UN: Over 100 ex-Afghan forces, officials slain since August
The United Nations secretary-general says the world body has received “credible allegations” that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban takeover of the country on Aug. 15.
Ex-Afghan president says had no choice but to flee Kabul
Afghanistan Ghani FILE - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is seated after his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, June 25, 2021. Former President Ashraf Ghani said in a BBC interview that aired Thursday that an adviser gave him just minutes to decide to abandon the capital, Kabul. Still, the Taliban takeover was met with widespread fear and a deep longing by many to flee their desperately poor homeland despite billions of international money over the 20 years the U.S.-backed governments had been in power. In the BBC interview, Ghani denied widespread accusations that he left Afghanistan with a cache of stolen money. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko was named the most corrupt, with Ghani, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz among the finalists for the title of most corrupt.
wftv.comEx-Afghan president says had no choice but to flee Kabul
Afghanistan Ghani FILE - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is seated after his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, June 25, 2021. Former President Ashraf Ghani said in a BBC interview that aired Thursday that an adviser gave him just minutes to decide to abandon the capital city. Ghani in his interview denied widespread accusations that he left Afghanistan with a cache of stolen money. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko was named the most corrupt with Ghani, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz among the finalists for the title of most corrupt. That agreement laid out conditions for the final withdrawal of the remaining U.S. and NATO forces ending America's longest war.
wftv.comThe AP Interview: Karzai 'invited' Taliban to stop chaos
The Taliban didn't take the Afghan capital — they were invited, says the man who issued the invitation. In an Associated Press interview, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai offered some of the first insights into the secret and sudden departure of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani — and how he came to invite the Taliban into the city “to protect the population so that the country, the city doesn’t fall into chaos and the unwanted elements who would probably loot the country, loot shops.” Defense minister Bismillah Khan even asked Karzai if he wanted to leave Kabul when Karzai contacted him to know what remnants of the government still remained. Karzai, who was the country's president for 13 years after the Taliban were first ousted in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, refused to leave.
news.yahoo.comAfghan Taliban's new UN envoy urges quick recognition
The Taliban's newly appointed envoy to the United Nations is urging quick world recognition of the Taliban government and Afghanistan's new rulers even as the World Health Organization raised the alarm warning of an impending humanitarian disaster in the war-wracked country.
UN: Afghanistan's Taliban want to address General Assembly
The United Nations says the Taliban, Afghanistan’s new rulers since last month, have challenged the credentials of Afghanistan’s former U.N. ambassador and are asking to speak at the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level meeting of world leaders that began Tuesday.
UN: Taliban ask to address the UN General Assembly
The United Nations says the Taliban, Afghanistan’s new rulers since last month, have challenged the credentials of Afghanistan’s former U.N. ambassador and are asking to speak at the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level meeting of world leaders that began Tuesday.
Friction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies
Sept 11 What Of Afghanistan FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. In a further sign that the hard-liners had prevailed, the white Taliban flag was raised over the presidential palace, replacing the Afghan national flag. On Tuesday, the Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Mutaqi, dismissed such reports as “propaganda.”Baradar had been noticeably absent from key functions. Another Taliban figure said Baradar was visiting family he had not seen in 20 years of war. Analysts say the friction may not amount to a serious threat to the Taliban — for now.
wftv.comFriction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies
Sept 11 What Of Afghanistan FILE - In this Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. In a further sign that the hard-liners had prevailed, the white Taliban flag was raised over the presidential palace, replacing the Afghan national flag. On Tuesday, the Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Mutaqi, dismissed such reports as “propaganda.”Despite the denials, Baradar has been noticeably absent from key functions. He was not at the presidential palace earlier this week to receive the deputy prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdur Rahman Al-Thani, who is also foreign minister. Analysts say the friction may not amount to a serious threat to the Taliban — for now.
wftv.comFriction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies
The friction between pragmatists and ideologues in the Taliban leadership has intensified since the group formed a hard-line Cabinet last week that is more in line with their harsh rule in the 1990s than their recent promises of inclusiveness.
The Latest: US veterans hope more Afghans at risk can leave
Republican and Democratic lawmakers, veterans groups and other American organizations and individuals have been pressing the Biden administration to do more to get out those vulnerable Afghans. They include thousands of Afghans who used to work with the U.S. military, and are eligible for what are known as Special Immigrant Visas. James Miervaldis, a spokesman with a veterans group, No One Left Behind working on behalf of those Afghans, called the news, “Awesome. ___ISLAMABAD — Pakistan says Qatar’s foreign minister will arrive in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad to discuss the latest situation in Afghanistan. In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Qatari chief diplomat Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his day-long visit Thursday will meet with Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other top officials.
wftv.comThe Latest: Westerners to depart Kabul on commercial flight
The large group of foreigners would depart Thursday on a Qatar Airways flight that had earlier ferried humanitarian aid to the country, said Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, a Qatari special envoy. Al-Qahtani said it was the first international commercial flight from Kabul airport since American forces left at the end of August, their departure accompanied by a frantic airlift of tens of thousands of foreign citizens and Afghans fleeing the Taliban. ___ISLAMABAD — Pakistan says Qatar’s foreign minister will arrive in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad to discuss the latest situation in Afghanistan. In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Qatari chief diplomat Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his day-long visit Thursday will meet with Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other top officials. Washington blamed Ghani’s flight and the government’s collapse for a Taliban takeover ahead of a negotiated deal.
wftv.comThe Latest: Up to 150 Americans expected to fly out of Kabul
The United States is using the military base in Ramstein, Palatinate, as a hub for the evacuation of shelter seekers and local forces from Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) (Markus Schreiber)KABUL, Afghanistan — Two Qatari officials say they expect 100 to 150 Americans to fly out from Kabul’s airport in the coming hours. If confirmed, this would mark the first large-scale evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan since the last U.S. forces left the country at the end of August. The officials say the Americans would leave later Thursday on a Qatari flight that had delivered humanitarian aid to Afghanistan earlier Thursday. He said the United States is prepared to prevent an al-Qaida comeback in Afghanistan that would threaten the United States.
wftv.comThe Latest: US says al-Qaida could regenerate in Afghanistan
The United States is using the military base in Ramstein, Palatinate, as a hub for the evacuation of shelter seekers and local forces from Afghanistan. He said the United States is prepared to prevent an al-Qaida comeback in Afghanistan that would threaten the United States. The Taliban had provided al-Qaida with sanctuary while it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. The U.S. invaded and overthrew the Taliban after it refused to turn over al-Qaida leaders following the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the United States. Prominent Afghan political figures who stayed behind say they had expected to meet with Taliban political leaders the following day to continue negotiations.
wftv.comThe Latest: Qatar's FM to discuss Afghanistan with Pakistan – WFTV
The United States is using the military base in Ramstein, Palatinate, as a hub for the evacuation of shelter seekers and local forces from Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) (Markus Schreiber)ISLAMABAD — Pakistan says Qatar’s foreign minister will arrive in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad to discuss the latest situation in Afghanistan. In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Qatari chief diplomat Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his day-long visit Thursday will meet with Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other top officials. The development comes two days after the Taliban announced an interim government for Afghanistan. Prominent Afghan political figures who stayed behind say they had expected to meet with Taliban political leaders the following day to continue negotiations.
wftv.com"I owe the Afghan people an explanation": Ashraf Ghani apologizes for fleeing Kabul
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to Afghans for fleeing Kabul on the day the Taliban entered the capital city, calling it "the most difficult decision" of his life.Why it matters: Ghani's decision to flee Kabul and seek asylum in the United Arab Emirates on Aug. 15 precipitated the collapse of the Afghan government. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeIn a White House address the day afte
news.yahoo.comWhite House downplays 'leaked transcripts of phone calls' between Biden and Ghani
The White House refused to draw further attention to reports President Joe Biden and ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani were unprepared for Afghanistan's quick collapse and that Biden had encouraged his counterpart in Kabul, Afghanistan, to fix his "perception" problem by selling a military strategy with local political heavyweights.
news.yahoo.comBiden to speak Friday on Afghanistan withdrawal, evacuation efforts
(Photo by AFP via Getty Images/AFP via Getty Images)President Joe Biden on Friday will speak about the situation in Afghanistan following days of chaos for thousands as they try to flee the Taliban. >> Read more trending newsBiden is expected to discuss the withdrawal of American troops and the efforts to get out of the country Afghan citizens who helped American forces over the years. Biden has come under sharp criticism since the collapse of the government led to continued chaotic scenes at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. “If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out,” Biden said. In the ABC interview, Biden said the chaos at and around the airport was inevitable.
wftv.comAfghan president latest leader on the run to turn up in UAE
Afghanistan Gulf Hosting Fugitives FILE - In this June 25, 2021 file photo, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is seated after his meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington. Both have close security partnerships with the United States and both have taken in political fugitives and exiled leaders on the run. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) (Alex Brandon)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — (AP) — Afghanistan’s president, driven out by the Taliban, is the latest leader on the run to turn up in the United Arab Emirates. The two Gulf Arab states have close security partnerships with the United States and both have taken in political fugitives and exiled leaders on the run. From his new base in the UAE, Ghani released a video statement Wednesday, for the first time since escaping Kabul.
wftv.comMisread warnings helped lead to chaotic Afghan evacuation
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The warnings were clear: The Afghan government would likely fall once U.S. troops pulled out. Biden on Wednesday blamed Ghani for fleeing the country and Afghan forces for surrendering so easily to the Taliban. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, insisted Wednesday that he had no indication of the speed of the Afghan collapse. One senior intelligence official said agencies did identify the risk of a rapid collapse of the Afghan government and grew “more pessimistic” during the last several months of the Afghan fighting season. Many have blamed an intelligence failure for failing to anticipate the speed with which the Afghan government would collapse.
wftv.comWas Biden handcuffed by Trump's Taliban deal in Doha?
Afghanistan Doha Trap FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020, file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader shack hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar. The argument that President Donald Trump's February 2020 deal with the Taliban set the stage for the weekend chaos that unfolded in Kabul has some merit. It had an escape clause: The U.S. could have withdrawn from the accord if Afghan peace talks failed. He had plenty of opportunity to do that if he so desired,” Miller, a top Pentagon counterterrorism official at the time the Doha deal was signed, said in an interview. He said the Doha deal was always supposed to be “phase one” of the process, with the next part being the U.S. using its leverage to have Ghani negotiate on a power-sharing deal with the Taliban.
wftv.comThe Latest: Food agency warns of hunger in Afghan conflict
He thanked Afghan security forces in his message, but also said that the “failure of the peace process” led to the Taliban snatching power. It added that Turkmen officials have regular contacts with the Taliban regarding security along the Afghan-Turkmenistan border. “Afghan women and girls, as all Afghan people, deserve to live in safety, security and dignity,” it said. ___PRAGUE — The third Czech evacuation flight in three days has left the Afghan capital of Kabul and is heading for Prague. A government official, Michal Dworczyk, said 250-260 people have expressed a wish to be evacuated, but that not all of them might be able to reach the Kabul airport to leave.
wftv.comMisread warnings helped lead to chaotic Afghan evacuation
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The warnings were clear: The Afghan government would likely fall once U.S. troops pulled out. Biden on Wednesday blamed Ghani for fleeing the country and Afghan forces for surrendering so easily to the Taliban. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, insisted Wednesday that he had no indication of the speed of the Afghan collapse. One senior intelligence official said agencies did identify the risk of a rapid collapse of the Afghan government and grew “more pessimistic” during the last several months of the Afghan fighting season. Many have blamed an intelligence failure for failing to anticipate the speed with which the Afghan government would collapse.
wftv.comThe Latest: Third of UN foreign staff leaving Afghanistan
APTOPIX Germany Afghanistan People sit in a German Bundeswehr airplane at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, as the federal armed forces evacuates German citizens and local Afghans who worked for Germany. “Personnel will return to Afghanistan as conditions permit.”In addition to the international staff, the U.N. and its agencies have about 3,000 Afghan employees. He thanked Afghan security forces in his message, but also said that the “failure of the peace process” led to the Taliban snatching power. All three missions have been operating “as usual” after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on Sunday. Anze Logar said on Wednesday that for the time being, Slovenia will not offer taking in additional refugees from Afghanistan.
wftv.comThe Latest: US troops can't escort Afghans to Kabul airport
APTOPIX Germany Afghanistan People sit in a German Bundeswehr airplane at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, as the federal armed forces evacuates German citizens and local Afghans who worked for Germany. Germany’s foreign minister said his country’s ambassador in Kabul has begun talks in Doha with Taliban representatives to ensure they allow Afghans to reach the airport. ___ROME — An Italian Air Force jet has ferried 86 passengers to Rome’s main airport from Kabul. Giarrizzo said Kabul airport security conditions were currently OK but stressed that they are “very fluid.” U.S., British and Turkish military forces were helping to keep the airport entrance more orderly, he added. A government official, Michal Dworczyk, said 250-260 people have expressed a wish to be evacuated, but that not all of them might be able to reach the Kabul airport to leave.
wftv.comThe Latest: Ghani releases video, 1st since fleeing Kabul
Ghani posted a video on his Facebok page late on Wednesday, confirming that he was in the United Arab Emirates. He thanked Afghan security forces in his message, but also said that the “failure of the peace process” led to the Taliban snatching power. Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday just as the Taliban approached Kabul. A government official, Michal Dworczyk, said 250-260 people have expressed a wish to be evacuated, but that not all of them might be able to reach the Kabul airport to leave. ___ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan is issuing visas upon arrival to all diplomats, foreigners and journalists who want to leave Kabul over security concerns.
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