Monday, 23rd August 2021

Welcome to Monday's coverage of the latest from Afghanistan

From the BBC:
We will bring you the latest news from Afghanistan where international evacuation efforts are still continuing.
The main points:

• The German military said an Afghan guard was killed at the airport on Monday after a firefight broke out
  
• President Joe Biden said on Sunday the US had flown nearly 28,000 people out of the airport in the past week.
  
• Mr Biden has defended the operation, saying the process was always going to be “hard and painful” regardless of when it began
  
• Six US commercial airlines are being drafted in to help the effort
  
• There are discussions under way about the 31 August deadline for departure, Mr Biden has said, amid reports UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among those pushing for an extension
  
• Afghanistan will be the focus of a special meeting of the G7 on Tuesday
  
• US vice-president Kamala Harris - who's visiting Singapore - praised the US military for "doing very hard and difficult work" at Kabul airport
  

Deadly firefight at airport

A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen and security forces at an entrance to Kabul airport on Monday, according to German army officials.
One Afghan guard was killed and three others injured, officials said, with US and German forces also involved in the incident.
The airport has been a scene of chaos for much of the week since the Taliban takeover of Kabul, with thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals trying to flee the country.
A Nato official told Reuters on Sunday that at least 20 people had died in and around the airport since last weekend - including from crushing and shooting incidents.

End of August deadline 'arbitrary'

Today Programme - BBC Radio 4
James Clapper, former US director of national intelligence for the US under Barack Obama, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme he thinks the 31 August deadline for evacuations is "arbitrary".
"What I hear is the deadline, and then the assurance that at the same time we’re going to do everything we can to get all of our citizens out, and I assume all of our allies’ citizens out, as well as Afghans who assisted us," he says.
"I’m hearing both, so I really think in practice if we have to go beyond 31 August we probably will."
He says he fears Afghanistan will become a "magnet for terrorists of all stripes" including members of the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda "who fled Afghanistan precisely because of the pressure generated by the allied forces".
Asked whether international intelligence about these groups would be weakened with the withdrawal of US forces, he says: "There’s no question that there are considerable capabilities over the horizon and I’m sure our intelligence services are aggressively exploring alternatives but there’s no substitute for on the ground presence."

G7 leaders to meet Tuesday

An emergency meeting of G7 leaders will be held on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
The virtual summit was agreed following talks between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden.
Downing Street said the pair had "agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis".
The UK heads the G7 group of nations this year - which is made up of the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
The White House said in a statement that G7 leaders would "discuss a common strategy and approach" following the Taliban's rapid takeover.

Harris says evacuations remain 'singular focus'

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday that getting people safely out of Afghanistan was her country's "singular focus at this time".
Speaking at a joint press conference on a visit to Singapore, Ms Harris said there would be "plenty of time to analyse what has happened" in the context of the US withdrawal.
"But right now we are singularly focussed on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and Afghans who are vulnerable including women and children," she said.
Speaking alongside her, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore had offered support for evacuation efforts.

US withdrawal lays bare a not-so-special relationship

Jon Sopel - BBC North America Editor
There are arguably many reasons to complain about the UK prime minister's handling on any number of issues - but frankly, on the question of US withdrawal, he never stood much of a chance.
Now this isn't me going soft, or in any way being an apologist for Mr Johnson. But from Washington, where I am writing, it is just a statement of realpolitik. It is a statement of the reality of the "special relationship", which is that when push comes to shove, it isn't so special.
America acted unilaterally over Afghanistan - actually maybe that should be Joe Biden acted unilaterally. He wanted out. The warnings of HM Government - and my understanding is they were made strenuously - fell on deaf, indifferent ears in Washington.
In those circumstances, what is a British prime minister to do? The idea that the British armed forces could have swarmed in to fill the vacuum left by a US withdrawal is unrealistic.
It has also been suggested in some sections of the British press that this would never have happened during the supposed acme of the "special relationship" when Ronald Reagan was in the White House and Margaret Thatcher was at Number 10. Are you kidding me? Does anyone remember what happened in the Caribbean island of Grenada, in 1983?
I could list countless other examples where America has ridden roughshod over British sensibilities and it doesn't matter whether the president is Republican or Democrat.

What we know about airport shooting

The German army has said that a member of the Afghan security forces was killed in a gunfight at the north gate of Kabul airport on Monday morning.
A statement said US and German troops had been involved alongside the Afghan guards - with three other Afghans injured in the incident.
It's not clear who started the fighting and German officials said the three Afghans were hurt by "unknown attackers".
The Afghan forces are thought to be part of an army contingent who have been helping international forces, having refused to surrender to the Taliban.
On Saturday, the US advised its citizens to avoid the area because of potential terror threats.

Where will refugees fleeing Taliban go?

Thousands of people have been scrambling to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban seized back control of the country.
The surge in numbers trying to leave comes on top of the 2.2 million refugees already in neighbouring countries and 3.5 million people left homeless within Afghanistan's borders as a result of ongoing conflict and political instability.
The BBC's visual journalism team has been looking into the levels of displacement and what other countries are doing to help.

• Read more: Where will refugees go after Taliban takeover?
  

Taliban will not extend evacuation deadline

The Taliban will not extend the 31 August deadline for the current evacuation mission, a spokesman has said.
The 31st was a red line, Suhail Shaheen said. He said President Biden had said troops would be out by that date, and extending it meant extending Afghanistan's occupation. He warned of consequences if that were to change.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been expected to use an emergency G7 meeting on Tuesday to ask President Biden to delay the US troop withdrawal to allow more time for evacuations from Kabul airport.
Thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals are still scrambling to get on flights out of the country.

Anti-Taliban forces 'ready for the resistance'

Today Programme - BBC Radio 4

Ahmad Massoud, leader of the anti-Taliban forces, speaks to supporters in Panjshir province, Afghanistan

A spokesperson for the anti-Taliban forces gathering in the Panjshir Valley region of Afghanistan said that the group intends to "pursue peace and negotiations before any sort of war and conflict starts".
Ali Nazary, of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, told the BBC that thousands of fighters had gathered in the region under Ahmad Massoud, son of the famed anti-Taliban leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Nazary called on the Taliban to enter into "sincere" negotiations, saying Massoud's forces were "ready for the resistance".
“The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan believes that for any lasting peace, we have to address the underlying problems of Afghanistan. We cannot just continue the same pattern we have been seeing for the past 40 years or 100 years or 200 years in the country. The number one problem is the centralised political system in the country," he said.
"Afghanistan is a country made up of ethnic minorities", he said. "It is a multicultural state. It needs power sharing, a power sharing deal where everyone sees itself in power... If one political force, whoever it is, from wherever they come from, if they try to dominate politics it will just create the conditions for internal warfare and the continuation of the current conflict."
In an article for the Washington Post last week, Ahmad Massoud pledged to "defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan freedom" and called on Western nations to "aid the cause of freedom".

UK deploys more evacuation staff at Kabul airport

The UK government has deployed five more workers to Kabul airport to aid in evacuation efforts, the Foreign Office has announced.
There are now 19 British personnel working on the ground, including Ambassador Sir Laurie Bristow, who has been praised for remaining at Kabul airport and aiding his team in processing visa applications.
Last week the UK government announced plans to accept up to 20,000 Afghan refugees, with 5,000 expected to arrive in the first year.
President Biden has announced that he plans to withdraw US troops from the airport by 31 August. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to urge him to extend this deadline at Tuesday's virtual meeting of G7 leaders.

UK will leave when US does - minister

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said the UK will leave Kabul airport at the same time as US forces.
Speaking to media on Monday, he confirmed Prime Minister Boris Johnson will "try and seek" a US extension beyond the current 31 August evacuation deadline date at a G7 meeting tomorrow.
"When they withdraw that will take away the framework... we will have to go as well," he said. "I don't think there is any likelihood of staying on after the United States."
He added that we are "really down to hours now, not weeks", adding: "We have to make sure we exploit every minute to get people out."

US urged to extend presence at Kabul airport

Jonathan Beale - BBC defence correspondent
Behind the scenes Britain has been pushing the US for an extension of the Kabul airlift. Not for long – just a few days.
That short time would allow evacuation flights to continue for most of this week, while giving the military a few extra days next week to pack up and leave. Military planners in the Ministry of Defence estimate they need 24 to 36 hours to fold up the operation and get every soldier out.
Hopes of an extension still appear slim, not least because of the Taliban.
Some have asked why the UK and allies could not stay longer without the US. But the US is providing the bulk of the troops to keep the airport secure. It’s essentially running the airport, including air traffic control, as well.
The US is also providing intelligence and surveillance for the operation. Replacing these elements would take significant time and resources. Without US military power, there’d also be an increased risk for those left behind.
Staying in Afghanistan without the US was never really an option for the British. Nor is it at Kabul airport.

Taliban say deadline move 'a clear violation'

A spokesman for the Taliban, Muhammad Suhail Shaheen, has spoken with the BBC amid reports the UK will press for a deadline extension for international evacuations beyond 31 August.
"Foreign forces should withdraw on the deadline they have announced earlier. Otherwise, it is a clear violation," Mr Shaheen said.
The spokesman added the Taliban's reaction to such a move would be a decision for the group's leadership.
Thousands of Afghans are continuing to try and flee the country ahead of the end-of-the-month deadline, with many citing fear of life under Taliban rule.
It is unclear whether international flights will be allowed in and out of the country once international forces leave and cease control of the airport.

Medical supplies stuck in airport chaos

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday that more than 500 tonnes of medical supplies due for delivery in Afghanistan are stuck outside of the country due to chaos at Kabul airport.
Aid officials say the supplies, including surgical equipment and malnutrition kits, are needed to help hundreds of thousands of people displaced by recent violence.
Thousands of people have left the country in recent days, but commercial flights have ceased.
"While the eyes of the world now are on the people being evacuated and the planes leaving, we need to get supplies in to help those who are left behind," WHO spokeswoman Inas Hamam said in a statement to Reuters.
The UN health organisation wants empty planes to divert to Dubai to pick up supplies on their way to pick up refugees.

'We are in hell' - Afghan interpreter

Several thousand Afghan interpreters and other staff who worked for British forces are eligible to come to the UK, but many are stuck at Kabul airport as they attempt to flee the Taliban.
One man - who cannot be named to protect his security because he worked with the British forces as an interpreter - told the BBC he was trapped in the crowds outside the airport.
He said he had been waiting almost 12 hours at the gate for British interpreters.
“I'm here with my children, with my wife but there's no way for us to go in and ask someone what's happening with us, with my case.
“There are hundreds of other interpreters and their lives are in danger and their futures are very uncertain. So I think we are in hell.
“And you're waiting for 14 or 15 hours without water, without food.
“The reason why you are suffering all this, because you worked for British army, because you worked for foreigners."

We have thousands of fighters - anti-Taliban group

The NRF says it wants to pursue peaceful negotiations before fighting

An anti-Taliban resistance group has said it has thousands of people ready to fight.
The BBC has not independently verified this claim, which was made by Ali Nazary, the head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF).
Mr Nazary told the BBC in an interview that the group had "thousands of forces ready for the resistance" but wanted to pursue peaceful negotiations first.
"If this fails... then we're not going to accept any sort of aggression," he said.
It comes as the Taliban say they have surrounded the group's Panjshir valley stronghold and put them under siege.
Resistance figures have also said the Taliban are now advancing in the region, which is northeast of the capital Kabul.

 

Afghans can leave after 31 Aug with proper visas - Taliban

The Taliban are urging Afghan people to stay and rebuild their country but will not stand in the way of those who want to leave, if they have the correct documentation, a spokesman has told the BBC.
Suhail Shaheen said people could still leave on commercial flights after the deadline for foreign troops to leave by 31 August.
He said: "We are not putting hurdles in their way if they have a passport issued - they can go on commercial flights at any time. We want them to stay in the country but if they intend to go, they can... if they have the proper documents."
But he stressed there would be "consequences" if the foreign forces stayed beyond 31 August. He did not elaborate on what this would mean, saying only that the Taliban leadership would decide.
G7 members will meet virtually tomorrow to discuss whether to try to extend the 31 August deadline amid chaotic scenes at Kabul airport.

Why the Panjshir valley matters

The Panjshir region - in particular the Panjshir Valley - is famous for having successfully fought off invasions, including from Soviet forces during the Soviet-Afghan war from 1979 to 1989, and the Taliban in the 1990s.
The region is now under the control of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), which was founded by Ahmad Massoud - the son of Afghan resistance hero Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Ahmad Shah Massoud was a powerful guerrilla commander who led the resistance against the USSR, and then went on to lead the Afghan government's military wing against rival militias in the 1990s.
After the Taliban gained control, he was the main opposition commander against their rule, until his assassination in 2001.
The NRF's ultimate goal is a decentralised form of governance in the country

Latest on evacuations from Kabul

Numerous countries have been sending aircraft to Afghanistan to bring back their citizens following the Taliban's takeover a week ago. Here’s the latest on those evacuations:

• Germany has airlifted almost 3,000 people originating from 43 countries from Kabul airport, Chief of Defence Eberhard Zorn has said. They include 143 Germans, some 1,800 Afghans and about 350 European Union nationals, he said
  
• Two evacuation flights carrying 226 people arrived in Belgium on Monday morning from Islamabad, the hub for Belgium's rescue mission. Four military flights from Kabul are due to ferry more people to the Pakistani capital later. Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes tweeted that Belgium's Operation Red Kite has already brought 400 people from Kabul's airport
  

• Switzerland’s government said it has evacuated around 100 people from Afghanistan so far. It also said a 300-seat aircraft took off from Zurich on Monday heading for the Uzbek capital Tashkent to bring back people who had already been evacuated from Kabul
  
• Hungary has evacuated 173 people from Afghanistan - including many at the request of the United States and Austria - on a plane that arrived in Budapest via Uzbekistan earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. Some 96 Afghan nationals who had helped Hungary and its allies in Afghanistan had arrived in Hungary and been placed in quarantine, a statement added
  
• France is using a staging post in the United Arab Emirates as it seeks to evacuate more than 1,000 Afghans who are fleeing the country. A flight with 250 French and Afghans aboard left for Paris on Sunday, followed by another in the early hours of Monday morning with 150 passengers
  
• And Japan sent a military aircraft to Afghanistan earlier on Monday. A total of three military transport planes are expected to be sent to Afghanistan to repatriate Japanese citizens and Afghans working at the Japanese embassy
  

UK has evacuated 6,600 people since last weekend

The UK has evacuated 1,300 people from Afghanistan over the last 24 hours, according to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
Giving an update to broadcasters, he said that figure was made up of British nationals and people on the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) schemes such as interpreters.
He said that since 14 August, the UK had taken 6,600 people out of Afghanistan.
"There are, of course, many, many more, and the hardest thing is, to be honest, about the reality, which is we won't get them all out, but we are doing it every hour of every day to get them through."

The new order is being created

Lyse Doucet - Chief International Correspondent
The book recording vaccination certificates lies open. There are still a few passports on the shelf. But the little booth where medical staff at Kabul International Airport once collected Covid tests is now strewn with scraps of paper and shards of broken blue glass. American soldiers patrol the ground; they sit surrounded by coils of razor wire in front of the iconic sign “I Love Kabul” with its big red heart.
Two billboards dominating this civilian section of the airport now send new signals. A huge hoarding with two layers of photographs of former President Ashraf Ghani is torn. On the other side, a quote from the late famous former commander Ahmad Shah Massoud seems even more apt: “to compensate political mistake is difficult”.
A few buses packed with Afghans manage to reach - no doubt with the best of connections - this relatively quiet civilian side of the airport to escape the chaos and crush at the main gate for processing passengers. Families hastily pile out of vehicles to walk to the military section, also under US control, where evacuation flights are lifting off with ever greater frequency as the end of the US military mission in Afghanistan draws near.
Just beyond this American-controlled zone, Taliban fighters are now firmly in charge. It’s a startling changing of the guard. Many now sport American-issued uniforms, hold new US-made M4 rifles, cradling them the way American-trained soldiers would have been taught - more signs of the valuable booty that’s fallen into Taliban hands.
There’s traffic gridlock in the streets outside. I’ve always seen the entrance of Kabul airport as a symbol of the cityscape. Over the past two decades, this intersection has changed with the times – from desolate streets in late 2001 when the Taliban were toppled, to a thicket of billboards, changing over the years, urging Afghans to buy mobile telephones, vote for politicians, support their national security forces. No doubt new messages will soon take pride of place. For now, the white Taliban flag flutters from new checkposts and on gleaming pickups bristling with guns.
The old order has crumbled; the new order is being created. For now, daily life just goes on. Young boys pushing carts with sugar cane or fizzy drinks still make their way through the fray - street children wave rusted tins, burning with incense, to provide positive spirits for a price.

US evacuates 16,000 in the past 24 hours - general

The US has evacuated 16,000 Afghan people in just the past 24 hours alone, according to a top US general.
Around 11,000 were flown out by the US military, while the rest were taken by charter and commercial flights.
Since 14 August, 37,000 have been taken from the Kabul airport, said US Army Maj Gen Hank Taylor.
He added that the number of troops at Hamid Karzai International Airport remains at 5,800, and that local commanders "continue to actively monitor threats" in the area.
"We’re taking this day by day. We’d like to see the numbers rise but we’re taking it day by day," said military spokesman John Kirby.
He added that law enforcement and intelligence personnel are present at these evacuation locations to ensure that "nobody comes to the United States that hasn’t been scrutinised in a robust manner".

Greece urges EU to help stop Afghan refugees coming to Europe

Greece has installed a fence at the border with Turkey to keep out migrants

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on the EU to help countries neighbouring Afghanistan to stop a new influx of migrants into Europe.
Mitsotakis said: "It is important for the European Union to support the countries close to Afghanistan, in order to make sure that we won't have additional flows in Europe."
Mitsotakis told European Parliament Vice-President Roberta Metsola that Greece has managed to stop mass migration in the past and will do so "with the same policy" this time.
Government spokesman Yannis Oikonomou said Greece would not "take lightly any possible escalation of the immigration and refugee issue".
Greece has installed a 40km (25-mile) fence and surveillance system on its border with Turkey amid concern over a surge of migrants from Afghanistan.

Spain agrees to temporarily host 4,000 Afghans

Spain has agreed to temporarily host 4,000 Afghans who worked for the US at two military bases in the southern part of the country.
The agreement between US President Joe Biden and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez allows the Afghans to stay in Spain for up to two weeks.
In a separate development, a plane carrying 260 Afghan refugees arrived on Monday at an EU military base in Spain. The base, which is outside Madrid, is being used to host Afghan refugees and their families as they await settlement in another EU country.
More than 800 Afghans have arrived in Spain since last week.
Earlier today, US officials said they were setting up eight transit hubs across six countries.
"The transit hubs that we have arranged in Germany, Italy and Spain will have the combined capacity to process approximately 15,000 people on a rolling basis, which in turn will enable us to keep evacuating people continuously from Kabul," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Where will refugees go after Taliban takeover?

Taliban appoint new governor of central bank

There have been long queues outside banks as people attempt to withdraw money

The Taliban have appointed the new head of Afghanistan's central bank.
Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that Haji Mohammad Idris had been appointed as the new governor of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB).
This comes after Finance Ministry officials announced that the central bank would resume operations soon.
Deposits at Afghanistan's central bank have been frozen since the Taliban took control, as a result of which the bank was closed as well.
A senior Taliban official told Reuters news agency that Idris, from the northern province of Jawzjan, had extensive experience working on financial issues with the previous leader of the movement, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a drone strike in 2016.
While Idris had no public profile outside the Taliban and no formal financial training or higher education, he was head of the movement's finance section and respected for his expertise, a senior Taliban leader said.

Re-cap and goodbye

Round-up of today's developments in Afghanistan:

• The Taliban have said they will not extend the 31 August deadline for the current evacuation mission
  
• A spokesman for the group stressed there will be "consequences" if foreign forces stay beyond that date
  
• The White House said that the US was in talks with Taliban leaders "on a daily basis", but did not say whether it would extend the leaving date
  
• The UK is expected to urge President Biden to delay the withdrawal of US forces beyond that date at Tuesday's G7 talks. France is also calling for the US military presence to be extended
  
• An anti-Taliban resistance group, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), says it has thousands of people ready to fight the Taliban
  
• Western military officials say that a member of the Afghan security forces was killed and several others were injured in a gunfight with "unknown attackers" at the north gate of Kabul airport on Monday morning.