2021-08-17 21:13:39
ISLAMABAD: "Great responsibility" rests on the Afghan leaders to work constructively together to lead Afghanistan on the path of sustainable peace, stability, and development, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Tuesday after the Taliban took over the country in a 10-day lightning offensive.
The premier's comments came during a meeting with a delegation of political leaders from Afghanistan, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.
"No other country is more desirous of peace and stability in Afghanistan than Pakistan," the premier told the delegation.
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2021-08-17 21:13:47
The "peaceful" transfer of power in Afghanistan is a welcome sign, Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said Tuesday, days after the Taliban took over the country and ousted President Ashraf Ghani.
Fawad — during a post-cabinet press briefing in Islamabad — said Pakistan was in contact with allied countries on the evolving situation in Afghanistan as Islamabad plays its role for lasting peace in Kabul.
"Pakistan will not take an isolated decision of accepting the Taliban government [...] we are in contact with other countries and will make a decision in line with the world powers," he said.
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2021-08-17 20:21:35
Mullah Baradar, the chief of the Taliban's political office, has arrived in Afghanistan's Kandahar province along with a delegation, the group's spokesperson said in a tweet.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the co-founders of the Taliban, now heads its political office and is part of the negotiating team that the group has in Doha, where talks on a ceasefire had been underway.
2021-08-17 18:52:04
A video appearing to show the Taliban overseeing the evacuation of foreign nationals towards the Kabul airport has surfaced.
2021-08-17 16:44:12
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the situation in Afghanistan.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who told reporters about the phone call at his news briefing, did not give any further details of the phone call.
"Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke today with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Qureshi discussed Afghanistan and the developing situation there," Price said.
2021-08-17 16:15:17
KABUL: A photo shows more than 600 Afghans -- women, men, children and the elderly -- sitting packed on the floor of a cavernous US military plane, part of a dramatic airlift hours after Kabul fell to the Taliban.
The now-viral image, obtained and posted by the respected military news site Defense One, was taken inside a US Air Force C-17 transport.
The Afghans crammed in the giant cargo hold on the Sunday night flight were among those approved for evacuation by US authorities, according to the site.
The US military said about 640 Afghans were on board.
But such a large number on one flight was not planned, a US official told Defense One -- many climbed onto the half-open ramp at the back of the plane in desperation.
"The crew made the decision to go" rather than force them out, the official said.
It came as Taliban fighters flooded the streets of Kabul, with panicked citizens rushing to the airport to try and find a flight out of Afghanistan.
"The unusually high number of passengers aboard this aircraft... was the result of a dynamic security environment that necessitated quick decision making by the crew," US Central Command spokesperson Karen Roxberry said in a statement.
It "ultimately ensured that these passengers were safely taken outside the country".
Among the people visible in the photo is a small child holding a feeding bottle in the lap of a woman. Several other people are seen holding small children.
Hardly any belongings are visible among the passengers, except a small suitcase and a backpack in the foreground.
The flight -- which Defense One said had the call sign Reach 871 -- landed in Qatar in the early hours of Monday, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
The US military did not specify the destination.
This C-17 was not the only one to take so many Afghans out of the country -- Defense One cited the US official as saying several planes took off from Kabul with similar numbers.
It is also not the first time Boeing C-17s -- workhorses of the US Air Force transport fleet -- have been used for such a large evacuation.
In 2013, a US C-17 flew out more than 670 people from the eastern Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.
In its usual configuration, a C-17 carries just over 100 troops with equipment.
- Chaos, desperation -
There have been desperate and chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, where the apron and runway were flooded Monday by thousands of people hoping to get a flight out of the country.
Many were not eligible for evacuation flights, did not have tickets on commercial flights or even visas.
In harrowing videos shared on social media, hundreds of people are seen running next to a C-17 as it appears to gather speed, some clinging to the sides of the plane.
In another, attack helicopters are seen flying low near the crowds in an apparent attempt to clear the runway for an aircraft.
Afghan media reported that several people died after falling from planes as they took off.
One person died in the landing gear well of a C-17 that took off from Kabul, the Washington Post and Politico reported.
2021-08-17 14:50:13
Germany´s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday blasted Western powers over the scenes of desperation at Kabul airport where thousands of Afghans have gathered in a bid to flee the country after the Taliban swept back to power.
"The images of desperation at Kabul airport are shameful for the political West," he said, calling the situation in Afghanistan a "human tragedy for which we share responsibility".
2021-08-17 11:12:58
KABUL: The Taliban Tuesday declared a general amnesty for all government officials and urged them to return to work, two days after taking power following a lightning sweep through the country.
"A general amnesty has been declared for all... so you should start your routine life with full confidence," said a statement from the Taliban.
2021-08-17 10:44:34
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday that the hasty pullout of US troops from Afghanistan had a "serious negative impact," but pledged to work with Washington to promote stability in the country.
Thousands of civilians desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul airport's single runway on Monday after the Taliban seized the capital in the face of the US military drawdown there.
President Joe Biden blamed the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on Afghan political leaders who fled the country and the unwillingness of the Afghan army to fight the insurgents.
The US State Department said in a short statement that Blinken spoke with Wang about "the security situation and our respective efforts to bring US and PRC citizens to safety," using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.
It said Blinken had spoken separately to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Wang told Blinken the facts on the ground in Afghanistan proved that a foreign model could not be arbitrarily applied to a country with different cultural and historical conditions, according to a Chinese state media report.
"Using force and military means to resolve problems will just increase them. The lessons of this deserve serious reflection," China's state broadcaster CCTV cited Wang as saying.
2021-08-17 10:35:24
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephonic conversation to discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country.
During the telephone call, FM Qureshi said that Pakistan would remain engaged with Washington and other international partners in promoting efforts for supporting a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
He shared Pakistan's perspective noting the significant change in the situation within a short span and the avoidance of violence and stressed the importance of inclusive political settlement as the best way forward.
Continued US economic engagement with Afghanistan is of crucial importance as well, he added.
He also apprised Antony Blinken of Pakistan's efforts to facilitate the evacuation of personnel and staff of diplomatic missions, international organizations, media and others.
The foreign minister also underlined Pakistan's commitment to forging a broad-based, long-term and sustainable relationship with the United States that is anchored in peace, deeper economic cooperation and regional connectivity.
2021-08-17 10:33:36
WASHINGTON: A US administration official Monday said that any Afghan reserves held in US accounts will not be accessible to Taliban.
"Any Central Bank assets the Afghan government has in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban,” the US official told AFP, adding that the US forces were evacuating Afghanistan’s capital after the Taliban’s swift takeover.
According to the IMF, the central bank’s gross reserves totaled $9.4 billion at the end of April. But most of those funds are held outside of Afghanistan, according to a person familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear what share of the assets are held in the United States.
The country´s central bank governor Ajmal Ahmady went to Twitter to detail his harrowing escape from the country on a military plane on Sunday, after he and his team tried to stabilise the currency amid the Taliban advance towards the capital.
Ahmady, who did not say where he was, said the central bank was informed on Friday that "given the deteriorating environment, we wouldn't get any more dollar shipments," and he met Saturday with banks and money exchangers to reassure them.
In addition to freezing assets, Washington could also block aid to Afghanistan from multilateral lenders like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, as it has with other regimes it does not recognise, like Venezuela.
2021-08-17 10:17:59
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden broke days of silence Monday on the chaotic American pullout from Afghanistan, doubling down on his decision as he fired scorching criticism at the country’s former Western-backed leadership for failing to resist the Taliban.
"I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces," he said in a televised address from the White House.
As images of chaos and desperation beamed in from Kabul, where American soldiers were trying to mount an evacuation from the airport while Taliban fighters flooded the city, Biden said: "The buck stops with me."
Brushing off criticism that the evacuation is a debacle, he said the priority is to stop a war that had expanded far beyond its initially modest goals of punishing the Taliban for links to Al-Qaeda after 9/11.
"Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building," he said, vowing that despite the departure of US troops anti-terrorism operations would continue.
2021-08-17 09:53:45
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she was deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, particularly the safety of women and girls, and called on Monday for world leaders to take urgent action.
Yousafzai said Biden "has a lot to do" and must "take a bold step" to protect the Afghan people, adding she had been trying to reach out to several global leaders.
"This is actually an urgent humanitarian crisis right now that we need to provide our help and support," Yousafzai told BBC Newsnight.
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Yousafzai, 23, survived being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, after she was targeted for her campaign against its efforts to deny women education.
She had become known as an 11-year-old, writing a blog under a pen name for the BBC about living under the rule of the Taliban.
"I am deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan right now, especially about the safety of women and girls there," Yousafzai told Newsnight.
"I had the opportunity to talk to a few activists in Afghanistan, including women's rights activists, and they are sharing their concern that they are not sure what their life is going to be like."
Yousafzai said she had sent a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan asking him to admit Afghan refugees and ensure that all refugee children "have access to education, have access to safety and protection, that their futures are not lost."
Yousafzai moved to England after she was shot, where she received medical treatment and last year graduated from Oxford University with a Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree.
2021-08-17 09:54:59
KABUL: Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Dr Abdullah Abdullah have announced to stay in the country amid chaos and uncertainty after the Taliban take over.
In a joint statement, Karzai said they would continue talks in cooperation with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and will play their role for peace in the country.
"Our efforts will be successful," Karzai added.
2021-08-17 08:38:19
WASHINGTON: The mood was sombre Monday in the corridors of the Pentagon, where US military personnel watched helplessly as chaos erupted at Kabul airport and privately criticized the slow pace of Joe Biden’s administration in evacuating US-allied Afghans who fear Taliban retribution.
Some criticized the State Department, which has sole authority to grant visas to former interpreters and other US military support staff and their families, for waiting more than two months to begin the process for Afghans in fear of their lives.
Videos posted on social networks showed scenes of panic and fear in Kabul, including crowds running next to a US military transport plane as it taxies to take off, with some trying to desperately cling to its sides.
"We warned them for months, for months" that the situation was urgent, said one military official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
2021-08-17 08:35:57
Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan started taking off on Tuesday morning, a Western security official at Kabul airport told Reuters.
The airport runway and tarmac, overrun on Monday by thousands of people desperate to flee from the Afghanistan capital, are now clear of crowds, the official said.
U.S. forces, which are in charge at the airport, had halted the evacuation flights because of the chaos.
2021-08-17 00:02:12
The UN Security Council on Monday called for talks to create a new government in Afghanistan and an end to fighting and abuse after UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of "chilling" curbs on human rights and mounting violations against women and girls.
The 15-member council issued a statement, agreed by consensus, after Guterres appealed to the body to "use all tools at its disposal" to suppress a global terrorist threat from Afghanistan and guarantee respect for human rights.
"We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan," Guterres told the Security Council.
2021-08-16 23:28:48
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that Afghanistan should not become again the "sanctuary of terrorism" that it was until the US-led invasion two decades ago, after the Taliban regained control of the country.
"This is key for international security and peace... we will do everything for Russia, the United States and Europe to cooperate efficiently as our interests are the same," Macron said in a televised address from his summer residence.
He described the situation as an "important challenge for our own security" and a "fight against a common enemy of terrorism".
"Our actions will above all be aimed at fighting actively against terrorism in all its forms," said Macron.
2021-08-16 23:27:42
AMMAN/DUBAI: Saudi Arabia Monday urged the Taliban to keep the lives, properties of Afghan citizens safe and ensure their security as per the Islamic principles, as the group takes control over Afghanistan.
"The kingdom stands with the choices that the Afghan people make without interference," the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, said in a statement issued by official media.
"Based on the noble principles of Islam..., the kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that the Taliban movement and all Afghan parties will work to preserve security, stability, lives, and property."
2021-08-16 23:25:10
DUBAI: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Monday that the defeat of the United States in the Afghan War is an opportunity to establish durable peace in Afghanistan.
"America's military defeat and its withdrawal must become an opportunity to restore life, security, and durable peace in Afghanistan," Iran's state TV quoted Raisi as saying.
2021-08-16 23:16:47
BERLIN: The US-led NATO operation in Afghanistan achieved less than planned, Chancellor Angela Merkel said, adding that she shared the pain of families of soldiers killed in the mission "as it seems right now like it was all in vain".
The mission managed to stop Al-Qaeda repeating its September 11, 2001 attack on the United States, but "everything else that has followed has not been as successful and has not been achieved in the way that we had planned," Merkel told journalists.
2021-08-16 23:00:44
KARACHI: PPP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) expressed concerns at the developing situation in Afghanistan and its implications for the women, men, and youth of Afghanistan, a statement from the party's media wing said.
The PPP CEC met today, with the party further expressing its concern for the religious and ethnic minorities and vulnerable communities of Afghanistan.
"The party also expressed concern for the potential challenges this could pose for the peace, stability, and security of Pakistan as well as other countries in the region," it said.
PPP reiterated its support for a democratic, inclusive, pluralistic Afghanistan where all citizens are free to realise their full potential in society, the statement added.
2021-08-16 22:57:27
2021-08-16 22:09:30
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan continues to demonstrate a constructive role for Afghanistan — including facilitating peace, that is owned and led by the Afghan people, among many economic and humanitarian efforts.
"Our mission in Kabul is working tirelessly to issue visas, to evacuate diplomats, NGO workers, media personnel," he added.
2021-08-16 21:51:37
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram said the United Nations should urgently complete its report regarding the need for basic necessities in Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference at the UN, he said Pakistan has asked all Afghan ethnic groups to follow the rule of law and respect human rights of the Afghan people.
"The convenient time for peace talks was when the foreign troops were present in Afghanistan," the ambassador to UN said.
Pakistan is cooperating to evacuate all foreigners seeking to exit Afghanistan, he said, reiterating Pakistan's commitment for peace in the region.
"Afghanistan's key political factions are present in Islamabad [...] Pakistan is in contact with Afghan factions and Taliban to find a lasting negotiated solution to the issue."
2021-08-16 20:49:10
All military and civilian flights have been halted at the Kabul airport because of the crowds of civilians who have surged out onto the runways, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday.
"US military forces are on the scene working alongside Turkish and other international troops to clear the area of people. We do not know how long this will take," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, satellite images show hundreds of people still present on the runways.
2021-08-16 20:10:55
MOSCOW: The Russian foreign ministry said Monday the situation in Kabul "is stabilising" after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban this weekend and claimed that the group has started to "restore public order."
Russia, whose ambassador is due to meet with the Taliban Tuesday, claimed the group had vowed to "guarantee the safety of local people", despite thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country.
In the statement, Moscow confirmed it had "established working contacts with representatives of the new authorities".
Russia's ambassador in Kabul is due to meet with the Taliban on Tuesday, the country said earlier.
Unlike Western countries — which scrambled to get their diplomats out of the country as the Taliban completed its military takeover of the country this weekend — Russia has said its embassy in Kabul will stay open.
Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov told Russian state media that the Taliban had already started to guard his embassy.
2021-08-16 19:51:45
US soldiers killed two armed men at Kabul airport Monday as thousands of people flocked to the terminal seeking to flee Afghanistan, a Pentagon official said.
"In the thousands of people who were there peacefully, two guys who had weapons brandished them menacingly. They were both killed," the official said, insisting on anonymity.
2021-08-16 19:31:10
The Russian embassy in Kabul on Monday claimed that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash, the RIA news agency reported.
Reports also claim that Ghani had to leave some money behind as all of it it was not fitting in.
Ghani, whose current whereabouts are unknown, said he left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban entered Kabul virtually unopposed. He said he wanted to avoid bloodshed.
Russia has said that it will retain a diplomatic presence in Kabul and hopes to develop ties with the Taliban. Russia added that it is in no rush to recognise the Taliban as the country's rulers and will closely observe their behaviour.
2021-08-16 18:27:48
KABUL: Three Afghan citizens were killed Monday after falling off a United States aircraft as it took off from the Hamid Karzai Airport, British media reported Monday.
As per the reports, three Afghan citizens hung on to the aircraft as it was about to take off from the runway. However, they fell down as soon as the aircraft took off and the landing gear retracted.
Reports say that all three civilians died due to the fall.
2021-08-16 17:43:32
Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) said on Monday that national airspace had been released to the military following the Taliban's takeover and advised transit planes to keep away, hastening major airlines' switch to other routes.
For now, as the militants embed themselves elsewhere, US forces have taken over air traffic control at Kabul airport, where five died on Monday in chaotic scenes with reports of firing in the air and a stampede.
United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic had already stopped using Afghanistan airspace on Sunday as US-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled to evacuate citizens.
On Monday, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Taiwan's China Airlines, Air France KLM and Lufthansa followed suit.
2021-08-16 16:30:49
China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.
Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan, which spurred an advance by the group across the country that saw them capture the capital Kabul on Sunday.
2021-08-16 15:40:17
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said Afghanistan has broken the shackles of slavery, referring to developments taking place in the neighbouring country where the Afghan Taliban have taken control.
This was said by the prime minister at the launch of the first phase of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) for students of grades one to five today
PM Imran Khan said that it is very necessary to break the shackles of slavery. “A slave mind can never achieve anything big,” the premier said, explaining his vision behind it.
The prime minister said the launch of the SNC was the fulfilment of his 25-year-old dream to end educational disparity among different sections of society.
2021-08-16 15:22:24
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is keeping a close eye on the situation in Afghanistan, said National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf on Monday after the Taliban consolidated their hold over the country two decades later.
A day earlier, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war.
The astonishingly quick collapse of the government, with the Afghan Taliban taking over the presidential palace in Kabul Sunday night, triggered fear and panic in the capital.
Thousands of people were on Monday trying to escape Kabul with scenes of chaos as crowds gathered at the airport.
2021-08-16 15:20:40
The fall of Kabul, marking the final chapter of America's longest war, ruled the front and home pages of almost all major international media news outlets' websites and newspapers Monday morning.
It’s been an extraordinarily dramatic 24 hours in Afghanistan.
The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after the insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as U.S.-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday to evacuate thousands of their citizens.
The Pentagon authorised another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them from Kabul as the U.S. government said it would assume air traffic control to facilitate the departure of thousands of Americans.
Majority of the news outlets focused the news reports on the Taliban's capture of Afghanistan's capital and the collapse of the country's government and used pictures of Taliban fighters in the presidential palace and military helicopters airlifting westerners to safety.
2021-08-16 12:54:23
BEIJING: The Embassy of China in Kabul is working as usual amid all the chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Chinese FM spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday.
2021-08-16 11:52:43
KABUL: At least five people were 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.
U.S. troops, who are in charge of the airport, earlier fired in the air to scatter the crowd, a U.S. official said.
Officials were not immediately available to comment on the deaths.
2021-08-16 11:49:33
Scenes of panic and chaos were witnessed at the Kabul airport Sunday night and Monday, as a sea of people rushed towards the Hamid Karzai International Airport in a bid to catch flights out of the country after the Taliban takeover.
After entering Kabul Sunday afternoon, the Taliban announced a general pardon and urged citizens not to leave the country out of fear and panic.
However, several video clips went viral on social media in which thousands of Afghans can be seen running frantically towards the Kabul airport, in hopes to secure a flight out of the country.
Award-winning journalist Ahmer Khan shared a video clip of the "sheer helplessness" at the Kabul airport.
2021-08-16 11:47:45
The spokseperson for the Afghan Taliban on Monday declared that the war in the country is over, saying that the group desires peaceful relations with the world.
The statement comes a day after the Afghan Taliban entered Kabul as President Ashraf Ghani left the country, saying he wanted avoid bloodshed and conflict.
The group respected women's and minorities' rights and freedom of expression within Sharia law, Spokesperson Mohammad Naeem added.
2021-08-16 11:46:41
Prime Minister Imran Khan has called a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) today (Monday) to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan, according to sources.
As per sources, the NSC will review the situation in Afghanistan, after the Taliban consolidated their hold over the country two decades later.
2021-08-16 10:00:31
KABUL: US troops fired shots into the air at Kabul airport on Monday 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 AFP.
2021-08-16 10:05:33
Major airlines are rerouting flights to avoid Afghanistan airspace after Taliban took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as U.S.-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday to evacuate their citizens.
United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they were not using the country's airspace.
A United spokeswoman said the change affects several of the airline's U.S.-to-India flights.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed few commercial flights over Afghanistan at 0300 GMT on Monday but many planes overflying neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.
Airlines and governments have paid more attention to the risks of flying over conflict zones in recent years after two deadly incidents involving surface-to-air missiles.
A Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board, and an Ukraine International Airlines jet was downed by Iran's military in 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in July imposed new flight restrictions over Afghanistan for U.S. airlines and other U.S. operators.
The FAA said flights operating below 26,000 feet were prohibited in the Kabul Flight Information Region, which largely covers Afghanistan, unless operating in and out of Hamid Karzai International Airport, citing the risk "posed by extremist/militant activity."
The restrictions do not apply to U.S. military operations.
Other countries, including Canada, Britain, Germany and France had also advised airlines to maintain an altitude of at least 25,000 feet over Afghanistan, according to website Safe Airspace, which tracks such warnings.
Commercial flights set to land in Afghanistan have also been affected by the chaos on the ground. Emirates has suspended flights to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, until further notice, the airline said on its website.
2021-08-16 09:30:24
DOHA: Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen has said that the fighters have been directed once again that no one is allowed to enter anyone's house without permission.
“Life, property and honour of none shall be harmed but must be protected by the Mujahedeen,” he said in a Twitter statement.
2021-08-16 09:41:54
WASHINGTON: More than 60 countries issued a joint statement saying Afghans and international citizens who want to leave Afghanistan must be allowed to depart and added that airports and border crossings must remain open, the U.S. State Department said late on Sunday.
The U.S. government and countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Qatar and the UK said in a joint statement that "those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility - and accountability - for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order."
It added that "the Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them."
The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after the insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as U.S.-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday to evacuate thousands of their citizens.
The Pentagon authorised another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them from Kabul as the U.S. government said it would assume air traffic control to facilitate the departure of thousands of Americans.
A joint statement from the State Department and Pentagon after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital confirmed that the United States over the next 48 hours will "have expanded our security presence to nearly 6,000 troops, with a mission focused solely on facilitating these efforts and will be taking over air traffic control."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter "the United States joins the international community in affirming that Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so. Roads, airports, and border crossing must remain open, and calm must be maintained."
Other countries signing the joint statement include Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Yemen as well as the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, the State Department said.
2021-08-16 09:07:12
WASHINGTON: The US military has secured the perimeter of Kabul airport, the State Department said Sunday, adding that Washington´s embassy in the Afghhan capital been completely evacuated.
"All embassy personnel are located on the premises of Hamid Karzai International Airport, whose perimeter is secured by the US Military," spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, hours after the Taliban took control of the city.
2021-08-16 09:06:17
CAIRO: The spokesman for the Taliban's political office on Sunday declared the war was over in Afghanistan and called for peaceful relations with the international community.
Spokesman Mohammad Naeem said in interviews with Al Jazeera TV the Taliban did not want to live in isolation and the type of rule and the form of regime would be clear soon.
The group respected women's and minorities' rights and freedom of expression within Sharia law, Naeem added.
Naeem said the Taliban wanted to have peaceful relations and was keen to develop several channels of communication it had already opened with foreign countries.
"We ask all countries and entities to sit with us to settle any issues", he said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV.
Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, bringing the fighters close to taking over the country two decades after they were overthrown by a US-led invasion.
Naeem said that no diplomatic body or headquarters was targeted in the Taliban's approach and the group would provide safety for citizens and diplomatic missions.
Ghani's escape was unexpected and "even those close to him did not expect it," Naeem said.
"We are ready to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and will guarantee them the necessary protection," he told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.
The Taliban was seeing the fruits of its efforts and sacrifices for 20 years, he said, and would adopt a policy of non-interference in others' affairs in return for non-interference in Afghanistan.
"We have reached what we were seeking, which is the freedom of our country and the independence of our people," he said. "We will not allow anyone to use our lands to target anyone, and we do not want to harm others."
"We do not think that foreign forces will repeat their failed experience in Afghanistan once again."
2021-08-16 08:21:19
KABUL: The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan on Monday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war.
The astonishingly quick collapse of the government, with the Afghan Taliban taking over the presidential palace on Sunday night, triggered fear and panic in the capital.
Thousands of people were on Monday trying to escape Kabul with scenes of chaos as crowds gathered at the airport.
Ghani fled on Sunday as the insurgents encircled Kabul, with the Taliban sealing a nationwide military victory that saw all cities fall to them in just 10 days.
"The Taliban have won with the judgement of their swords and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen," Ghani said in a statement posted to Facebook, his first since fleeing.
In a video posted to social media, Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar also announced his movement’s victory.
"Now it’s time to test and prove, now we have to show that we can serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life," he said.
Government forces collapsed without the support of the US military, which invaded in 2001 after the September 11 attacks and toppled the Taliban for its support of Al Qaeda.
The United States ultimately failed to build a democratic government capable of withstanding the Taliban, despite spending billions of dollars and providing two decades of military support.
President Joe Biden was determined to withdraw all American troops by the end of this month, insisting there was no choice and he would not "pass this war" onto another president.
2021-08-16 08:17:04
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday said that Pakistan has "no favourites" in Afghanistan and the country is on the same page with the international community when it comes to finding a political solution to the problems of Afghanistan.
Speaking during a press conference in Islamabad, the foreign minister said that "when the time comes, Pakistan will recognise the Taliban government in line with international consensus, ground realities, as well as Pakistan's national interests".
"Pakistan agrees that there should be no military solution to the Afghan issue and wants all problems to be resolved through dialogue," he said, adding that the country's agenda is to see the development and prosperity of Afghanistan.
Qureshi said that he will soon discuss the Afghan issue with the leadership of neighbouring countries, including China, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, adding that India, too, should work to resolve the Afghan issue.
2021-08-16 08:15:15
The Civil Aviation Authority, in a statement on Sunday, said special permission has been accorded for the return of Pakistanis from Afghanistan without the mandatory negative PCR test for coronavirus.
"As informed by our mission in Kabul, the current situation in Afghanistan has necessitated imminent repatriation of Pakistani nationals residing in Afghanistan," read the CAA statement.
It said that "given the paucity of time", it was decided that Pakistani travellers be allowed to arrive without the possession of mandatory negative PCR test results which is usually conducted within the 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan.
The rule will remain in effect for all direct flights between Kabul and Islamabad arriving up to August 18, 2021, 2359 hours.
"This approval, however, is subject to strict compliance with other provisions of standard operating procedures in-vogue relating to inbound travel to Pakistan, including Rapid Antigen testing, PCR Testing and any other stipulations as mandated by the relevant health authorities upon arrival in Pakistan," the notice said.
This means that upon arrival, passengers will be subject to all tests made mandatory by health authorities, as well as strict compliance of safety measures.
2021-08-16 08:12:36
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani prided himself on being one of the foremost global experts on failed states, only to watch his administration collapse.
He fled the country on Sunday, according to a top Afghan official, as the Taliban reached Kabul after an astonishing rout of government forces.
"The former president has left Afghanistan, leaving the people to this situation," Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the government's peace process, said in a video message.
Ghani 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.
2021-08-16 08:11:51
The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, bringing the insurgents close to taking over the country two decades after they were overthrown by a US-led invasion.
As night fell, local television 1TV reported that multiple explosions were heard in the city, which had been largely quiet earlier in the day. It said gunfire could be heard near the airport, where foreign diplomats, officials and other Afghans fled seeking to leave the country.
Aid group Emergency said 80 wounded people had been brought to its hospital in Kabul, which was at capacity, and that it had restricted admission to people with life-threatening injuries.