Afghanistan

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Taliban: US Deadline of Aug. 31 Is a 'Red Line'

Warning not to extend it comes as lethal chaos continues at Kabul airport

(Newser) - The new week brings a continuation of deadly chaos at the Kabul airport. Some of the new developments in Afghanistan:
  • Warning: A Taliban spokesman said Monday that foreign nations should not extend their deadlines to leave. "Otherwise, it is a clear violation," the spokesman told the BBC . The
...

What Drove Angelina Jolie to the Arms of Social Media

Actress wants to help women and girls in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Angelina Jolie has finally made her Instagram debut. The actress launched a profile on the social media site Friday, describing herself as a "Mom, filmmaker, Special Envoy for UN @refugees." In her first post , she shared a letter sent to her from a teen girl in Afghanistan who...

Putin Doesn't Want Afghan Refugees in Central Asia

Some refugees are headed to Russia's neighbors Uzbekistan and Tajikistan

(Newser) - Russia's president has criticized Western nations for seeking to temporarily house Afghan refugees in Central Asian countries, citing security concerns for Russia. Speaking at a meeting with top officials of the Kremlin’s United Russia party on Sunday, Vladimir Putin blasted what he described as a “humiliating approach”...

Biden Gives Update On Afghanistan, COVID, Henri

President says he hasn't ruled out extending the Aug. 31 troop withdrawal deadline

(Newser) - President Joe Biden held a press conference Sunday afternoon to address the ongoing evacuation in Afghanistan. He repeated his promise to bring home all Americans who want to leave, and said that the US “will welcome these Afghans who have helped us in the war effort over the last...

Afghan Woman Gives Birth on US Evacuation Plane

One refugee baby made an exciting debut on an Air Force base in Germany

(Newser) - One Afghan mom has quite a birth story to tell. A pregnant woman who had been evacuated from Afghanistan to what the military called an “intermediate staging base in the Middle East,” then flown to Ramstein Air Base in Germany went into labor on a US Air Force...

Blinken's Own Staffers Warned Him of Quick Afghan Collapse

State Department chief received internal document on July 13

(Newser) - The White House says nobody anticipated that Afghanistan would fall so quickly. But the Wall Street Journal is out with a scoop about an internal State Department cable dated July 13 that warned things were about to get very bad in a hurry:
  • Warning: The cable, signed by 23 staffers,
...

Afghan Soccer Player, 19, Fell to Death From Plane

Zaki Anwari played for Afghanistan's national youth team

(Newser) - One of the people who fell to his death from a US Air Force plane leaving Afghanistan has been identified as a teenage soccer player. Zaki Anwari, 19, played for his country's national youth team, reports the BBC . His death has been confirmed by the nation's General Directorate...

IMF Blocks Taliban&#39;s Access to Reserves
IMF Move Adds to
Pressure on Taliban
THE RUNDOWN
Aug 19, 2021 8:45 AM CDT

IMF Move Adds to Pressure on Taliban

Release of $460M in reserves blocked

(Newser) - The Taliban now control Afghanistan—but with access to funds extremely limited, they will have a tough time running the country. The International Monetary Fund, under pressure from the US, is blocking the Taliban's access to emergency reserves that were supposed to be released to Afghanistan next week. the...

Members of Girls' Robotics Team Escape Afghanistan

Those remaining are terrified about the future, human rights lawyer says

(Newser) - In 2017, an all-girls robotics team nicknamed the Afghan Dreamers made headlines after their visas to attend a competition in the US were rejected , then granted after lobbying from then-President Trump. Now, they are trying to escape a nightmare. Some members of the team, based in the western city of...

Afghans Face Dilemma on Covering Up Digital Lives

Many fear Taliban will find evidence of cooperation with Americans

(Newser) - Afghans who worked with US troops or contractors in the past 20 years—or did anything that might displease the Taliban—are facing difficult decisions about covering up the paper and digital trails that could incriminate them. Destroying records of US employment would seem to make sense, except that they'...

Biden: There Was No Way to Avoid Chaos in Afghanistan

He doesn't think there was a failure in 'intelligence, planning, execution, or judgment'

(Newser) - President Biden insisted Wednesday that chaos in Afghanistan as US troops pulled out was unavoidable—and he bristled when asked about distressing scenes at Kabul's airport. When asked by ABC interviewer George Stephanopoulos if he thought the "exit could have been handled better in any way," Biden...

Senate to Investigate What Led to 'Worst-Case Scenario'

'Highest-level' Biden officials will speak at congressional hearings, Pelosi says

(Newser) - Democratic lawmakers have largely avoided directly criticizing President Biden's administration over events in Afghanistan—but they still have a lot of questions about how the Taliban were able to seize control with stunning speed, leading to a chaotic evacuation from Kabul's airport. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner...

Taliban Can't Access Central Bank's $9B in Reserves

$7B of that is in the US Federal Reserve

(Newser) - The Taliban now control Afghanistan, but they don't have access to the central bank's currency reserves, and the Biden administration aims to keep it the way. Ajmal Ahmady, Afghanistan's central bank chief, fled the country on Sunday. He tells the Wall Street Journal that almost all of...

Former Captive in Afghanistan Sees Cruel Parallel Now

Journalist David Rohde has tried to help Tahir Luddin get his family out for months

(Newser) - David Rohde owes Tahir Luddin more than just a debt of gratitude. Twelve years ago, the two men, along with an Afghan driver, were kidnapped by the Taliban. Luddin, a journalist like Rohde, led Rohde to safety during a middle-of-the-night escape after seven months of being held. Luddin moved to...

Taliban Respond With Violence After Flag Is Pulled Down

3 people were reportedly killed in Jalalabad

(Newser) - In the eastern city of Jalalabad, locals went public with their dissent in a rare protest: They took down the Taliban flag that had been raised by the militants upon seizing control of the area. In its place they raised the national flag, a move made a day before Thursday'...

Malala Lays Out Plan on 'Critical Moment' in Afghanistan

Activist says women, girls need neighbors' help, more specific education guarantees from Taliban

(Newser) - After Afghanistan's capital fell to the Taliban on Sunday, the extremist group's final symbolic move to controlling the country, its members made a promise to all Afghan women and girls that they'd retain their right to an education and shouldn't fret. That vow has been met...

Up to 15K Americans Are Still in Afghanistan, and It's a Big Mess

It's not clear what will happen to those outside Kabul

(Newser) - Americans are being evacuated from Afghanistan amid the Taliban's takeover of the country, but as many as 15,000 still remain there, according to administration sources who spoke to NBC News and the Washington Post . About 1,100 had been evacuated as of Tuesday night, but "now that...

Body of Afghan Found in Plane's Landing Gear

Grim discovery comes as Kabul airport reopens after chaos Monday shut it down

(Newser) - Planes are flying out of the Kabul airport again after Monday's bedlam forced a temporary shutdown. In fact, the US plans to dramatically increase the speed of evacuations over the next 24 hours, reports the Hill . The goal is to roll out one flight per hour, which could evacuate...

A Key Figure Makes Symbolic Return to Afghanistan
A Key Figure Makes Symbolic
Return to Afghanistan
the rundown
Aug 17, 2021 11:27 AM CDT

A Key Figure Makes Symbolic Return to Afghanistan

Abdul Ghani Baradar, a former prisoner, is a co-founder of the Taliban

(Newser) - Americans might soon become more familiar with the name Abdul Ghani Baradar, a pivotal figure in the Taliban who arrived back in the country on Tuesday for the first time in a decade. Coverage:
  • A co-founder: Baradar is described as the Taliban's de facto leader by the Washington Post
...

How Many People Aboard Your Jet? 'Holy ... Holy Cow'

Air Force C-17 flies 640 Afghans to safety

(Newser) - Desperate Afghans clinging to an Air Force transport plane at the Kabul airport Monday might end up being one of the most enduring images of the Taliban takeover. Now, a related one has surfaced that will surely be in the conversation. As Defense One reports, it shows 640 Afghans crammed...

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