16/08/2021
THE FALL OF KABUL.
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Chaos at Kabul airport as Taliban retakes Afghanistan: Live News
At least five people are reported dead after panic rush of crowds at Kabul airport as Taliban seize power.
Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport [AFP]
Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport [AFP]
By Zaheena Rasheed and Tamila Varshalomidze
16 Aug 2021
Updated:
10 minutes ago
The Taliban has declared the war in Afghanistan over after its fighters swept into the capital, Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Victorious Taliban fighters patrolled the streets of Kabul on Monday as thousands of Afghans mobbed the city’s airport trying to flee the group’s feared hardline brand of rule.
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Afghan President Ghani flees country as Taliban enters Kabul
Meanwhile, many nations were scrambling to evacuate their diplomats, citizens and some local Afghan staff.
Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for Taliban’s political office tells Al Jazeera the group does not want to live in isolation and says the type and form of the new government in Afghanistan will be made clear soon. He also calls for peaceful international relations.
The United Nations Security Council will discuss the situation in Afghanistan later on Monday.
Here are all the latest updates:
12 mins ago (08:19 GMT)
EU coordinating with member states to evacuate local staff
The European Union is working with member states to find quick solutions for the relocation of local Afghan staff and their families to a safe place, a spokesperson says.
“The matter is extremely urgent, we take it very seriously and continue to work hard, together with EU member states, on implementing rapid solutions for them and ensure their safety,” the spokesperson for the bloc’s executive Commission tells Reuters news agency.
The Commission does not give figures for their local Afghan staff for security reasons.
37 mins ago (07:55 GMT)
Russia will evacuate some embassy staff in Afghanistan: Official
Russia will evacuate some of its Afghanistan embassy’s roughly 100 staff, Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s special representative on Afghanistan, tells the Ekho Moskvy radio station.
The official also says that Russia’s ambassador in Afghanistan will meet with a Taliban representative on Tuesday and discuss security for its diplomatic mission there, the Interfax news agency reports.
1 hour ago (07:28 GMT)
At least five killed at Kabul airport: Witnesses
At least five people have been killed in Kabul airport as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses tell Reuters news agency.
One witness says he has seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another witness says it is not clear whether the victims have been 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 says.
A Qatar Airways aircraft taking-off from the airport in Kabul [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]
2 hours ago (06:43 GMT)
Taliban regrouping to create governance structure
A Taliban leader tells Reuters news agency the Taliban fighters are regrouping from different provinces, and will wait until foreign forces had left before creating a new governance structure.
The leader, who requested anonymity, says Taliban fighters had been “ordered to allow Afghans to resume daily activities and do nothing to scare civilians”.
“Normal life will continue in a much better way, that’s all I can say for now,” he tells Reuters in a message.
2 hours ago (06:40 GMT)
Nepal calls for evacuation of at least 1,500 Nepalis
Nepal’s government calls for the evacuation of an estimated 1,500 Nepalis working as security staff with embassies and with international aid groups in Afghanistan.
“We have formally written to embassies requesting them for the evacuation,” Nepal Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sewa Lamsal tells Reuters news agency in Kathmandu.
Afghans crowd at the airport as US soldiers stand guard in Kabul [Shakib Rahmani/AFP]
Lamsal says the government has also set up a panel to determine the exact number of Nepalis working in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.
“The government will make arrangements for their evacuation also,” she says.
Nepal does not have a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan but thousands of Nepali men work as security guards in diplomatic districts of the country.
2 hours ago (06:38 GMT)
UK: Taliban in control, British forces not going back
The Taliban armed group is in control of Afghanistan and British forces are not going to return to fight them, the United Kingdom’s defence minister says.
“I acknowledge that the Taliban are in control of the country,” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tells Sky News. “I mean, you don’t have to be a political scientist to spot that’s where we’re at.”
Asked if Britain and NATO would return to Afghanistan, Wallace says: “That’s not on the cards … we’re not going to go back.”
A Pakistani newspaper displaying front page news about Afghanistan [Aamir Qureshi/AFP]
2 hours ago (06:24 GMT)
Afghanistan aviation authority advises transit aircraft to reroute
Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) says that Kabul airspace have been released to the military and it advises transit aircraft to reroute, according to a notice to airmen on its website.
ACAA says any transit through Kabul airspace will be uncontrolled and it has advised the surrounding flight information regions that control airspace.
Kabul’s flight information region covers all of Afghanistan.
2 hours ago (06:17 GMT)
Commercial flights out of Kabul cancelled: official
Commercial flights from Kabul are cancelled after chaotic scenes at the airport with thousands looking for a way out after the Taliban re-took power in Afghanistan.
“There will be no commercial flights from Hamid Karzai Airport to prevent looting and plundering. Please do not rush to the airport,” the Kabul airport authority says in a message sent to reporters.
Afghans crowd at the tarmac of the Kabul airport [AFP]
3 hours ago (06:00 GMT)
Taliban: Situation in Afghanistan ‘peaceful’, no clashes
Taliban officials say they had received no reports of any clashes from across the country a day after the armed group 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 tells Reuters news agency. He declines to be identified.
3 hours ago (05:55 GMT)
Afghans denounce priority evacuation of diplomats
Hundreds of Afghans invade the airport’s runways in the dark, pulling luggage and jostling for a place on one of the last commercial flights to leave before US forces take over air traffic control.
“This is our airport but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty,” Rakhshanda Jilali, a human rights activist who was trying to get to Pakistan, tells Reuters news agency in a message from the airport.
3 hours ago (05:50 GMT)
Hello, this is Tamila Varshalomidze, taking over the live updates page from my colleague Zaheena Rasheed.
3 hours ago (05:21 GMT)
New Zealand to send military plane to evacuate citizens
New Zealand’s government said it was sending a C-130 Hercules military transport plane to Afghanistan to help with the evacuation of 53 of its citizens and dozens of Afghans and their immediate families who helped New Zealand troops when they were stationed there.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said they had so far identified 37 Afghans who had helped, but the number of evacuees would be in the hundreds once dependents and others were included.
Defence officials say they have planned for a month-long mission involving at least 40 military personnel tasked with servicing and protecting the plane. Ardern asked that the Taliban allow people to leave peaceably: “The whole world is watching,” she said.
Saudi Arabia meanwhile said it has completed the evacuation of all its diplomats from Kabul.
3 hours ago (05:17 GMT)
US troops fire shots in the air at Kabul airport
US forces fired in the air at Kabul’s airport to prevent hundreds of civilians running onto the tarmac, according to an official and a witness.
“The crowd was out of control,” the US official told the Reuters news agency by phone. “The firing was only done to defuse the chaos.”
A witness confirmed the development to the AFP news agency.
“I feel very scared here,” the witness said. “They are firing lots of shots in the air.”
3 hours ago (05:11 GMT)he
Airlines reroute flights to avoid Afghanistan’s airspace
Large airlines including United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they were not using Afghanistan’s airspace following the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
A United spokeswoman said the change affects several of the airline’s US-to-India flights.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed few commercial flights over Afghanistan at 03:00 GMT on Monday but many planes flying over neighbouring Pakistan and Iran.
Read more here.
4 hours ago (04:53 GMT)
Kabul streets ‘quiet’, Taliban at ‘every checkpoint’
Charlotte Bellis, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Kabul, said the Taliban was in control of the capital’s streets.
“It’s very quiet in Kabul, surprisingly,” she said from the Afghan capital.
“The Taliban say they sent in 1,000 of their special forces units overnight. They are now in control of every checkpoint and have set up additional checkpoints. I saw dozens of Taliban fighters with guns over their shoulders in police vehicles, in Afghan government vehicles patrolling the streets.”
She added: “There’s not that many people on the streets and it seems as if life can function as normal.”
Taliban fighters ride on a vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021 [Stringer/ Reuters]
4 hours ago (04:41 GMT)
Taliban says situation in Kabul is ‘normal’
A spokesman for the Taliban said “the situation in Kabul is normal” and that its fighters “are busy providing security”.
In a Twitter post, Zabihullah Mujahid also said the Taliban has deployed special units to different parts of Kabul and that the “general public is happy with the arrival of the Mujahideen and satisfied with the security”.
In an earlier tweet, Mujahid had said the Taliban have assured all embassies that foreign nationals in Kabul will not face any danger.
4 hours ago (04:22 GMT)
Emirates suspends flights to Kabul
Emirates has suspended flights to the Afghan capital until further the notice, the airline said on its website.
“Customers holding tickets with final destination to Kabul will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin,” it said.
A member of Taliban stands guard as people walk at the entrance gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 16, 2021 [Stringer/ Reuters]
4 hours ago (04:08 GMT)
US completes evacuation of Kabul embassy
A spokesman for the US Department of State said the evacuation of US staff from its embassy in Kabul is now complete.
“We can confirm that the safe evacuation of all Embassy personnel is now complete. All Embassy personnel are located on the premises of Hamid Karzai International Airport, whose perimeter is secured by the US Military,” Ned Price wrote in a statement.
A US Chinook helicopter flies over Kabul [Rahmat Gul/ AP]
A US official meanwhile told the Reuters news agency that most Western diplomats have now left Kabul, but some support staff remain in the city.
“I can safely say the majority of Western diplomatic staff is out of Kabul now,” the unnamed official said.
Helicopters have been ferrying diplomats from the embassy district in the city to Kabul airport since Sunday, when the Taliban entered the city.
5 hours ago (03:19 GMT)
44,000 Afghans outside of Kabul need evacuation: US army vet
Matt Zeller, a US veteran of the Afghan war, said about 44,000 Afghans who helped Washington during the 20-year conflict are outside of Kabul and require urgent evacuation.
“This is a disaster of epic proportions,” he said, warning that Afghans who helped the US military may now be “hunted down and systematically murdered by the Taliban”.
Zeller, who co-founded No One Left Behind, a charity that helps Afghans settle in the US, said President Joe Biden must order US troops to secure the Kabul airport.
“We then must open up a secure corridor so that we can begin evacuating our Afghan and wartime allies out of Afghanistan, not just from Kabul, but from every city where they reside,” he said.
“There are 44,000 people who are outside of Kabul and in other cities. The reports from them are horrific. There are public executions in Kandahar in the stadium,” Zeller said.
“Women have been told they cannot leave their homes in Herat and the Taliban are going door to door in Mazar-i-Sharif looking for anyone who worked with the US military. This is a report we are hearing in other cities, including in Kabul.”
6 hours ago (02:37 GMT)
Australia PM ‘devastated’ by situation in Afghanistan
Scott Morrison, the prime minister of Australia, said he’s “devastated” about developments in Afghanistan and said the cabinet’s national security committee will meet on Monday to review Australian operations out of Kabul.
Morrison said his government has already resettled 430 Afghans and their families who worked for Australia, and was planning to airlift those remaining there.
He described the situation in Afghanistan, particularly for women and girls, as “terrible”.
“Absolutely devastated about it. It’s a terrible, it’s a terrible situation,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp in Canberra.
Australia shut its Kabul embassy in May and withdrew the last of its troops in June as US and NATO forces pulled out of the Afghanistan conflict after 20 years.
7 hours ago (01:28 GMT)
Over 60 countries urge safe departure of Afghans and foreigners
Dozens of countries from around the world are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.
More than 60 nations released a joint statement on Sunday night citing what they call “the deteriorating security situation” in Afghanistan.
The statement says that those in power and authority across the country “bear responsibility – and accountability – for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order.”
It added: “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.
“The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them.”
7 hours ago (01:13 GMT)
Taliban says ‘war is over in Afghanistan’
A spokesman for Taliban’s political office declared the war over in Afghanistan and called for peaceful relations with the international community.
“Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,” Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, told Al Jazeera.
“Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.”
Naeem said the type and form of the new government in Afghanistan would be made clear soon, adding the Taliban did not want to live in isolation and calling for peaceful international relations.
“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.”
8 hours ago (00:33 GMT)
US to secure Kabul airport for departures
The Pentagon and the US Department of State said they are taking steps to secure Kabul’s international airport to enable the safe departure of thousands of US and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights.
In a joint statement on Sunday night, the agencies said the US security presence will have expanded to nearly 6,000 troops over the next two days, with a “mission focused solely on facilitating” the departures. They will also take during air traffic control.
“Tomorrow and over the coming days, we will be transferring out of the country thousands of American citizens who have been resident in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed staff of the US mission in Kabul and their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals,” the statement said.
“And we will accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans eligible for US Special Immigrant Visas, nearly 2,000 of whom have already arrived in the United States over the past two weeks.”
10 hours ago (22:48 GMT)
‘It’s shameful’: Ex-adviser slams president’s departure
Shafiq Hamdam, a former adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, slammed Ghani’s decision to flee Afghanistan on Sunday amid the Taliban’s rapid advance on Kabul.
“It’s shameful. It’s embarrassing. People feel abandoned, people feel betrayed,” Hamdam told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC.
“After so many years of effort and so many years of investment, he has put a black dark mark in the history of democracy in Afghanistan. He himself escaped with his team and he didn’t have a second thought about the millions of people who live in misery, who live in uncertainty, and who are now left behind, living under Taliban regime.”
Hamdam said the Taliban need to prove they will protect women.
“From tomorrow on, we have to see women going to schools, we have to see women civil servants and teachers, like my mother going to school and teaching. That’s what I want and that’s what the world wants. And that’s a test for the Taliban. To prove if they have changed or not.”
