Afghanistan Taliban Crisis Highlights: The Taliban is returning to power in Kabul after a military advance across Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15 as the Islamist militants entered the city, bringing the Islamist militants close to taking over the country two decades after they were overthrown by a US-led invasion. Their advance accelerated as US and other foreign troops withdrew in line with President Joe Biden's decision to end America's longest war, launched after the September 11, 2001, attacks. 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. The spokesman for the Taliban's political office told Al Jazeera TV that the war in Afghanistan is over and that the type of rule and form of new regime will be clear soon. Speaking on the situation, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he is 'deeply concerned' about the situation in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to exercise utmost restraint.
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Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Dhaka 'carefully observing' Afghan situation; speculation on Bangla extremists joining Taliban
Bangladesh on Monday said it was "carefully observing" the developments in Afghanistan which may have an impact on the region and beyond, amid speculation by security experts here that some home-based extremists were trying to join the Taliban in the war-ravaged country.
The brutal war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on Kabul before entering the city and taking over the presidential palace, forcing embattled President Ashraf Ghani to join fellow citizens and foreigners to flee the country. "Bangladesh is carefully observing the fast evolving situation in Afghanistan, which we believe, may have an impact on the region and beyond," the foreign ministry said in a statement. (PTI)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UK's defense chief holds back tears amid Afghanistan chaos
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace held back tears Monday as he conceded that Britain was unlikely to be able to evacuate all its Afghan allies from Kabul. Wallace, who served as a captain in the Scots Guard before entering politics in the late 1990s, has in recent days voiced regret at the sudden seizure of Afghanistan by Taliban militants. He has openly worried about the potential return of al- Qaida and instability in Afghanistan and criticized the deal then-U.S. President Donald Trump signed with the Taliban in February 2020 that limited direct military action against the insurgents.
But it was during his morning media round on Monday, the day after Kabul fell, that Wallace briefly offered a glimpse into the strain he has been under. Speaking via webcam on LBC Radio, Wallace’s voice started shaking when he began describing his regret at Britain’s likely inability to get all eligible Afghans back to the U.K. in coming days.
“It is a really deep part of regret for me that some people won’t get back,” he said. “Some people won’t get back and we will have to do our best in third countries to process those people.”
AP
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghanistan must never again become a haven for terrorists, says China's envoy at UN
"For last 20 years, terrorist organizations such as Islamic State(ISIS) andAl-Qaeda have gathered anddeveloped in Afghanistan, posting a serious threat to int'ernational and regional peace and security. Afghanistan must never again become a haven for terrorists," said China's DeputyPermanent Representiveto UN, Geng Shuang.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 7 killed as people throng Kabul airport to flee Taliban rule in Afghanistan: Reports
At least seven people, including three Afghan nationals who clung to a US Air Force plane to escape Taliban rule, died on Monday in a melee at the Kabul airport, as hundreds of people scrambled to board flights in a desperate bid to get out of Afghanistan, following the toppling of the government led by President Ashraf Ghani. Taliban insurgents swept Kabul on Sunday 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. (PTI)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | US soldiers kill 2 armed men at Kabul airport: Pentagon
The soldiers of United States killed 2 armed men at Kabul airport, Pentagon said, according to news agency AFP.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Joe Biden to address the US on Afghan crisis
United States President Joe Biden, being widely criticised for the American troops departure from Afghanistan following a 20-year stay, will address the nation on the Afghan crisis at 19:45 GMT. The address comes a day after the insurgent Taliban took over Kabul, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation for neighbouring Tajikistan.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | India in touch with Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, will bring them if they wish to: MEA
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.
"The situation in Afghanistan is being monitored on a constant basis at high levels. The government will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan," Bagchi said. Capping its month-long rapid advances, the Taliban took positions in Kabul on Sunday evening hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left for an unknown destination, paving the way the takeover of the capital as well as the country.
"The security situation in Kabul has deteriorated significantly in the last few days. It is changing rapidly even as we speak," Bagchi said. He said there are a number of Afghans who have been India's partners in the promotion of mutual developmental, educational and people-to-people endeavours and India will stand by them.
"We have been issuing periodic advisories for the safety and security of Indian nationals in that country, including calling for their immediate return to India," he said. "We had circulated emergency contact numbers and had also been extending assistance to community members. We are aware that there are still some Indian nationals in Afghanistan who wish to return and we are in touch with them," Bagchi added.
PTI
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | MSF continuing to work in Taliban-held areas
Doctors Without Borders says its operations across Afghanistan have not been affected by the recent developments in Kabul. While many foreigners have fled the country, the group known by its French initials, MSF continues to have some international staff on the ground. It also has more than 2,300 Afghan colleagues spread out across five Taliban-held provinces: Kandahar, Herat, Kunduz, Khost and Helmand. While many foreigners have fled the country, the group known by its French initials, MSF continues to have some international staff on the ground. It also has more than 2,300 Afghan colleagues spread out across five Taliban-held provinces: Kandahar, Herat, Kunduz, Khost and Helmand.
Filipe Ribeiro, MSF's country representative in Afghanistan, told The Associated Press that the group's female medical practitioners in these provinces have resumed work and were already veiled or in the sky-blue burqas before the Taliban takeover, in line with local norms and customs. We do not face any impediments with regards to female staff coming to work, he said, referring to MSF-run projects in those provinces. We do not face any impediments with regards to female staff coming to work, he said, referring to MSF-run projects in those provinces.
AP
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Saudi Arabia calls on Taliban to preserve lives, property
Saudi Arabia called on the Taliban and "all Afghan parties" on Monday to preserve lives and property, after the insurgents seized the capital Kabul.
A statement issued by the Saudi foreign ministry on Twitter added that the kingdom "stands with the choices that the Afghan people make without any interference," expressing hope that the situation in the central Asian state stabilises as soon as possible.
Reuters
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | I had to run, else Taliban would have killed me: Afghan intel officer who took last flight to Delhi
"I had to run, else the Taliban would have killed me. Everything ends here. I could not bring my family along," Afghan intelligence officer Asif said in broken Hindi as tears welled up in his eyes, hours after he landed in Delhi.
The 41-year-old officer took the last commercial flight from Kabul to Delhi on Sunday to escape "certain death", leaving behind his ailing mother, wife and an eight-year-old son. A compatriot helped Asif find a modest accommodation -- a small room, attached bathroom and a marble slab with a sink that he called kitchen -- in Lajpat Nagar for Rs 500 a day.
His hands trembled and lips quivered as he took out his passport, an NDS identity card and photographs of his family from his bag. "The Taliban are catching us, killing us. They sent us notices, asking us to revolt against the government or die. We lost hope after (President Ashraf) Ghani fled (the country). Hundreds of officers from the security establishment have fled to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries, he said, as beads of sweat trickled down from his forehead.
PTI
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 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 last for a very long time.
The remarks, made at a closed-door meeting of her Christian Democrat party on Monday and relayed by meeting participants, reflect growing concern about bloodshed in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized the capital and proclaimed peace.
"We are witnessing difficult times," Merkel said. "Now we must focus on the rescue mission."
Merkel said those needing evacuation included 2,500 Afghan support staff as well as human rights activists, lawyers and others whom the government sees as being at risk if they remained in the country, up to 10,000 altogether.
Reuters
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | EU to hold meeting on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan
European Union foreign ministers will hold a crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the bloc said on Monday, as countries race to evacuate citizens and local staff from a chaotic Kabul airport.
Five people were killed at the airport, witnesses said, as people tried to flee a day after Taliban insurgents seized the Afghan capital and declared the war against foreign and local forces over.
"Following latest developments in Afghanistan, and after intense contacts with partners in the past days and hours, I decided to convene an extraordinary VTC (video conference) of EU foreign ministers tomorrow afternoon for a first assessment," the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter. "Afghanistan stands at a crossroads. Security and wellbeing of its citizens, as well as international security are at play."
The European Union is also working with member states to find quick solutions for the relocation of local Afghan staff and their families to a safe place.
Reuters
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | India wants peace all over world, says Union MoS Meenakshi Lekhi
India wants peace all over the world, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said on Monday over developments in neighbouring Afghanistan. The newly-inducted minister of state was addressing mediapersons after taking part in ''Jan Ashirvad Yatra'' in her constituency here.
In reply to a question over Afghanistan, Lekhi, who is also New Delhi MP, said, "India wishes peace all over the world." (PTI)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghan military plane crashes in Uzbekistan, claims report
An Afghan military jet has crashed after crossing the border into Uzbekistan and its pilot ejected and survived, the Uzbek defence ministry was quoted as saying on Monday, Reuters reported citing Russia's RIA news agency.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban love and support cricket, I don't see game suffering under their rule: ACB CEO
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.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Biden team surprised by rapid Taliban gains in Afghanistan
President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials have been stunned by the pace of the Taliban's nearly complete takeover of Afghanistan, as the planned withdrawal of American forces urgently became a mission to ensure a safe evacuation. The speed of the Afghan government's collapse and the ensuing chaos posed the most serious test of Biden as commander in chief, and he was the subject of withering criticism from Republicans who said that he had failed.
Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in international relations and has spent months downplaying the prospect of an ascendant Taliban while arguing that Americans of all political persuasions have tired of a 20-year war, a conflict that demonstrated the limits of money and military might to force a Western-style democracy on a society not ready or willing to embrace it.
By Sunday, though, leading figures in the administration acknowledged they were caught off guard with the utter speed of the collapse of Afghan security forces. The challenge of that effort became clear after reports of sporadic gunfire at the Kabul airport prompted Americans to shelter as they awaited flights to safety after the U.S. Embassy was completely evacuated.
"We've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated,"Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN, referring to the Afghan military.
AP
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 'Deeply worried' for women, minorities as Taliban control Afghanistan: Malala
Shocked at the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, Pakistani activist and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has said she is "deeply worried" for women, minorities and human rights advocates living in the strife-torn country. The 24-year-old rights activist, who was shot in the head by Taliban militants in 2012 in Pakistan's Swat region for her campaign for the education of girls, urged global and regional powers to call for an immediate ceasefire and provide help to civilians in Afghanistan.
"We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates," she tweeted on Sunday. "Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians," wrote Malala, who now lives in the UK.
PTI
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Over 200 Indians including Foreign Ministry staff in Kabul yet to be evacuated, claims report
More than 200 Indian nationals including staff of the External Affairs Ministry are yet to be evacauted from Kabul, NDTV reported citing sources. The claim was yet to be verified from official sources.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Russia in contact with Taliban via embassy in Kabul
Russia is in contact with Taliban officials via its embassy in Kabul, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan said on Monday, a day after the Afghan government collapsed and the capital fell to the Islamist insurgent group.
"They are talking in Kabul. All contacts are being made there at the moment. The embassy is dealing with this," the representative, Zamir Kabulov, told Reuters by telephone in an interview. The contact began when the Taliban deployed guards to the Russian embassy after the insurgents captured Kabul.
"It went absolutely calmly amd without incident. They (the Taliban) came and took it (the embassy) under guard," he said. "Our embassy will stay in contact with specially assigned representatives of the Taliban higher leadership to work out a permanent mechanism of ensuring safety of our embassy," he said.
Reuters
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Five killed at chaotic Afghan airport as Taliban proclaim peace
Five people were killed in chaos at Kabul airport on Monday, witnesses said, as U.S. troops guarded the evacuation of embassy staff a day after the Taliban seized the Afghan capital and declared the war was over and peace prevailed.
It was not immediately clear how the victims died. A U.S. official said troops had fired in the air to deter people trying to force their way onto a military flight that was set to take U.S diplomats and embassy staff out of the fallen city.
One witness, waiting for a flight out for more than 20 hours, said it was unclear if the five had been shot or killed in a stampede. U.S. officials at the airport were not immediately available for a comment.
Reuters
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Farzana Kochai, who was serving as an MP, describes the situation now in Kabul to BBC, saying the people were visibly frightened. "I don't know how to measure the [threat], fear that they have in their hearts, every one of them. They face a situation they can't believe is happening and they think: 'Where [do] we go, what to do?'
"Everyone is facing [the same] and here they think 'we might lose our lives' right just now because no-one is in charge of what's happening," she was quoted as saying.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | China says ready for 'friendly relations' with Taliban
China has said that it is willing to develop "friendly relations" with the Taliban after the Islamist hardliners seized control of Afghanistan. "China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop... friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has told reporters. (AFP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | International community must remain engaged with Kabul, says Pakistan FM
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the international community must remain engaged with Afghanistan, asserting that Islamabad will continue to play a facilitative role to bring political settlement in the war-torn neighbouring country, which has been taken over by the Taliban in a sudden and unprecedented collapse of the government. Taliban swept Kabul yesterday after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ashraf 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. (PTI)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, the Congress on Monday asked the Modi government to wake up from its slumber and protect Indians in the strife-torn country. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the situation in Afghanistan is extremely alarming and India’s strategic interests are at stake, but the government has not put in place any plan to evacuate its citizens there which is a gross abdication of duty.
Modi government’s refusal to set in motion a well thought out plan to evacuate our citizens is a gross abdication of its duty and is totally unacceptable.
Read more | Congress says no plan in place to evacuate Indians from Afghanistan, calls it gross abdication of duty
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Air India'sAI-126 Chicago-Delhi flight that was diverted to Sharjah for refuelling due to closure of Afghan airspace has landed now. AI-174 San Francisco-Delhi will also land at Sharjah approximately in an hour. (ANI)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Pakistan's state airline halts flights to Kabul
Pakistan's state-run airline has said that it has halted all flights to Afghanistan's capital of Kabul because of the uncertain security situation there. Spokesman Abdullah Hafeez has said today that Pakistan International Airlines decided to protect passengers, the crew and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities. He spoke as embassies scrambled to evacuate personnel and Afghan employees through the airport. (AP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
The national carrier Air India on August 16 said that it cannot operate its scheduled Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight as all commercial flights from Kabul have been cancelled following the closure of Afghanistan airspace. An Air India aircraft tasked to fly to Afghanistan to bring out people will no longer be able to go, after visuals showed chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport as thousands were looking for a way out.
Read more | Air India can't operate flights to Kabul as Afghanistan airspace closed
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
How did Kabul fall in the blink of an eye, what are the potential ramifications of the rebirth of an Islamic Emirate for India, what does this mean for the world order, and other vital questions answered.
Read here | What the Taliban victory in Afghanistan means for India and the world, explained
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Italy evacuates staff, Afghan workers from Kabul
Italy has evacuated 70 embassy staff and Afghan employees from the capital city of Kabul. The plane was scheduled to arrive in Rome today. Video taken at Kabul's international airport and released by the Italian Defence Ministry shows people walking up a mobile staircase to board the plane in darkness. The evacuation is part of Italy's Operation Aquila Omnia (Eagle Ready for Anything) to quickly evacuate Italian diplomatic staff, citizens,Afghan employees and family members. Italy had one of the largest contingents in Afghanistan before the pullout. (AP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Russia will evacuate some embassy staff in Afghanistan, says official
Russia will evacuate some of its Afghanistan embassy's roughly 100 staff, Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan, has told the Ekho Moskvy radio station today.
The official has also said that Russia's ambassador in Afghanistan would meet with a Taliban representative tomorrow and discuss security for its diplomatic mission there, the Interfax news agency reported. (Reuters)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | JUST IN:
At least five people have been killed in Kabul airport as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses told Reuters.
One witness said he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another witness said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede.
US troops, who are in charge of the airport, earlier fired in the air to scatter the crowd, a US official said.
Officials were not immediately available to comment on the deaths.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani prided himself on being one of the foremost global experts on failed states, only to watch his administration collapse. He was elected in 2014 on promises to remake Afghanistan. But the 72-year-old may ultimately be remembered for making little headway against the deep-rooted government corruption that likely underwrote his demise.
He fled the country yesterday, saying he had done so to prevent a "flood of bloodshed", as the Taliban reached Kabul after an astonishing rout of government forces.
Read more | The rise and fall of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
In 2020, the area under opium cultivation expanded to 2,24,000 hectares from 1,63,000 hectares - overwhelmingly in areas under Taliban control. The dramatic expansion in the Taliban’s territorial control is likely to see further institutionalisation of these operations, as the Emirate seeks to contain the likely cutbacks in foreign aid and trade.
For India, this will have several consequences. Islamist terror groups targeting the country—from groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba to the Islamic State—will likely have access to new sources of funding, outside the gaze of institutions like the Financial Action Task Force. Flows of narcotics into India, moreover, may increase, as cartels seek new markets fed by growing acreage.
Read more | A new narco-state is blossoming in Afghanistan under the Taliban
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban report no clashes in Afghanistan day after they capture Kabul
Taliban officials has said today that they had received no reports of any clashes from across the country a day after the militants seized the capital, Kabul, and the US-backed government collapsed. "The situation is peaceful, as per our reports," one of the senior members of the Taliban said. They declined to be identified. (Reuters)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | France to begin Kabul airlift by this evening
France will evacuate its first nationals from the fallen Afghan capital Kabul to a base in the United Arab Emirates by this evening, defence minister Florence Parly said. "We are planning to carry out the first rotation between now and the end of this Monday," Parly said on France Info radio, adding there were several dozens of French citizens to be evacuated along "with people under our protection." (AFP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | First Czech flight evacuates personnel from Kabul
The first Czech evacuation flight has taken off from Kabuls international airport and landed in Prague. Prime Minister Andrej Babis said 46 people were on board today's flight.They included Czech nationals, the Afghan staffers at the Czech embassy and Afghan interpreters who helped the Czech armed forces during NATO missions together with their families. (AP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | JUST IN: Air India flight to Kabul can't operate as Afghan airspace closed, says airline
Due to the closure of Afghanistan airspace flights can't operate, Air India confirms to news agency ANI
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban seek to project calm as US speeds chaotic evacuation
The US military has taken over Afghanistan's airspace today as it struggled to manage a chaotic evacuation after the Taliban rolled into the capital, as the militants tried to project calm amid widespread fears of unrest. The Taliban swept into the capital on Sunday after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing a stunning end to a two-decade campaign in which the USand its allies had tried to transform the country. Thousands of Afghans, fearing a return to the Taliban's brutal rule, are trying to flee the country through Hamid Karzai International Airport. Videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of people racing across the tarmac as US soldiers fired warning shots in the air. (AP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | South Korea temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul
South Korea's Foreign Ministry has said that it has temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul and evacuated most of its staff to an unspecified third country in the Middle East. The ministry said a few diplomats, including Ambassador Choi Taeho, remain at a safe location in Afghanistan to support the evacuation of a South Korean national in the country and that the Seoul government is closely working with the United States and other countries to ensure their safe evacuation. Afghanistan has been on South Korea's travel ban list since 2007. There were reportedly around five South Koreans living in Afghanistan before the Seoul government in June called for all of them to leave the country within 10 days as the United States and NATO proceeded with troop pullouts. (AP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Kabul airport closed for commercial flights as military evacuations continue
Senior US military officials say Kabul's international airport has been closed for commercial flights as military evacuations continue. The suspension of commercial flights cuts off one of the last avenues to escape the country for Afghans fearful of Taliban rule. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The Taliban captured most of the country in a matter of days and swept into the capital yesterday. (AP)
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Who is Afghan president Ashraf Ghani?
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani is now believed to be in Uzbekistan after leaving the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday to the insurgent Taliban fighters, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Reuters reports the 72-year-old had become an increasingly isolated figure who had an uneasy relationship with the West.
A trained anthropologist, Ghani holds a doctorate from New York City’s Columbia University. He spent almost a quarter of a century outside Afghanistan during the tumultuous decades of Soviet rule, civil war and the Taliban’s years in power.
During that period, he worked as an academic in the US and later with the World Bank and the UN across East and South Asia. His road to the presidency was hard-fought but was twice elected to the top job. Ghani took over from Hamid Karzai in 2014 and oversaw the conclusion of the US combat mission. He made the effort to end decades of war a priority, despite continuing attacks on his government and security forces by the Taliban, and began peace talks with the insurgents in 2020.
He promised to fight rampant corruption, fix a crippled economy and transform the country into a regional trade hub - but was unable to deliver on most of those promises. Ghani’s relationship with Washington and other Western capitals was uneasy.
He was a vocal critic of what he termed wasted international aid in Afghanistan and often did not see eye to eye with the West’s Afghan strategy, particularly as it looked to fast-track a slow and painful peace process with the Taliban.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | US troops fire warning shots at Kabul airport to push back crowds
US troops have fired shots into the air at Kabul airport today as thousands of Afghans crowded onto the tarmac in the hope of catching a flight out of the country after the Taliban takeover of the country. "I feel very scared here. They are firing lots of shots into the air," a witness told news agency AFP.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
A young woman in Afghanistan has described the current situation in its capital Kabul. "Woke up to shoutings and gunfires in our doorstep. so called Mujahideen (thieves) went home by home and took away people’s cars and belongings. As they heard Taliban are on their to our area, they ran away. The chaos just began," she has tweeted.
The Taliban, which has taken over the country, is saying that it has ordered its fighters to leave Afghan civilians alone.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |The Taliban emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan, following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. They quickly extended their influence, capturing various provinces - and eventually the Afghan capital of Kabul in 1996. By 1998, they were in control of almost 90 percent of Afghanistan.
They introduced or supported punishments in line with their strict interpretation of Sharia law. Men were required to grow beards and women had to wear the all-covering burka. They also banned television, music and cinema, and disapproved of girls aged 10 and over going to school. But the world really only took notice in 2001 when the Taliban were accused of providing a sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda movement. This led to a US-military coalition attack.
Afghanistan Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
The central government of India has told Air India to put two aircraft on standby for emergency evacuations from Kabul. Air India has prepared a set crew for emergency operations from Kabul to New Delhi, reported news agency ANI citing government sources
