France’s minister for the armed forces Florence Parly has mentioned that the nation is sending two air and house military transport planes to hold out “preliminary” evacuations in Afghanistan.
“On the request of the President of the Republic, two air and house military transport planes – a C130 and an A400M – will probably be deployed within the coming hours to the United Arab Emirates so as to perform preliminary evacuations in Afghanistan,” she tweeted.
From Monday, the planes will fly between Kabul and Abu Dhabi.
20:01
Right here is the assertion in full:
Joint Assertion from the Division of State and Division of Protection: Replace on Afghanistan
At current we’re finishing a sequence of steps to safe the Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport to allow the secure departure of U.S. and allied personnel from Afghanistan by way of civilian and navy flights. Over the following 48 hours, we could have expanded our safety presence to just about 6,000 troops, with a mission targeted solely on facilitating these efforts and will probably be taking on air visitors management. Tomorrow and over the approaching days, we will probably be transferring in another country hundreds of Americans who’ve been resident in Afghanistan, in addition to regionally employed workers of the U.S. mission in Kabul and their households and different significantly weak Afghan nationals. And we’ll speed up the evacuation of hundreds of Afghans eligible for U.S. Particular Immigrant Visas, almost 2,000 of whom have already arrived in the US over the previous two weeks. For all classes, Afghans who’ve cleared safety screening will proceed to be transferred on to the US. And we’ll discover extra areas for these but to be screened.
20:01
US and native workers and households, visa candidates to be evacuated ‘tomorrow and over coming days’
The US departments of state and defence have launched a press release outlining their plans for evacuations from Kabul over the following few days, albeit vaguely.
The assertion says that the safety presence on the airport could have expanded to six,000 troops inside 48 hours.
Americans and “regionally employed workers of the US mission in Kabul and their households and different significantly weak Afghan nationals” will probably be evacuated “tomorrow and over the approaching days”. The US may even “speed up” evacuations of these eligible for Particular Immigrant Visas (SIVs).
We perceive from the CNN report talked about earlier that proper now, flights for these eligible for SIVs have been paused – the final flight left on Sunday night time / early Monday morning – whereas evacuating People is prioritised.
The US authorities assertion doesn’t contradict this because it doesn’t lay out the precise timing for every (it doesn’t say whether or not flights for People are being prioritised).
One can solely hope that evacuating Afghans was deliberate rigorously by the administration once they determined to stay to their plans of a full withdrawal by 11 September.
Up to date
19:51
Right here is extra from that interview on Al Jazeera with Taliban political spokesperson, Mohammad Naeem, by way of Reuters.
Naeem on Sunday declared the struggle was over in Afghanistan and known as for peaceable relations with the worldwide group.
He mentioned the Taliban didn’t need to stay in isolation and the kind of rule and the type of regime can be clear quickly. The group revered girls’s and minorities’ rights and freedom of expression inside Sharia legislation, Naeem added.
The Taliban was eager to develop a number of channels of communication it had already opened with international international locations, he mentioned, including, “We ask all international locations and entities to take a seat with us to settle any points.”
Naeem mentioned that no diplomatic physique or headquarters was focused within the Taliban’s strategy and the group would supply security for residents and diplomatic missions.
“We now have reached what we had been looking for, which is the liberty of our nation and the independence of our folks,” he mentioned. “We is not going to enable anybody to make use of our lands to focus on anybody, and we don’t need to hurt others.”
“We don’t assume that international forces will repeat their failed expertise in Afghanistan as soon as once more.”
19:41
Afghanistan’s tv channels have reportedly stopped airing something however Islamic programmes and serials – all different programmes have been reduce. We’re listening to this on social media, however haven’t but been capable of confirm it independently.
In case you are studying this from Afghanistan and are capable of affirm, yow will discover me here.
19:27
CNN’s reporter on the US state division, Jennifer Hansler, has mentioned on Twitter that the final flight of Afghan Particular Immigrant Visa candidates has now left Afghanistan, because the Biden administration prioritises evacuating People.
The Guardian has not verified this independently.
19:22
Biden administration ‘curbing’ flights for Afghans who labored with US; prioritising People – report
The Biden administration has “curtailed the variety of flights to the US for Afghans who labored alongside the US”, in accordance with CNN state division reporter Jennifer Hansler on Twitter.
Citing three sources aware of the matter, she stories that Biden has curtailed the flights for Afghan residents as a result of it’s prioritising the evacuation of American personnel from the nation.
Up to date
19:14
In Washington, a smallish group of protestors have gathered outdoors the White Home, calling on the US authorities to not depart anybody behind, Reuters stories.
19:08
America’s high basic mentioned Sunday that the US may now face an increase in terrorist threats from a Taliban-run Afghanistan, the Related Press stories.
Common Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, informed senators on a briefing name Sunday that US officers are anticipated to change their earlier assessments in regards to the tempo of terrorist teams reconstituting in Afghanistan, an individual aware of the matter informed The Related Press.
In June, the Pentagon’s high leaders mentioned an extremist group like al-Qaida might be able to regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a risk to the US homeland inside two years of the American navy’s withdrawal from the nation.
Right here is our evaluation of what the Taliban’s victory could imply for al-Qaida:
19:04
UN chief warns of ‘critical human rights violations’
UN secretary-general António Guterres has commented on the scenario in Afghanistan, warning that “tons of of hundreds” of persons are fleeing due to “critical human rights violations”:
Up to date
19:01
The British ambassador and Germany embassy workers are reportedly staying behind at Kabul airport to assist course of visas for Afghan workers who labored for his or her international locations.
We’re listening to this from the Washington Publish’s bureau chief for Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and by way of Channel 4 information, however haven’t been capable of confirm it independently.
Up to date
18:50
Right here is video footage from Kabul’s airport – in addition to of Taliban fighters within the presidential palace:
18:49
A remark from the Australian Prime Minister – it’s Monday morning in Australia:
18:46
In the event you’re simply becoming a member of us: Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan saying he wished to keep away from bloodshed.
Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem mentioned of Ghani’s escape that it wasn’t taken under consideration and “even these near him didn’t count on it.”
He mentioned the group at this time is seeing the fruits of its efforts and sacrifices for 20 years. “We now have reached what we had been looking for, which is the liberty of our nation and the independence of our folks.”
“We is not going to enable anybody to make use of our lands to focus on anybody, and we don’t need to hurt others,” Naeem mentioned the group gained’t intervene within the affairs of others and, in return, gained’t enable interference of their affairs.
“We don’t assume that international forces will repeat their failed expertise in Afghanistan as soon as once more,” Naeem mentioned, including that the group is able to cope with the considerations of the worldwide group by dialogue.
18:43
Taliban spokesman: ‘The struggle is over in Afghanistan’
A short time in the past the spokesman for the Taliban’s political workplace informed Al-Jazeera Mubasher TV on Sunday that the struggle is over in Afghanistan and that the kind of rule and the type of regime will probably be clear quickly.
Spokesman Mohammad Naeem mentioned that no diplomatic physique or any of its headquarters was focused, saying that the group assures everybody it can present security for residents and diplomatic missions.
“We’re able to have a dialogue with all Afghan figures and can assure them the mandatory safety,” he informed the Qatar-based channel. He mentioned the group takes each step responsibly and is eager on having peace with everybody.
18:38
US navy has flown 500 embassy personnel out of Kabul thus far – report
The US navy is aiming to get 5,000 embassy personnel out of Kabul a day later this week, NBC chief White Home correspondent Peter Alexander stories.
For now, they’ve flown 500 in another country.
18:36
Abstract
That is our stay protection of the most recent developments in Afghanistan because the Taliban sweeps to energy in Afghanistan, after taking management of the capital, Kabul.
Over the course of the final ten days, the Taliban has taken 18 different provincial capitals.
My title is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the information from Kabul because it occurs.
In the event you see information you assume we could have missed, or have questions, get in contact with me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Here’s a abstract of latest occasions:
The Taliban has mentioned from Kabul that the struggle in Afghanistan “is over”.
There may be reportedly “chaos” at Kabul’s airport as folks attempt to depart the nation. However those that resolve to depart the airport will now face Taliban checkpoints.
The US is sending one other 1,000 troops, on to Kabul, bringing US navy numbers anticipated in Afghanistan as much as 6,000 in an try and execute the secure withdrawal of US nationals and Afghan help workers – between two and 3 times the variety of troopers that had been there final week.
Afghanistan’s erstwhile president Ashraf Ghani is reported to have fled to Tashkent, the capital of neighboring Uzbekistan.
Ghani put out a rare message on Fb saying he left the nation to attempt to keep away from, basically, a bloody struggle in Kabul, as a substitute enabling the Taliban to, it appears, take management with virtually no preventing.
US secretary of stateAntony Blinken spent numerous time on Sunday on TV defending the Biden administration, speaking in regards to the huge image plan that was at all times in place for the US to depart Afghanistan however usually sidestepping questions in regards to the chaotic nature of this rushed withdrawal itself. He did acknowledge that occasions in the previous few days had occurred extra shortly than anticipated.
The United Nations Safety Council will maintain an emergency assembly in New York at 10am native time on Monday to debate the disaster in Afghanistan.
A Nato official mentioned all industrial flights have been suspended from the airport in Kabul and solely navy plane are presently allowed to function. The airport is now the one method out of Afghanistan. The Taliban management all land crossings.
The Taliban are on the verge of declaring that they’ve taken management of the nation and that it’s now the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned in a stay TV interview after emergency conferences with related senior division heads in London: “No person desires Afghanistan to be a breeding floor for terror … or to lapse again into the pre-2001 scenario.” He mentioned he believed Britain may brings its remaining nationals and Afghan help workers out safely.
The Stars & Stripes flag was lowered on the US embassy in Kabul and the evacuation of the compound was accomplished. Solely a handful of safety contractors had been left behind.
Taliban commanders and fighters took management of the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul. This adopted the arrival of the Taliban on the outskirts after which into the center of Kabul earlier on Sunday – days, weeks, if not months extra shortly than most anticipated.