Today’s updates, Sunday 22 August, on the Taliban and Afghanistan
More chaos at the Kabul airport, where the United States and other countries continue with the return operations of their citizens and Afghans who risk being targeted by the Taliban regime. At least three dead, in the throng of people on the run. The United States also fear ISIS attacks on the Kabul airport: “Do not come to the airport”, is the message to its fellow citizens. Biden ready to ask American airlines for help in evacuating civilians and especially children. Trump attacks him: “A shame for America”. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, here are the first edicts that limit women’s education and participation in public life: stop mixed classes, women are forbidden to teach men Greece has erected a 40 km wall along the border with Turkey to counteract the arrival of migrants from Afghanistan.
15.23 Johnson calls the meeting of G7 leaders
The virtual meeting of G7 leaders on Afghanistan will be held on Tuesday. This was announced by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. «On Tuesday I will call the leaders of the G7 for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. It is imperative that the international community work together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to preserve the achievements of the past 20 years, ”Johnson wrote on Twitter.
14.46 Pentagon orders airlines to help evacuate from Kabul
The Pentagon, as revealed in the past few hours by some journalistic rumors, has announced the start of an emergency program that obliges civilian airlines to make some of their aircraft available to the government, to help the evacuation operations in Kabul. The planes involved will be about twenty.
14.43 The plane with the asylum seekers in the USA in Sigonella
A plane coming from Afghanistan with US military and Afghan citizens seeking special asylum visas to the US and vulnerable Afghans is expected to land in the early afternoon at the military airport of Sigonella. This is what we learn from the Nas Sigonella press office.
13.32 Born: at Kabul airport at least 20 deaths in a week
At least 20 people have died in the last seven days as part of the evacuations from Kabul airport. This was reported by a NATO official, quoted by the Reuters news agency on its website. “Our forces are maintaining a strict distance from the outside areas of Kabul airport to avoid clashes with the Taliban,” said the official.
12.13 Blair, “tragic, dangerous and unnecessary US withdrawal”
“Tragic, dangerous and unnecessary.” Thus the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in his first statement after the fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban.
12.02 am Evacuated woman gives birth on US military plane
The US military says an Afghan woman gave birth aboard an Air Force C-17 that was flying from the Middle East to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The base is used as a transit area for people evacuated from Afghanistan. Army Air Mobility Command tweeted that the mother started having complications during the flight on Saturday. “The commander of the plane decided to descend to increase the air pressure in the plane, which helped stabilize and save the mother’s life,” it reads. Upon arrival in Ramstein, US medical personnel boarded. “The baby and her mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition,” the military said.
11.58 UN: Without swift action it will be a humanitarian disaster
Mary-Ellen McGroarty, national director of the United Nations World Food Program for Afghanistan, told the Observer that swift and coordinated action is essential. “Otherwise, an already dire situation will become an absolute catastrophe, a complete humanitarian disaster,” he said. “We have to bring supplies to the country, not only in terms of food, but also of medical supplies, of shelter. We need the money and we need it now, ”he added.
11.41 am chaos at Kabul airport, alarm for missing children
More and more children are getting lost and disappear in the chaos of the Kabul airport, where the evacuation operations of Westerners and Afghans continue – without any difficulty. This is the alarm raised by local media such as the broadcaster Ariana, who told the story of a family in Kabul who are caring for a child who got stuck in barbed wire and who, despite their best efforts, have not yet been able to track down her parents. The boy, who is around 6, said his family had gone to the airport in an attempt to flee the country. Apparently his father fell into the crowd and from that point on the child lost contact with both parents. Local reporters report that several people are posting photos of missing children at the airport. At the Kabul airport for about a week we have witnessed chaotic scenes, with thousands of people trying to access it, considering it the only escape route from Afghanistan after the Taliban took power. According to the British government, at least seven people have died in the last few hours in the crowd around the airport and yesterday the US embassy advised their compatriots to go to the airport due to “potential security threats”.
11.44 Taliban towards Panshir, 4-hour ultimatum to the resistance
The Taliban are headed for the Panshir Valley, the last pocket of resistance to Islamic militants in northern Afghanistan. And what we read on the twitter account of Panshir Province, attributable to the resistance that belongs to Ahmed Massoud, son of the legendary “Lion of Panshir”, according to which the Taliban have given an ultimatum of 4 hours for the surrender.
11.27 – “The chaos at Kabul airport is the fault of the US”
The chaos of these days at Kabul airport is the fault of the United States: a Taliban official said today. “America, with all its power and facilities… failed to bring order to the airport. There is peace and calm throughout the country, but there is chaos only at the Kabul airport, ”said the official, Amir Khan Mutaqi.
10.44 Taliban talks continue
The Taliban say they will meet the governors of at least 20 of the 34 Afghan provinces.
10.33 Tonight Biden’s new speech will take stock of evacuations
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, will speak to the country tonight for the third time in a few days since the fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban. The intervention is scheduled at 4 pm local time (10 pm in Italy). Biden will speak from the Roosevelt room of the White House and take stock of evacuation operations involving thousands of Americans and Afghans as news arrives of deteriorating security conditions at Kabul airport. In the past few hours, the president of the United States has talked about the crisis with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, and with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez.
9.05 am – Seven dead in the crowd at Kabul airport
Seven people in the crowd near Kabul airport died in the crowd as they tried to approach the airport to leave the country: Sky News reports, citing a statement released this morning by the British Ministry of Defense. The ministry did not specify whether all the victims died today, nor did it disclose the causes of the deaths.
7.15 am – Another 211 evacuees arrived in Rome
Another 211 Afghans including former collaborators and their families, evacuated from Kabul via Kuwait City as part of the airlift organized by the Defense, arrived this morning shortly after 7 at Fiumicino airport on board an Air Force Boeing KC767.
5.20 am – Taliban intervention in the airport area in Kabul
The Taliban intervened to impose order around the Kabul airport: witnesses tell the Reuters lines that have been formed in front of the main entrances to avoid crowding around the area. The death toll, as of Saturday, always explain witnesses, would have risen to 12. In the night between Saturday and Sunday, Australia launched four flights from Kabul with more than 300 people on board. The United States and Germany fear for safety during the operations, while Switzerland has delayed a flight again to avoid risks to their fellow citizens.
4.26 – Trump: “A shame for America”
“What is happening in Kabul is a shame for America, a huge stain on American history and reputation.” Donald Trump attacks Joe Biden during a rally in Alabama. What the White House decided, for the former tenant, is “a terrible mistake”: “We are facing an unprecedented disaster”, he added, “Europe and NATO no longer believe in us. With me America was respected, now the Taliban flag flies over the American embassy ».
00.20 – The US plan: refugees on scheduled flights
Biden could enlist the help of US airlines to transport evacuated people from Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal he speaks of a “civil aviation emergency program” which also provides for the increase of US bases in which to bring Afghan refugees.
August 22, 2021 (change August 22, 2021 | 17:00)
© Time.News