Afghanistan - 31st August 2021

Who was evacuated from Afghanistan in the end?

Soon after the US announced the end of its Afghanistan mission, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters that 123,000 people were safely flown out since the Taliban took over on 14 August.
Out of them, 6,000 were American citizens. Secretary Blinken says between 100 and 200 American citizens who still want to leave remain in the country and that the US will hold the Taliban to their promise to let people freely depart the country.
It is unclear just how many of those evacuated are Afghans.

• Around 15,000 people were flown to Britain, according to the UK defence ministry
  
• Canada facilitated the evacuation of roughly 3,700 Canadian and Afghan citizens
  
• Germany flew around 5,300 people out, including more than 4,000 Afghan nationals
  
• Italy evacuated just over 5,000 people including 4,890 Afghans
  
• Nearly 3,000 people including more than 2,600 Afghans were taken to France
  
• Australia welcomed 4,100 people including more than 3,200 citizens and Afghans with visas to the country
  
• The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Australia and Sweden are among countries that evacuated more than 1,000 people each from Kabul airport.
  

Taliban heralds “historic moment” of US exit

With the country now back in their hands, Taliban supporters celebrated across Kabul after the last US plane flew out.
Scenes from Kabul showed supporters firing guns into the air and cars honking into the early hours of Tuesday.
The last American troops left Kabul Airport at midnight.
At that point, Afghanistan gained “full independence,” one Taliban representative, Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Another senior Taliban official, Anas Haqqani, was quoted by AFP as saying he was “proud” to witness such “historic moments”.

Afghans flee to Pakistan over land

With foreign evacuation flights now ended, Afghans still desperate to find a way out of the country may be heading to the nation’s borders.
Already over the past two weeks, thousands have fled to neighbouring Pakistan.
Our reporter Shumaila Jaffery has been at the Chaman border:
“From dawn till dusk they pour in - hundreds of men with luggage on their shoulders, burqa-clad women walking briskly behind their men, children clinging to their mothers, exhausted in the scorching heat, and even patients pushed on wheelbarrows.”
She spoke with many refugees, including one student who said:
“Everybody wants to live in their homes, but we were forced to leave Afghanistan. We are not feeling good about migrating to Pakistan or other countries, all people are worried, but they don't have any hope”.
Read her full despatch here.

'Living in a state of constant fear in Herat'

Vikas Pandey - BBC News
Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city, was a bustling centre of economic activity until it fell to the Taliban.
Residents tell the BBC that the local economy has now slowed down and "people are living in a state of fear".
Habeeb*, who worked in communications, says people are scared to even leave their houses.
"The Taliban are present everywhere. I am running out of my savings. I have no job and so many like me need desperate help."
The Taliban are asking people to return to work but locals say that "the entire administrative system is destroyed".
Habeeb says he has been hearing about the Taliban giving severe punishments to people even for petty crimes.
"The situation is much worse in smaller districts and villagers where there is no oversight from the media," Habeeb addsa.
*Name has been changed to protect identity

Taliban stopped some Americans from getting to airport – reports

As the last US plane left Afghanistan there were still American citizens and eligible Afghans trying to get into the airport, officials have said.
In a press conference earlier, General McKenzie, head of the US forces confirmed there were an estimated 100-250 Americans who either couldn’t get to the airport on time or couldn’t get onto a plane.
One US army veteran who says he's been helping coordinate rescues from his Connecticut home said the Taliban refused to let many pass in the end. He had been in touch with many of them, he tweeted.
“The Taliban just became simply impossible to coordinate with towards the end. They refused to cooperate outside the gates," he said.
The BBC has not independently verified his claims.
Alex Plitsas, the veteran, has also said he is still being contacted by Americans wishing to get out, but some had not registered with US authorities. “We can’t rescue people we don’t know are there," he said.

'Markets and eateries are open but the joy is gone'

Vikas Pandey - BBC News, Delhi

The 12-Century Blue Mosque is a symbol of Mazar-i-Sharif

Mazar-i-Sharif, often described as the cultural capital of Afghanistan, is witnessing considerable curbs in freedoms that people enjoyed before the Taliban's takeover.
Mazar wears many hats - it is believed to be the birthplace of Islamic mystic poet Jalaluddin Rumi and it's also a place which has traditionally been a hub of anti-Taliban resistance.
Hasan*, who has been telling the BBC about the experience of living under the Taliban rule, talks about how much things have changed in such a short time.
"Restaurants are open now, but you hardly see women in them, you miss the usual sight of youngsters, including girls, glued to their mobile phones watching films, playing video games, or making content for social media."
It's hard to believe the pace at which such freedoms have been upended. I visited Mazar-i-Sharif in 2014 and found it to be a vibrant city. Shops were selling modern clothing for both women and men. Electronic shops were full of modern gadgets,
And one could find all kinds of cuisines - Italian, Indian and German. It's heartbreaking to hear people's stories about fear - the fear of never being able to live the life they lived before the Taliban arrived.
*Name has been changed to protect identity

Younger generation of women stand to suffer from Taliban rule

The US says America has begun a new chapter of engagement with Afghanistan, which would be led by diplomacy.
Shortly after the last American flight left Kabul, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed that the Taliban would have to respect the rights of women.
But Lina AbiRafeh, a women's rights expert who worked in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2006 says women are already living in fear.
"The fear is crippling, and the uncertainty is an inhibitor - people just do not want to be outside. At the same time, women who were active in the health sector have been asked to come out and start working and they are doing so but they remain apprehensive as well," Ms AbiRafeh told BBC World's Newsday programme.
She added that there was so much hope in the country before the takeover, but that the younger generation could really suffer.
"Afghan women have been out and working and really showcasing their talents, and gaining all these new freedoms. And all of that right now is in jeopardy with what's happening in the country. So it's extremely worrying for them, especially for a younger generation of women who did not experience the abuses or the restrictions of the Taliban," she said.

If you're just joining us now…

Hello to our readers waking up in the UK and Europe. In Afghanistan, it is the first morning of a new era under Taliban control, following America's departure.
Here's what you need to know about the last few hours:

• The US flew out its last military plane just after midnight on Tuesday, bringing to a close its longest war ever.
  
• Shortly after their departure, Taliban fighters streamed into Kabul airport to claim the ground and the disabled military equipment left behind by the US. Others celebrated across the city, firing guns into the air.
  
• This morning, members of the Taliban leadership strode across the tarmac at Hamid Karzai airport to declare victory and congratulate their fighters
  
• Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the insurgents for “gaining independence” and said his government wished to have “good relations with the US and the world”.
  
• But with the Americans gone, this is now a worrying, uncertain period for women, children, and human rights activists under Taliban rule
  
• There is widespread anxiety about what the hardline Taliban government will look like, and how it will act within its Islamic law framework
  
• The US said it had evacuated about 123,000 civilians including 6,000 American citizens in what was its largest non-combatant evacuation in US army history
  
• But around 100 to 250 American citizens remain, said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who wasn’t able to confirm exact numbers.
  
• US President Joe Biden had promised to get every American out, so the early end to the evacuation has sparked widespread criticism
  
• Some Americans and Afghans who were approved to leave struggled to get to the airport because they were blocked by Taliban at checkpoints, according to some witness reports
  
• Mr Biden is due to give a public address on the end of the war today
  

Hundreds of UK nationals still in Afghanistan - foreign secretary

The UK's foreign secretary says there are still hundreds of UK nationals in Afghanistan - days after the country's last evacuation flight left the capital Kabul.
Dominic Raab told BBC Breakfast those left behind - a figure in the "low hundreds" - were mainly the "more complex cases", such as large family groups or those without documentation.
On top of this, there are still others hoping to come to the UK because of their work with the British government, or through the resettlement scheme.
Raab stressed that the government is still hoping to evacuate everyone who is eligible, and has been in contact with third countries that could serve as a route to the UK.
On top of this, he said the government was "going to hold the Taliban to their assurances" that people would be allowed safe passage.
Raab also defended the two decades spent in Afghanistan, pointing to successes in access to education, maternal mortality and the fact the country had not been used as a base for terrorists in years.

Cash in short supply at ATMs

The BBC's Secunder Kermani in Kabul says Afghans - who have woken up with no international troop presence in their country for the first time in nearly 20 years - are anxious about the future.
"The Taliban have yet to announce a new government, have yet to announce a new system of government. My sources are telling me that it's quite possible that they will announce the establishment of an Islamic Emirate like they had in the 1990s," he told BBC World News.
Cash is also in short supply, with huge crowds gathering at ATMs. Withdrawals have been capped because of the rising demand. People are waiting for hours early in the morning to withdraw a small amount of their savings.
"People are really getting quite desperate. One man telling me he was worried about being able to put food on the table for his children. Another woman breaking down in tears. A substantial number of Afghans even though evacuation flights have ended, are still trying to leave the country. Many of the people who were leaving telling me that their primary reason to leave was actually the poor state of the economy," he added.
"Many people telling me they think the Taliban has adopted a more conciliatory attitude in public than what they had anticipated, than what they had feared but they're not sure how the Taliban will behave going forward, now that international troops are leaving, now that potentially some of the international focus on Afghanistan is going to shift".

Return of Bin Laden aide reminder of Afghan terror threat

Frank Gardner - BBC Security Correspondent
The man believed to be seen in a car arriving in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province this week was once one of Osama Bin Laden’s closest aides.
Amin ul-Haq was chief of security for the al-Qaeda leader when the group was based there 20 years ago. He was also believed to be in charge of arms procurement.
Soon after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the US named him a Globally Designated Terrorist and he fled across the border into Pakistan, where he was reportedly imprisoned for three years.
His return to Nangarhar province, if confirmed, will be a further reminder to the West that despite assurances by the Taliban, Afghanistan has the potential to once again become a haven for international terrorism.
A recent UN report stated that strong ethnic and marital ties existed between the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
With the Taliban now in control of most of the country, Western counter-terrorism agencies no longer have access to the same human informants they used to identify the presence of al-Qaeda and other militant bases in Afghanistan’s remoter provinces.
You can read more on the relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda here

Government to be formed 'in days'

There have been weeks of uncertainty since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, with questions over what the new government will look like.
But Pakistan's foreign minister told a news conference today that a "consensus government will be formed in the coming days" in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have previously said they are in talks with “all factions” to reach an agreement on a future government.
Details of how the group will govern the country, and what their rule means for women, human rights, and political freedoms remain unclear.
Click here to read more about what could happen next

Child refugees suffer liver failure after eating poisonous mushrooms

Adam Easton - Warsaw Correspondent
Three Afghan child refugees in Poland have suffered liver failure after eating poisonous mushrooms from a forest beside their migration centre.
Two of the children are in intensive care. The five-year-old cannot have a liver transplant and the prognosis for him is bleak, but the six-year-old will have a transplant today, doctors at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute said.
Professor Jaroslaw Kierkus told a news conference that the three children - aged five, six and 17 - had been staying at the Debak-Podkowa Lesna migrant centre, which is located in a forest just outside Warsaw. He said they suffered liver failure after they ate poisonous mushrooms.
The children are part of a family evacuated from Kabul by the Polish military. They arrived at the centre on 23 August and the children ate the mushrooms the following day. They were admitted to hospital on 26 August.
“The boys aged five and six were in a very serious condition from the moment of admission to the hospital and their condition has been constantly deteriorating. The boys are currently in the intensive care unit,” Kierkus said.
He said the five-year-old was ineligible for a transplant because of damage to his central nervous system. His six-year-old brother will start the procedure to have a transplant later today. He denied media reports that the five-year-old was already brain dead, but he added that irreversible brain damage had occurred.
The 17-year-old girl is in a stable condition and her prognosis is “quite good”, he said.
Every year, a number of Poles are hospitalised after eating poisonous mushrooms collected in forests.

'We need bread and water' - Afghans on life in Kabul

People in the capital Kabul have been responding to the departure of US troops from Afghanistan.
"I must say that we do not want a foreign country to be in our homeland. We are happy that security is provided, but we need bread and water," one resident told Reuters news agency.
Others echoed the concern over the continued disruption to banks and workplaces since the Taliban took over the capital two weeks ago.
"Our expectation from the government of the Islamic Emirate is that the banks should be open, the employees (of the government) should go to work because the money is important to us," another resident was quoted as saying by the agency.
"I have been unemployed and sitting at home for 17 or 18 days, and this isn't easy because we have rent, electricity bills, and other expenses.

Russian media hammer home US's ‘humiliating’ defeat

Tse Yin Lee - BBC Monitoring

The “American exodus”, says rolling news channel Rossiya 24, was “disastrous”

State media in Russia and China have been scathing of America’s withdrawal.
The Americans' defeat “is humiliating for Washington and obvious to the entire world", says Russia’s official daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
"A devastated Afghanistan and a shocking humanitarian disaster… this land is filled with artillery fire and gun fire, poverty and hunger, death and parting," says a commentary in the state China News Service agency.

State outlets have also heavily criticised America over recent security incidents in Kabul.
A Rossiya 1 TV correspondent alleged US marines “in panic opened fire with rifles at unarmed people” after a suicide bombing outside Kabul Airport on 26 August.
China's Global Times accused the US military of "hiding" the truth about the alleged shooting as well as a US drone strike, which killed 10 Afghan civilians, including children.
"The two 'accidental killings' of civilians can be argued to be the epitome of most US military operations," the paper said.
America has not commented on allegations that US forces fired on civilians. The Pentagon said the suicide blast was followed by gunmen firing on civilians and US military.
America says it is still investigating the drone strike, which targeted Islamic State militants.

Legal threat after female judge and MP not given visas

Daniel Sandford - Home Affairs Correspondent
The UK government is being threatened with legal action over its failure to give visas to a female judge and a female member of parliament from Afghanistan.
The women remain in Afghanistan and are being helped by a team of UK lawyers, acting on their behalf for free.
Their legal team said: "These women put their lives on the line when they attained their respective civic roles. They worked to protect and advance the interests of the people of Afghanistan. We must not turn our backs on them now."
It comes after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, shortly after the UK ended its evacuations.
The judge said: "My life and that of my family are in danger right now because the Taliban believes that women cannot be judges, especially when it comes to judging the actions of men."
She said one of her brothers had gone missing and she was "very worried" about him.
The women are being represented by Daniel Berke of 3D Solicitors and barristers Michael Polak and Simon Myerson QC.
The lawyers say the women are high priority targets for the Taliban.
They claim urgent requests were made of the UK government before evacuations ended and there had been time to get them out of the country - but "all requests and applications went unanswered".

Thousands with German rights left behind - Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says between 10,000 and 40,000 local staff working for development organisations remain in Afghanistan but might want to leave for Germany.
She said the number of those who might want refuge depended on how the Taliban decided to rule the country.
Germany has already flown out some around 5,300 people, including more than 4,000 Afghan nationals.
She said at a news conference in Berlin she'd been in touch with other EU leaders about the possibility of maintaining an EU presence in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to keep up contacts with the Taliban.
This, she said, might only be temporary and was not the same as diplomatic recognition.
She stressed the importance of Kabul airport in terms of humanitarian aid.
"This airport by the way is of existential importance for Afghanistan because otherwise no humanitarian or medical aid can get there," she said.

Terrified Afghan TV anchor reads news surrounded by armed Taliban soldiers

Harry Brent - Irish Post
Frightening footage has emerged of an Afghan news presenters reading out headlines while surrounded by a group of gun-toting Taliban thugs.
The video, which was shared online by the TV studio after the Taliban stormed the building and demanding the anchor sing their praises live on air.
It's also understood that the soldiers wanted staff inside the studio to debate with them.
The understandably petrified anchor can be heard urging people "not to be afraid" and "to co-operate" with the group in a 42-second video which has been viewed well over a million times.
BBC's Yalda Hakim tweeted the clip on Sunday afternoon, alongside the caption: "Afghanistan TV - surreal."
"This is what a political debate now looks like on Afghan TV, Taliban foot soldiers watching over the host. The presenter talks about the collapse of the Ghani govt & says the Islamic Emirate says the Afghan people should not be afraid," she wrote.

Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad said of the video: "Taliban militants are posing behind this visibly petrified TV host with guns and making him say that the people of Afghanistan shouldn't be scared of the Islamic Emirate... Taliban itself is synonymous with fear in the minds of millions. This is just another proof."

The video emerged shortly after US armed forces carried out a successful drone strike mission which they say prevented a second terrorist attack outside Kabul airport.
Last week, an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated a device among crowds of people desperately trying to flee the country outside the airport, leaving at least 170 people dead, including 13 American soldiers.

Taliban talks on forming new government

The Taliban have ended a three-day meeting where the formation of a new government was discussed, the group said in a statement.
Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada led the discussions on the "current political, security and social issues of the country", according to the group.
There's been some speculation on who is in the new government, but none of it is confirmed as yet.
This graphic, below, shows what we already know about the Taliban leadership.

Viral video does not show man hanged from helicopter

Shayan Sardarizadeh and Alistair Coleman - BBC Monitoring

Video seen by the BBC shows the man is very much alive

A video which has been claimed to show a condemned man being hanged from a helicopter seized by the Taliban appears to have been misleadingly captioned.
The 11-second clip - which has over 2m views and has been shared thousands of times on Twitter - is blurred and doesn’t give a clear indication of what is going on.
Further footage and still photographs seen by the BBC show that the man flying over the city of Kandahar is very much alive. These images show him wearing the Blackhawk helicopter’s diver’s winch and waving the Taliban flag.
Several Afghanistan experts, quoting Taliban sources, have told the BBC that the flight yesterday was an attempt to fix a flag over a public building using their newly-captured US-built equipment.
The helicopter appears to be the aircraft which was seen taxiing at Kandahar several days ago after it was seized by the Taliban from the Afghanistan Air Force. One defence analyst suggests the aircrew probably defected to the Taliban with their aircraft.
US-trained helicopter winch operators wear the loop at the back, which could easily be mistaken for a noose in poor quality video footage. British RAF, Royal Navy and HM Coastguard divers, on the other hand, wear the loop to their front.

Reported clashes between Taliban and opposition in Panjshir Valley

Clashes have been reported between the Taliban and opposition militia in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley.
A spokesman for the main resistance movement said it had killed eight Taliban fighters who had attacked from all directions. But the Taliban said opposition troops had suffered heavy casualties and three of their checkpoints had been seized.
The National Resistance Forces are holding out in the valley north of Kabul. Panjshir is the only province not under Taliban control.
It’s not the first time the dramatic and imposing Panjshir Valley has been a flashpoint in Afghanistan’s recent turbulent history – having been a stronghold against Soviet forces in the 1980s, and the Taliban in the 90s.
Fighting has also been reported in the neighbouring Baghlan, Parwan and Daikundi provinces.
You can read more about the Panjshir Valley here

The trust deficit between Afghans and Taliban

Secunder Kermani - BBC News, Kabul
What most Afghans are concentrating on now is what the future holds.
At the moment, they're in a state of limbo because, yes the Taliban are clearly in control of nearly all the country, but they've yet to announce a government. That means most Afghans still don't have that much of an idea about what life under the Taliban is really going to look like.
Many people I speak to say they're worried - that while in public the tone of the Taliban so far has been more conciliatory than anticipated, as the international focus shifts away from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of these final international troops, the Taliban could become more vengeful, more vindictive, more repressive.
The Taliban of course say that's not true and that they've granted an amnesty to those linked to the previous government, and that they're in favour of women's education, and women working.
But there's a real trust deficit between the inhabitants of cities like Kabul and the Taliban.

Canada announces plans to take 5,000 Afghan refugees

Canada will accept 5,000 Afghan refugees evacuated by the US, the government announced on Tuesday.
In a statement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that the two countries had reached an agreement to “closely cooperate” on the safe passage of US and Canadian citizens, as well as Afghan nationals who served both countries, and their families.
The 5,000 refugees will be accepted as part of a wider plan to house 20,000 refugees. Included in their number are persecuted minorities, human rights advocates, journalists and members of Afghanistan’s LGBT community.
The refugees will come to Canada through other countries where they are currently being housed.
The government said they must meet “all eligibility and admissibility requirements”.
Canada has evacuated approximately 3,700 people from Afghanistan, most of whom supported Canada’s mission in the country.

Afghans fear Taliban 'amnesty' was empty promise

Yogita Limaye - BBC News, Kabul
Since they took control of Afghanistan just over two weeks ago, the Taliban have sought to portray a more moderate image than when they last seized power in 1996.
They have repeatedly said they will grant amnesty to all, including those who worked for western militaries or the Afghan government or police.
But there is growing evidence that the reality on ground is different to the rhetoric coming from Taliban leaders and spokesmen.
Now sources inside Afghanistan, as well as some who recently fled, have told the BBC that Taliban fighters are searching for, and allegedly killing, people they pledged they would leave in peace.
Several sources confirmed that Taliban fighters last week executed two senior police officials. Those who managed to flee say they fear for their colleagues back home.
The BBC was not able to independently confirm the killings, and the Taliban have repeatedly denied committing any revenge killings. But the group was widely thought to be behind a spate of assassinations after signing a peace deal with the US in 2020, and there are mounting reports they have been searching for targets since taking power two weeks ago.
Read the full story here.

UN warns of looming catastrophe in Afghanistan

His comments come following the withdrawal of US troops from the country

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned of a looming “humanitarian catastrophe” in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Tuesday, he expressed “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country and the threat of basic services collapsing completely”.
“Today, almost half of the population of Afghanistan – 18 million people – need humanitarian assistance to survive. One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. More than half of all children under five are expected to become acutely malnourished in the next year. People are losing access to basic goods and services every day,” he said.
His comments come after the US withdrawal of troops from the country.
Guterres urged UN member states to provide funding and help ensure humanitarian workers have funding, access and legal means to stay in the country and deliver aid.

Biden: 'The world is changing'

"We delivered justice to Bin Laden over a decade ago. Al-Qaeda was decimated," says Biden.
He says that "this is a new world" and there are threats from al-Shabab, al-Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic State group.
"I do not believe the safety and security of America is enhanced by deploying thousands of troops and spending billions in Afghanistan," he says.
He says the US strategy has to change and doesn't need to have troops on the ground to fight terror.
"We struck ISIS-K remotely days after they murdered 13 of our service members and dozens of innocent Afghans.
"ISIS-K we are not done with you yet," he adds.

Biden warns: 'You will pay the ultimate price'

"To those who wish America harm, the US will never rest," says Biden.
"We will not forgive, forget, we will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and you will pay the ultimate price".
He says the US will continue to support Afghans through diplomacy and aid. He adds that America will speak out for the rights of Afghan people including women and girls.
"I have been clear that human rights will be at the centre of foreign policy", he says.
“The war in Afghanistan is now over.”

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Recap on today's main developments

We're pausing today's coverage on Afghanistan but first a reminder of the headlines:

• The US has officially withdrawn from Afghanistan, with the last American plane departing just before midnight on Tuesday
  
• Speaking on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden defended the decision to withdraw adding that he believed that staying wasn't an option
  
• Addressing the nation, he said that the US strategy had to change and there was no need to have boots on the ground to fight terror
  
• Biden also issued a warning to the Islamic State group affiliate which attacked crowds at Kabul airport. "ISIS-K we are not done with you yet," he said
  
• However, foreign citizens remain in the country, including hundreds of British nationals and around 100 to 250 Americans, according to officials
  
• The Taliban has celebrated the withdrawal. Speaking at Kabul airport, one Taliban leader claimed that "people are happy" that the militants have "brought peace" to Afghanistan
  
• But UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned of a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" in the country