the two sides now have "unimpeded and effective communication", a Chinese official said on Wednesday.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. "China and the Afghan Taliban have unimpeded and effective communication and consultation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here when asked about the talks between the deputy head of the Taliban's political office Abdul Salam Hanafi and Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Poland says it has halted airlift evacuations from Afghanistan, citing safety fears, as America's Aug. 31 deadline looms
Poland says it has halted airlift evacuations from Afghanistan, citing safety fears, as America's Aug. 31 deadline looms, news agency AP reported. Meanwhile,British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Wednesday that the deadline for evacuating people from Afghanistan was up to the last minute of this month.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UN sees massive drop in COVID vaccinations in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover
In the first week following the Taliban conquest of Kabul, COVID-19 vaccinations in Afghanistan have dropped by 80%, the U.N. agency UNICEF said, warning that half of the few doses delivered to the country so far are close to expiry.
The Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital on Aug. 15, having already captured most of the country earlier in the month after the United States decided to withdraw military forces after 20 years of war.
Since the Taliban takeover "there's been an 80% drop in people reached with COVID-19 vaccines," a spokesperson for UNICEF told Reuters. Read full report.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Any possible terror activity flowing out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan will be firmly dealt with: CDS Gen Rawat
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat asserts that any possible terrorist activity flowing out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and finding its way into India will be firmly dealt with, news agency PTI reported.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UK says deadline for Afghanistan evacuation is to the last minute of August 31
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Wednesday that the deadline for evacuating people from Afghanistan was up to the last minute of this month.
Raab was asked after a White House spokesperson said at a briefing on Tuesday they needed to check if the deadline for evacuations was up to the last minute of August30 or August31.
"We think it goes until the end of August, but the military planners will firm up the details for the precise time frame," Raab told BBC TV. Raab said Britain hoped there would be a functioning airport in Kabul after the evacuations end. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 51 evacuees from Afghanistan arrive in Uganda at US request
Uganda's government said that 51 people evacuated from Afghanistan arrived Wednesday in the East African country at the request of the United States.
Authorities said in a statement that the group, transported to Uganda on a chartered flight, arrived early Wednesday. The statement said they included men, women and children. No further details were immediately given on the evacuees' identities.
Ugandan officials said last week that the country would shelter up to 2,000 people fleeing the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. They said the Afghans would be brought to Uganda in small groups in a temporary arrangement before they are relocated elsewhere. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Russia preparing evacuation of 500 from Kabul
Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan - its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began. The Defense Ministry said today that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul. Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention. The evacuations will be carried out upon orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry noted. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UK says deadline for Afghanistan evacuation is to the last minute of August 31
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said today that the deadline for evacuating people from Afghanistan was up to the last minute of August. Raab was asked after a White House spokesperson said at a briefing on Tuesday they needed to check if the deadline for evacuations was up to the last minute of Aug. 30 or Aug. 31. "We think it goes until the end of August, but the military planners will firm up the details for the precise time frame," Raab told BBC TV. Raab said Britain hoped there would be a functioning airport in Kabul after the evacuations end. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
India has evacuated all its embassy staff and several hundred Indians staying in Afghanistan. New Delhi has also evacuated many Afghans, including two MPs, Hindus and Sikhs who faced threats from the Taliban. The Taliban have already enforced their rule over the capital of five million people after a lightning advance across the country that took just over a week to dethrone the country's Western-backed government in mid-August.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introduction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-Visa, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said.
"Keeping in view some reports that certain passports of Afghan nationals have been misplaced, previously issued visas to all Afghan nationals, who are presently not in India, stand invalidated with immediate effect. Afghan nationals wishing to travel to India may apply for e-Visa at
www.indianvisaonline.gov.in," it said.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
US President Joe Biden has said that he aims to have all US forces out of Afghanistan by August 31, ending a massive two-week airlift from the country at the risk of leaving potential evacuees behind.
Why is August 31 the date for the US pullout from Afghanistan?
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghans race to flee Taliban after Biden confirms airlift deadline
Afghan faced an increasingly desperate race to escape life under the Taliban after President Joe Biden confirmed US-led evacuations will end next week. More than 70,000 people have already been evacuated, but huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of reprisals and repression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Biden has said that the United States would stick to his August 31 deadline to completely withdraw its troops despite warnings from European allies that not all vulnerable Afghans would able to leave by then. "The sooner we can finish, the better... each day of operations brings added risk to our troops," Biden said yesterday. (AFP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | More Afghan students registered at Mangalore varsity, arrival uncertain
While Afghanistan is on the boil with the country's take over by the Taliban, the number of students registered for various courses offered by Mangalore University for the next academic year has seen a steady rise. However, it is not clear whether the students already enrolled at the university can make it to the campus on time considering the volatile situation in the country, sources at the university said. A total of 156 applications from among 350 applicants have already been finalised for registration at the university this year, Vice Chancellor PS Yadapathithaya said. Among them, 14 students have registered for PhD, 111 for post graduate and 31 for under graduate courses. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Russia to evacuate more than 500 citizens from Afghanistan: Report
Russia will use four military transport aircraft to evacuate more than 500 citizens from Afghanistan, Interfax news agency reported today, citing Russian Defence Ministry. "On August 25, by order from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defence Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu organised the evacuation by military transport aircraft of over 500 citizens of the Russian Federation, CSTO member states (Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and Ukraine from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," Interfax cited the ministry's statement. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Doing everything in power to ensure your safety, well-being: Guterres to UN personnel in Afghanistan
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he shares the concern, anxiety and pain of the United Nations personnel in Afghanistan, asserting that the world organisation is doing everything in its power to ensure their safety and well-being. Guterres, in a video message to UN personnel in war-torn Afghanistan yesterday, said that they have our full support and solidarity. "I want to personally thank you for everything you are doing to support the Afghan people in this time of crisis. I speak for the entire United Nations family when I say, we are all deeply grateful to you for your service, in particular the Afghan national colleagues. You represent the best of the values of the United Nations," he said. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghanistan faces humanitarian crisis as airlift deadline looms
Afghanistan's neighbours should open their land borders to allow more people to leave, a NATO country diplomat said today, as aid agencies warned of a looming humanitarian crisis under the new Taliban rulers. "Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan should be pulling out more people using either air or land routes. It's vital air and land routes are used at a very fast pace," the Kabul-based diplomat told Reuters.
The risk of starvation, disease and persecution rises for the millions who will be left behind after a chaotic exodus from Kabul airport ends, the aid agencies said. US President Joe Biden has said the United States is on pace to finish evacuations by August31, but left open the chance of extending the deadline.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
With several evacuees testing positive for COVID-19, the Centre on August 24 issued a memorandum mandating 14-day institutional quarantine for those flying into Delhi from Afghanistan. People arriving from Afghanistan will be taken to the ITBP Chhawla Camp in Delhi for mandatory quarantine and those testing positive will be shifted to dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, ITBP said.
Read more | All Afghanistan evacuees to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine in Delhi: Centre
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghan citizens evacuated to Italy will be vaccinated
Italy will offer Afghan citizens evacuated to Italy from their homeland the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Premier Mario Draghi's office said yesterday that he has asked the Italian army general in charge of the national vaccination program to work out a plan so evacuees of recent days can receive the vaccine. If they want a vaccine they will receive them at locations around the country. Right after they arrive in Italy, evacuees are issued humanitarian visas and are tested for COVID-19. Earlier in the day, Italian ministers told lawmakers that 2,659 Afghans have already reached Italy, and nearly 1,100 more were at Kabul airport awaiting Italian flights. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Completion of August 31 deadline for Afghan evacuation mission depends on Taliban cooperation: Joe Biden
President Joe Biden has said the US is on "a pace" to complete its evacuation mission in Afghanistan by August 31 and doesn't plan to have troops in the country past that date, but the completion of the deadline depends on cooperation from the Taliban. The US has currently approximately 5,800 troops at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. We are currently on a pace to finish (the evacuation mission) by August 31. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops, Biden told reporters at the White House yesterday. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 2 US Congress members fly to Kabul amid choatic evacuation
Two members of US Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the ongoing chaotic evacuation yesterday, stunning State Department and US military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers, American officials said. Officials said Rep. Seth Moulton and Rep. Peter Meijer flew in on a charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours. Officials said the two men were flying out of Kabul on another charter aircraft, prompting officials to complain that they were taking seats that could have gone to other Americans or Afghans fleeing the country. Two officials familiar with the flight said that State Department, Defence Department and White House officials were furious about the incident because it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban appoints former Guantanamo detainee as acting defense minister: Report
Afghanistan's Taliban has appointed former Guantanamo detainee mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir as acting defense minister, Qatari based Al Jazeera news channel has reported, citing a source in the Islamist movement. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Mexico welcomes arrival of its first group of Afghan refugees
Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan yesterday as five women and one man arrived in Mexico City. They were welcomed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who told the group, Welcome to your home. The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | White House expects some Afghans to have access to airport, contradicting Taliban
The Biden administration expects that some Afghans who qualify for special visas will not be barred from going to Kabul airport to evacuate in coming days, despite a Taliban statement to the contrary, press secretary Jen Psaki has said. A Taliban spokesman said yesterday that the group wants the United States to stop encouraging Afghans to leave and to stop taking Afghan experts out of Afghanistan. The White House said that was not the Biden administration's understanding of the situation. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | German military sees rising risk of suicide attacks in Kabul
There is an increasing risk of suicide attacks by Islamic State (IS) fighters entering Kabul, a German general said yesterday, as Western countries scrambled to evacuate their citizens and local staff before an August 31 deadline. "The security situation continues to deteriorate," Germany's Chief of Defence Eberhard Zorn told reporters in Berlin.
"We are getting signals from American sources as well as our own assessments that an increasing number of suicide attackers from the IS are seeping into Kabul," he said, referring to this as one of the greatest risks at the moment. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban take over some UN premises, curb movement: UN report
Taliban fighters have taken over some UN compounds in Afghanistan, searching and ransacking offices and in one case demanding the guards provide meals for a commander and his men, according to an internal UN report seen by Reuters. "We have also been advised by the Taliban to remain in our compound 'for our safety' which equates to 'ask permission before thinking about leaving'," the Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) wrote in the August 21 risk assessment report. It said the Taliban has been inconsistent in dealing with United Nations staff and that some Afghan personnel had been prevented from entering some UN premises.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UK PM Boris Johnson says G7 agreed Taliban must allow departures after August 31
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday that the G7 had agreed a plan to deal with the Taliban, with the first condition being that militants must allow safe passage to Afghans wanting to leave the country even after an August 31 deadline. "What we've done today, the G7, is we've ... agreed not just a joint approach to dealing with the evacuation, but also a road map for the way in which we're going to engage with the Taliban," Johnson said after an emergency virtual meeting of the leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations.
"The No. 1 condition we're setting as G7 is that they've got to guarantee right the way through, through August 31 and beyond, safe passage for those who want to come out", he added. (Reuters)
Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol’s LIVE coverage of the Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis.
The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for the latest updates through the day.
